The policy of the Board of Regents of the UW System is to ensure that no qualified person shall, solely by reason of disability, be denied access to, participation, or the benefits of, any program or activity operated by the UW System. Each qualified person shall receive reasonable accommodations needed to ensure equal access to educational opportunities, programs and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate. It is the students’ responsibility to request accommodation through the McBurney Disability Resource Center (263-2741) which has authority for determining if individuals are “qualified disabled persons” and can assist in identifying reasonable accommodations.
Contact office staff to sign out AV equipment. Be sure to sign up in advance as equipment is often reserved for others. The Department currently owns video projection systems, overhead projectors, DVD players with monitors, a movie projector, and hand held tape recorders. Sociology equipment is not to leave the Sewell Social Science Building. If you have an occasional need for AV equipment but have not been assigned a media classroom or a Sewell Social Science room, contact the Undergrad Program Coordinator at least 24 hours ahead of time and they will try to find you a suitable room.
New eligible employees have 30 days to sign up for immediate coverage (effective the first day the following month) for health insurance. See Steven Martin with any questions regarding the many benefits available to graduate assistants and lecturers. The employee benefits booklet is online at:
https://www.ohr.wisc.edu/benefits/docs/new-employee-packet-grads.pdf.
Steve will provide answers to specific questions and makes every effort to keep faculty/staff informed of benefit information and changes. However, it is your responsibility to be aware of fringe benefit rights and requirements.
The Social Science Building is open Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:15 p.m., Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7:00 p.m. Closed holidays. Outdoor building keys can be obtained from the main office.
In the event you experience problems with office (temperature, lighting, etc.) during regular office hours, contact the main office personnel (262-2922 or 262-2921) to report them. During non-office hours, call the Physical Plant (263-3333) to directly report the problem to .
Business cards can be ordered through the department at one’s own expense. The order form and instructions for submitting the order are online at UMark: https://umark.wisc.edu/branded-merchandise (UW net id login required).
You will need the following information:
Dept Number: 488300;
Fund Number: 101;
Program Number: 2;
Project Number: (Leave blank);
Work Order - use your last name.
Business cards typically arrive in three weeks. You must pay for them at the time of delivery. Please give this money to the Financial Specialist, Toni Schulze.
Instructors can get their class rosters any time via the Faculty Center in MyUW. Here's a link to help: https://registrar.wisc.edu/documents/e-ClassRosterInstructions.pdf.
Classroom changes cannot be made until after classes start each semester. Contact the Undergraduate Program Coordinator if you want or need to change classrooms. Also see Audio-Visual Equipment.
The Social Science Computing Cooperative (SSCC) combines a group of powerful computers with a professional staff to supply the computing needs of a number of departments. Everyone in the Department is expected to be a user of the SSCC (Social Science Computing Cooperative) and to have an SSCC computer account. The SSCC provides written documentation on a wide variety of topics, holds training sessions on everything from how to log on to advanced SPSS and SAS, and publishes a monthly electronic newsletter (sent via email automatically to all SSCC members). The Co-op also runs two computer labs: a graduate student lab on the 4th floor and an undergraduate instructional lab on the 3rd floor of the Sewell Social Sciences Building. You can access all SSCC information on its website www.ssc.wisc.edu/. For questions or concerns regarding computer issues, email "CONSULT" or calling 262-9917 (on staff M-F from 9-12 and 1-4).
Courses numbered 100-299 are open to undergraduates. Courses numbered 300-699 are open to undergraduates and graduate students. Sociology course numbers are allocated in this range according to a topical scheme rather than level of difficulty: 350-379 for methods and statistics, 400-449 for deviance and social problems, etc. Courses numbered 700-999 are solely for graduate students. Contact Ellen Jacobson for specific questions regarding Sociology courses.
Course evaluations are done online for all section types: for professors and lecturers in Lectures; for TAs in Discussions and Labs; and for professors in Seminars. Ted Babcock sends out a notice each semester to announce evaluations.
It is mandatory that TAs be evaluated by their supervising instructor at the end of each semester. First time TAs will also receive a 6-week evaluation. Kim sends out to supervising instructors with a list of TAs for their respective courses.
Guidelines for producing course reading packets can be found later in this handbook. Please note that the staff will not compile your reader. Course materials including any handouts may be printed to the 4th floor lab printer and copied in room 8128. Plan ahead as the copier could be in use when you want to run copies.
Graduate and undergraduate students who meet course prerequisites listed in the Schedule of Classes can enroll online. Those who do not will need authorization. For undergraduate classes, contact the Undergraduate Program Coodrinator (Ted Babcock). For graduate courses, contact the instructor.
Department meetings are traditionally scheduled the first Wednesday of each month during the academic year in room 8417 from 12:15 to 2:00 p.m; this may fluctuate due to the academic calendar. Consequently, faculty are asked not to schedule classes or other obligations during that time period. These are open meetings. Executive Committee is made up of all tenured faculty and usually meets the second Wednesday of the month from 12:15-2:00 p.m. in room 8417 or as called by the Chair.
See Textbook Orders.
The vast majority of Department announcements are made via email. Faculty, staff, and students are asked to check email at least once a day. Email is also the official source for grad student announcements.
Questions regarding email training, problems, etc. can be directly emailed to the SSCC consultant on duty.
Any equipment purchased with UW administered funds (including grant funds) should remain on campus. Please note that UW insurance has a $2500 deductible. Lost or stolen equipment is not covered by insurance unless the loss is the result of a break in. Please keep equipment in a secure location when not in use.
The University has very strict guidelines concerning examinations and grades. Instructional staff are expected to follow these rules to the letter.
Final examinations must be given at the time indicated in the Timetable. Only the Dean of L & S may grant permission to change the time of a final examination and does so only in the most extraordinary of circumstances. Note: You cannot hold an exam at a different time even if the overwhelming majority of the students in the class prefer it held at a different time.
Instructors must not violate the one day "dead" period just prior to the start of final examinations. This means that no special classes, make-up exams, etc., are to be scheduled for that day. The day must be reserved for study only.
When freshmen are enrolled in a class, instructors must give some kind of exam or graded activity before the end of the sixth week so that unsatisfactory freshmen grades can be reported to the registrar. Report forms are sent to the instructors.
Grades are submitted electronically. Only the instructor of record can submit final grades, although TAs can enter them. View the Registrar's Office page on Grades and Grading Policy. See the Undergraduate Program Coordinator for help.
Keys are monitored and distributed in the main office. Key policy is largely determined by campus security in conjunction with UW Risk Management. Staff members have little control over who is allowed access to keys or space, and rekeying is both expensive and time-consuming. Please keep this in mind and be mindful of where your keys are and who has access to your space.
See here: GAPP Leave Benefits.
Mailboxes are maintained for faculty, staff, visitors and graduate students in room 8128. See Erin with related questions.
Instructional staff should post office hours on their Social Science office doors and send this information to Erin so office staff can inform callers of appropriate times to meet with instructors, as well as make them available online. Please keep the main office posted of major departures and returns.
Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Contact Steven Martin for questions related to payroll. Graduate assistants and lecturers are paid on a monthly basis on the first day of each month.
There are two ways of making copies for instructional purposes. The first option is to make the copies yourself using the photocopier in 8128 by bringing a hard copy of the document or a flash drive; the front office staff can give you the copy code. The second option is to email your document to both Erin Skarivoda (skarivoda@wisc.edu) and Toni Schulze (schulze@ssc.wisc.edu) and they will make copies for you. Please plan ahead.
Plagiarism is a serious problem. In order to deter students from plagiarizing, the department has purchased anti-plagiarism software called Turnitin. All instructors are encouraged to add a statement similar to the following to their syllabi:
"The Department of Sociology is licensed to use a powerful anti-plagiarism software which compares student work to a vast, comprehensive data base of on-line texts and to papers submitted to Sociology courses in previous semesters. Any written work submitted to this class may be processed through the anti-plagiarism software. In addition, you are hereby notified that any written work you submit to this class may be entered into the anti-plagiarism data base so that it cannot be plagiarized in future semesters. A clear definition of plagiarism as well as information about disciplinary sanctions for academic misconduct may be found at these web sites:
https://students.wisc.edu/student-conduct/plagiarism/
https://students.wisc.edu/student-conduct/academic-misconduct-sanctions/
Knowledge of these rules is your responsibility, and lack of familiarity with the rules does not excuse misconduct."
Vending machines are located on the fourth floor across from the south side elevator. One can purchase coffee, bakery items, lunch items, beverages, and snack foods at The Daisy (Room 7304 Social Sciences) which is managed by Economics graduate students. Coffee and tea are available for purchase at the 8th floor Sociology lounge. Coffee is $1 per cup, tea is $0.25 per cup, payable into the cash box on the wall by the coffee.
Once course packets are created by the Social Science Copy Center, it is the instructor's responsibility to ensure that readings are placed on reserve at appropriate libraries for those students who decide not to purchase the packet. Reading materials may also be put on electronic reserve. See the following:
https://www.library.wisc.edu/services/course-reserves-materials/ (General Info)
http://socialsciref.library.wisc.edu/ (Social Science Reference Library)
The retention of student records is the responsibility of the course instructor, not the office staff or the graduate assistants. Lecturers and visiting faculty and faculty who teach very large classes are asked to bind in bundles or to box exams, label with the semester and year, and then check with Toni or Erin for a place in which the exams may be stored. The Department of Sociology’s policy on retention is as follows:
-Grade Books (Faculty records of grades given in whatever form maintained): 5 years
-Final Exams (or an assignment given in lieu of a final exam) unless returned to the students: 1 Year
-Other course assignments: these may be returned to students; you have no obligation to keep them.
It is not uncommon for theft to occur in the Social Science building, as well as other places on campus. To protect against theft, faculty & staff are strongly encouraged to lock office doors, even if only planning to be gone for a minute or two. You are encouraged to keep your valuables (wallet, purse, etc.) locked in a file drawer.
Instructors should submit a copy of their syllabus to the Undergraduate Program Coordinator for the department archives. Instructors are also asked to include an anti-plagiarism statement on their syllabus (see Plagiarism).
Faculty and lecturers are required to have learning objectives in their syllabi for both undergraduate and graduate courses.
Lecturer and TA office telephones are limited to campus and local outgoing calls. If you must make a long distance call related to your teaching activities, contact the main office.
The department has an emergency code for use in a threatening situation (person who is angry and/or threatening or otherwise makes you feel unsafe) in your office. To summon immediate assistance, tell the student that you want to give them your full attention by calling the main office and having your calls held. Then call 262-2921 (main office number) and tell anyone who answers, "This is [your name] in room [room number], please hold my calls."
Please enter textbook information online using these guidelines from the Registrar's Office: https://registrar.wisc.edu/textbook_information.htm.
Contact the Undergraduate Program Coordinator to request exam or desk copies, or with any other textbook questions.