Questions Frequently Asked by U-M GSIs

Questions Frequently Asked by U-M GSIs


What if...?

What to Do.../Who to Call...
1. A
student wants to turn in an assignment late because the due date
falls on a religious holiday of importance to her. 		See Information for
Students Regarding Religious-Academic Conflicts.

Preventable: Ask students to inform you of conflicts at beginning of
the term.
2. A
student comes to your office and starts talking about difficult
personal problems he is facing. 		Counseling
and Psychological Services:  764-8312.
3. A
student wants to withdraw from the course two months into the term. 		Talk
about other alternatives. Suggest they consult with Newnan LSA
AcademicAdvising Center: 764-0332; Engineering: 647-7106; SNRE:  764-6453.
4. A
name shows up on your final grade sheet for a student you’ve never
met. 		See Grades
at U-M
5. A
student gives you a letter certifying that he has a learning disability. 		Discuss
relevant accommodations with student. Call Services for Students
with Disabilities for more info:  763-3000.
6. A
student with a broken leg is having a hard time getting to your
class on time. 		Suggest
that the student call Services for Students with Disabilities
to arrange temporary transportation services.
7. A
student turns in a paper that seems familiar—you think it's
plagiarism but you’re not sure from where. 		Talk
with faculty member.  See Academic Integrity
in the Classroom and discuss with faculty.
8. You
witness two students cheating on an exam. 		Interrupt
behavior. See #7.

Preventable:  Arrange
seating to deter cheating.
9. You
get propositioned from a student, offering favors in exchange for
a grade change. 		Establish
clear boundaries with student.  Discuss situation with someone
in your department.  See #10 if necessary.
10. You
feel you are being harassed by a student, a fellow
GSI, or a member of the faculty or staff.  Or, you
see harassment between students. 		Office
of Institutional Equity, 763-0235.
11. You
feel overwhelmed by your own life. 		Counseling
and Psychological Services:  764-8312,
or email tdsevig@umich.edu.
12. You
disagree with something the faculty member has said in class. 		Discuss
with faculty member.
13. Grading
is taking twice as long as you planned. 		Consult
with other GSIs and Sweetland
Writing Center (see

# 15).  Discuss with faculty member.
You
issue an override—another student has dropped and you now
have room—but a third student registers for the class in
the meantime. 		Discuss
with your department.

Preventable:  Close
class before issuing overrides.
15. A
student has clear difficulty with the mechanics of writing, more
than you can address. 		Refer
her or him to the Sweetland
Writing Center, 1310 North Quad,
764-0429.
16. An
athlete or a musician requests a change in a due date because of
a game/performance. 		Discuss
with your department, athletic department, School of Music.
17. You
realize your students have little or no experience with research
libraries and they need these skills for their papers. 		Call
Darlene Nichols, Coordinator, Graduate Library Instruction, 936-2362.
18. You
get to your classroom and the door is locked. 		Call
security:  763-1131 (you’ll need to show you are authorized
for this classroom) or call your department.
19. A
large number of students turn in a paper late because it is a busy
time at the computing center. 		Preventable:  Be
sure students know of various computing resources.  Work
with drafts, allow papers to be emailed, and make clear at the
beginning of the semester your policy on late papers.
20. You
need ideas about teaching strategies, writing a teaching philosophy,
or designing a syllabus. 		See
the CRLT
Teaching Strategies and Disciplinary Resources site.

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