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| Faculty Handbook |
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ACADEMIC RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES |
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RIGHTS AND DUTIES |
ACADEMIC FREEDOM
LSU is committed to the principle of academic freedom, and faculty are encouraged to explore fully their fields of interest. This principle also includes the right of a member of the academic staff to exercise the ordinary rights of an American citizen in speaking, writing, and action outside the University. At the same time, faculty are expected to be knowledgeable about laws and regulations that increasingly are affecting universities and to operate within the guidelines of University policy and regulations. Among the many implicit responsibilities of academic freedom is that of refraining from insistence that students or others accept any controversial point of view as authoritative. Academic freedom does not extend to any kind of abuse or infringement of the rights of others.|
COLLEGE FACULTY MEETINGS The dean of each college, or the dean or director of each school not within a college, calls a faculty meeting when it seems advisable to do so and, in any event, holds at least one faculty meeting during each semester, including the summer term. A faculty meeting is required upon the written request of one fourth of the faculty of a college or school. When faculty members are notified of a meeting, the Chancellor and the Executive Vice-Chancellor and Provost are to receive the same notification. |
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LEGAL COUNSEL
University operations are increasingly affected by law and by various regulations having legal effect. Pursuant to the provisions of Louisiana Revised Statute 9:2798.1, “Liability shall not be imposed on public entities or their officers or employees based upon the exercise or performance or the failure to exercise or perform their policy-making or discretionary acts when such acts are within the course and scope of their lawful powers and duties.”Furthermore, in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statute 13:5108.1, and Revised Statute 5108.2, the state will indemnify university officers and employees from financial loss arising out of claims brought by reason of the negligence or other act of the officer or employee, provided that the officer or employee was acting in the discharge of his duties and within the scope of his employment and was not committing a wrongful act or engaging in gross negligence. Within five days of when the officer or employee was served with the pleading, a copy of the pleading must be delivered to the attorney general’s office in order to preserve the right to indemnification.
It is, therefore, a matter of some importance to the academic staff to be familiar with University policy and procedures, especially those that relate to faculty rights, privileges, and responsibilities. University policy is stated in a number of documents with which faculty members should be familiar. See Appendix D, Policy Statements, for a complete list. These documents are on file in departmental and college offices; individual copies are also available through the Office of the Chancellor and on the University Computer Network.
University personnel may not contact University attorneys without prior approval from the appropriate vice-chancellor.
HOLIDAYS
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Faculty members on academic-year (nine-month) appointments are in pay status continuously from the beginning of the fall semester through the end of the spring semester, but are accorded holidays as listed in the LSU General Catalog, which are the same as holidays for the student body. Holidays for faculty members on fiscal-year (12-month) appointments are authorized by PS-31, Holiday Schedule, which is issued annually and provides 14 holidays. An employee does not receive holiday payment for a holiday that intervenes while the employee is on leave without pay. |
UNIVERSITY POLICY AGAINST POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
A full-time employee of the University shall not accept any appointive political office nor seek or hold any elective remunerative political office without the consent of the President of the LSU System. Employees may not solicit political contributions during regular office hours, nor may they use University equipment, material, or office space to solicit political contributions. Employees may exercise the rights of individual citizens to attempt to influence legislation or public policy, but they may not utilize state resources to do so, and they must make it clear that they speak as private individuals and not as University representatives.NEPOTISM
It is the policy of LSU to recruit and employ the best qualified individuals solely on the basis of merit. In accordance with this policy, members of the immediate family of a University employee will not be excluded from University employment. However, it is contrary to University policy and state law for immediate family members to be placed in a supervisor-employee relationship in any form of employment, including student employment.“Immediate family” is defined to include at least the following: children, brothers, sisters, parents, spouse, spouse’s parents or children’s spouses. Accordingly, if you are an immediate family member of an administrator, you may not be employed in that administrator’s area of responsibility, whether at the campus, college, department or other administrative unit level or whether or not intervening levels of supervision between the administrator and family member are present. Further, the University may determine that an employment relationship gives the appearance of nepotism and may be prohibited.
This policy is not intended to hinder, alter, or in any way affect normal promotional advancement where a member of an employee’s immediate family becomes the head of an administrative unit, provided that the employee had been employed in the unit for at least one year prior to the family member becoming its head. In such cases, the supervisor will pass to her or his immediate supervisor all responsibility for making decisions involving direct benefit to the employee who is a member of his/ her immediate family.
Under no circumstances, however, will a University employee be permitted to initiate or participate in any institutional decision involving direct benefit (initial appointment, retention, promotion, salary increase, leave of absence, etc.) to a member of his/ her immediate family of the person about whom such a decision is being made shall recuse herself/ himself from the decision making process.
Violation of this policy may subject the employee, his/ her immediate supervisor and the agency head to both disciplinary penalties and fines under state law.
Exceptions to the nepotism policy are not permitted. However, employees who marry may continue to work in that unit even though one of the employees is the unit head, provided that the supervising spouse avoid participation in transactions in which the subordinate spouse has a substantial economic interest. See Chapter II, Section 2-13, of the Bylaws and Regulations of the LSU Board of Supervisors.
Questions about the University’s nepotism policy should be directed to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources.
SELECTION, EVALUATION AND PROMOTION OF FACULTY
APPOINTMENT
Recruitment of faculty members should begin with a careful description of the position to be filled, which should be advertised according to PS-1, Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Policy. Timely advertisement in appropriate publications will be followed by objective, systematic, and orderly review of applications, references, and supporting materials. All eligible faculty members shall have access to these materials and the opportunity to participate in the review. An on-site interview will generally be conducted before an offer is made.Eligible faculty members vote on recommendations for appointment. Faculty who are eligible to vote on such recommendations vary according to the academic level of the candidate. In the case of appointment of assistant professors and instructors, this responsibility may be delegated to a committee designated by the eligible faculty. Details of these procedures are outlined in PS-36T and PS36NT, Criteria for Evaluating Academic Performance; and Policies and Procedures on Faculty Appointment, Performance Evaluation, Reappointment, Nonreappointment, Promotion, and Tenure, Appendix F in this Handbook.
EVALUATION
The performance of each faculty member will be reviewed annually by the appropriate department chair or head, as provided in PS-36. A record of the review will be forwarded through the office of the dean or director of the appropriate college or school to the Office of Human Resource Management for inclusion in the individual’s official personnel file.PROMOTION AND TENURE
Superior intellectual performance is an indispensable qualification for appointment or promotion to a tenured position. Faculty will be judged with respect to their proposed rank and duties, considering their record of performance in teaching, research, or other creative achievement, and service. Different departments/ schools will have different expectations, with varying emphases for teaching, research, and service. For detailed information regarding criteria for evaluation of performance, see PS-36 in Appendix F of this Handbook.Promotion is recognition of qualifications and achievements that justify an elevation in rank. Tenure is the prediction that a faculty member will continue to make positive academic contributions throughout the career, a decision based upon previous and current performance. For additional information concerning promotion and tenure, see PS-36 in Appendix F of this Handbook and Chapter II, Section 2-7, of the Bylaws and Regulations of the Board of Supervisors.
STOP THE TENURE CLOCK
It is the policy of Louisiana State University to recruit and employ the best qualified faculty. In accordance with this goal, the University strives to provide every opportunity for tenure-track faculty to attain a record worthy of tenure and promotion. In the course of a faculty member’s time in rank, the University may grant a temporary departure from the tenure-track. Guidelines were created to implement VIII D of Policy Statement 36-T, Tenure-Track and Tenured Faculty: Appointments, Reappointments, Promotions, Tenure, Annual Reviews, and Enhancement of Job Performance. A faculty member may request departure from tenure-track for a period of up to one year. A faculty member may request additional departure(s) from the tenure-track by separate written request(s). Each request will be considered separately. Whenever possible, requests should be made on a prospective basis. However, the University recognizes that circumstances may not always allow a faculty member to anticipate the need for a request for departure from the tenure-track. Therefore, retroactive requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, provided the individual has not received a notice of non-reappointment and has not entered the mandatory review year.The request must be initiated by the faculty member and routed through successive levels of approval. If a request for departure from the tenure-track is approved, the faculty member will enter into a written agreement which sets out the specific time period which will not be counted toward tenure and which establishes the year of the faculty member’s mandatory tenure review. These procedures do not apply to a faculty member who has been given a notice of non-reappointment or for whom the year of the mandatory tenure review has begun.
ACADEMIC WORK LOAD
The work load of faculty members includes formal classroom and laboratory teaching; course development; scholarly activities; supervision of theses, dissertations, and independent study courses; student evaluation and advising; and professional, University, and public service duties. The distribution among these various duties may vary from one faculty member to another and from one semester to another. Assignments are made by the department chair in consultation with the faculty and must be consistent with stated departmental goals and objectives and with stated criteria for evaluating faculty performance.The normal classroom teaching assignment (for full-time faculty with minimum involvement in other faculty duties) is the equivalent of 12 semester hours of lecture per week. Classroom teaching assignments are adjusted according to research, service, and administrative assignments, and may vary according to student level (undergraduate, graduate, professional). All full-time faculty members carry full work loads and normally have budgetary assignments that reflect the variety of assigned duties.
OFFICE HOURS
Faculty members are expected to hold the number of office hours appropriate for their ranks and assignments, in keeping with the policies of their departments. Office hours should be scheduled at times convenient for students, and faculty members should express their willingness to make special appointments for students unable to utilize scheduled hours.EXTRACURRICULAR WORK LOAD
The University encourages the faculty to engage in consulting and other forms of outside employment that enhance their reputations and reflect favorably upon the University. University policies and procedures have been developed to ensure that the outside employment activity does not interfere with the employee’s responsibility in the classroom, in research, or in service to the public. These policies are consistent with the Louisiana Code of Governmental Ethics. The principal policy governing outside employment is PM-11, Outside Employment of University Employees, administered by the Office of Research. All outside employment must be disclosed in advance by completing a PM-11 Outside Employment Disclosure Form. The form is routed through the employee’s immediate supervisor and the dean or director to the Vice-Chancellor for Research. PM-11 implements the provisions of an Ethics Code exception for higher education that was passed in 1987.Because of the Ethics Code amendment, as implemented by PM-11, the law now permits such activity to occur in special circumstances. Approval of the President is required when the proposed outside employment is with another agency of state government or when the employment activity might affect governmental policy or the passage of a bill currently before the legislature. Contracts between the University and faculty members are also allowed under very limited circumstances.
Approvals must be obtained according to PM-67, Contracts Between the University and Its Faculty Members. Faculty and other academic employees who anticipate outside employment are asked to contact the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research for assistance. Additional information is available in the booklet Policies and Procedures Governing Intellectual Property, available in departments and from the Office of Research.
SUMMER APPOINTMENTS
Because of reduced enrollment during the summer term, the University cannot offer supplementary summer appointments to all faculty members. Such appointments are arranged on an individual basis through the department, in cooperation with the appropriate dean and through the Office of Academic Affairs, which issues appropriate guidelines annually.In addition, the Council on Research annually grants a limited number of summer faculty research stipends to support full-time activities in the summer. These serve as stipends in lieu of University teaching salaries.
Faculty members may receive part or all of their summer salaries from grant funds, if the terms of the grants permit, but they may not receive more compensation than is permitted by PS-43, Additional Compensation Limitations for Academic and Administrative/Professional Employees and Computation of Summer Salary Rates for Academic Employees.
CLASS SCHEDULING
Classes are scheduled by department chairs, working with the Office of Budget and Planning and the Office of the University Registrar. To make any changes in class schedules, with respect to time or place, individual faculty members must request approval of the department chair and appropriate administrative officers. Nonscheduled use of classrooms should be cleared in advance with the Office of the University Registrar. Academic space, other than classrooms, is the responsibility of the Office of Academic Affairs. Space for meetings, banquets, and large groups is available in the LSU Union and Lod Cook Alumni Center.ADMISSION TO CLASSES
All persons attending a class are expected to be registered students of the University. Instructors should notify the department chair and the Office of Student Records and Registration promptly about any errors in registration. Faculty members may allow occasional guests for appropriate educational purposes. In addition, while students frequently attend classes before registering, they must register by the drop / add date of each term. Faculty should check their rosters after the drop / add period ends.CLASS ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to attend all classes. It is particularly important for freshmen to maintain regular class attendance. In some colleges/schools, the absence of a student who has been placed on academic probation or attendance probation should be reported to the dean. Faculty members should be familiar with specific attendance requirements of the colleges/schools (see PS-22, Student Absence from Class).GROUP EXCUSES FROM CLASSES
Students may be excused from classes because of scheduled University activities that necessitate their absence, provided each student has the prior approval of the appropriate dean (see PS-22). In such cases, students should be allowed to make up any missed assignments or tests.
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FIELD TRIP INSURANCE Although the University has no liability in the case of injury to a student as a result of an accident while on a student trip, it does provide travel insurance at nominal cost to those students participating in field trips. With certain exceptions, insurance is required of all students participating in approved field trips. Regulations governing these trips and insurance are contained in PM-4, Trips Covered by Student Travel Accident Insurance, and PS-22. The “Trip Travel/Activity Insurance Student Listing Form” is available here.SAFETY IN THE CLASSROOM, LABORATORY, AND FIELD Faculty members are expected to exercise reasonable precautions against accidental property damage and personal injury while performing their duties. Faculty members have a responsibility for the personal safety and health of students in their classes or under their direction. When agents or equipment that may be considered hazardous are used, faculty members are responsible for providing adequate protection, instruction, and supervision for students working in laboratories, shops, or classrooms. Emergencies should be reported immediately to LSU Police and the office of Environmental Health and Safety. |
CLERY ACT CRIME INFORMATION
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or Clery Act is federal law which requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose information about crime on, and near their respective campuses. The LSU Annual Security Report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crime that occurred on campus including certain off-campus buildings owned or controlled by LSU, on public property within or immediately adjacent to LSU and or accessible from the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus safety, such as alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, crime reporting, sexual assault and others. You can access the report here or obtain a copy of this report by contacting LSU Police.PROCEDURES FOR ORDERING TEXTBOOKS AND COURSE MATERIALS
All academic departments and faculty with the responsibility of providing information for the ordering of textbooks and classroom materials will provide identical information to all requesting bookstores. Ordering information will be provided in a response time comparable to the deadlines established by the requesting bookstores. Orders may not be placed with only one bookstore and one bookstore is not to be promoted over another (except in the case where only one bookstore requests the information).Faculty members, as individuals, may not sell instructional materials directly to students. State ethics regulations preclude a faculty member’s direct receipt of royalties from textbooks and other instructional materials sold to students enrolled in his/her classes or in classes in which the faculty member has played a role in the selection of required texts; royalties so derived, however, may be donated to the LSU Foundation or to any bona fide nonprofit institution. Such donations must be reported annually to the dean through the department chair/head.
LSU BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTS
Faculty and staff members are allowed discounts on most items in the LSU Bookstore when purchased for themselves or their immediate families.GRADING
Grading and grading authority policies are published in the LSU General Catalog, the Graduate Bulletin, and PS-44, Grades.In order to eliminate inconsistencies in grading policies, all faculty members are expected to announce to their classes at the beginning of the semester the general components from which the final grade will be determined, along with their approximate weights.
Written course syllabi must be distributed to students in all courses, graduate as well as undergraduate (see PS-44). These syllabi must include a clear statement of the relative weight to be accorded the component factors for the final grade. In addition, in 4000-level courses in which instruction of graduate and undergraduate students is combined, syllabi must state clearly any differential expectations beyond those already required by University and Graduate School regulations. (According to the University’s definition, good standing for undergraduates requires a minimum 2.00 gpa and a 3.00 gpa for graduate students.)
No later than the final day of class, a student is to be shown, upon request, the graded material for which he or she has been responsible (including a record of classroom participation, if that is included in the grade), along with his or her grade immediately before the final examination.
Following termination of the course, students are to be provided, upon request, a review of their examinations and an explanation of the final grade, as well as the method by which it was determined. This review is to include an accounting for all other unreturned work. Grading must be based on work that is assigned and evaluated equitably and fairly, with no special consideration given to individual students unless justified by disability or excused absence. Individual students should not, for example, be allowed to take on “extra credit” projects, spend extra hours in laboratories, or present themselves for reexamination or special examination, unless the same options are available to the entire class on the same terms. Faculty members should take special care to become familiar with policies concerning grading, absences, and disabilities. For additional information, refer to PS-22 and PS-26, Policy for Persons with Disabilities.
All faculty members are expected to keep all unreturned student work and grade books for at least six months following termination of a course. Should a faculty member leave the University, permanently or temporarily, his or her final examinations, all unreturned work, and grade books are to be deposited with the department chair to be kept for at least six months following termination of a course.
CONCENTRATED STUDY PERIOD
The five-day period (Wednesday through Sunday) immediately preceding the week of final examinations is set aside as a Concentrated Study Period. During this time, no extracurricular student activities, such as social and athletic events, will be held on or off campus. There should be no major examinations in academic courses, other than those considered laboratory courses. Any exceptions to this policy must receive prior approval from the Office of Academic Affairs.FINAL EXAMINATIONS
Six days (Monday through Saturday) will comprise the final examination period. Final examinations are required in all courses. When a final examination is inappropriate because of the nature of the course, exceptions to this requirement may be made upon approval of the appropriate department chair, dean or director, and the Executive Vice-Chancellor and Provost. Final examinations must be given during the published dates for the final examination period.A final examination is defined as the last in a series of major tests specified in the course syllabus. It need not be comprehensive. If the course syllabus does not call for a final examination, the last major unit examination is to be considered the final examination and must be given during the final examination period. When a series of major tests is scheduled in addition to the final examination, the last of the major test series may not be given during the Concentrated Study Period. Examinations and performances in laboratory-type courses may be given or required during the Concentrated Study Period.
A student who, because of illness or other valid reason, is absent from any final examination may take a special examination only upon recommendation of the dean of his or her college and with the concurrence of the instructor involved.
STUDENT APPEALS
Appeals of final grades must be initiated by the student within 30 days after the beginning of the next regular semester. For details of this procedure, see “Grade Appeals” in the LSU General Catalog. In addition, see PS-48, Appeal Procedures Available to Students, for information on appeals concerning all aspects of student relationships with the University.PRIVACY OF STUDENT RECORDS
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits release of personally identifiable information concerning a student (other than directory information) without the student’s consent. PS-30, Privacy Rights of Students/Buckley Amendment, defines prerogatives and responsibilities of students and University agents with respect to student records.
STUDENT ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
Academic misconduct represents a most serious and reprehensible type of student misconduct, and the University makes a genuine effort to prevent its occurrence. LSU has also developed policies and procedures to assure students of due process protection when academic misconduct is alleged and to provide meaningful and consistent sanctions for students found responsible for such conduct.Academic misconduct offenses and sanctions are under the jurisdiction of the Office of Student Advocacy and Accountability.
Section 8.1.B of the Code of Student Conduct outlines grading procedures in the event of suspected student academic misconduct:
“An instructor may not assign a disciplinary grade, such as an ‘F’ or zero on an assignment, test, examination, or course as a sanction for admitted or suspected Academic Misconduct in lieu of formally charging the student with Academic Misconduct under the provisions of this Code. All grades assigned as a result of accountability action must be approved by the Dean of Students or designee.”
See the Code of Student Conduct for more detailed information on procedures related to Academic Misconduct.
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT
To assist faculty with their continued professional development, the University encourages and supports professional leave, travel for presentation of research at conferences, involvement in activities offered through the Center for Faculty Development, and awards for teaching excellence.FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
Sabbatical LeavePersons on sabbatical leave are expected to devote their full energies to the purpose of the leave. They may undertake outside employment only with advance approval of the Chancellor and the System President, and such employment is expected to be supportive of the purpose of the leave. Requests for sabbatical leave are initiated at the departmental level and processed through administrative channels during the fall semester in response to a schedule issued by the Office of Human Resource Management. Sabbatical leave requests may be disapproved or rescinded when financial or other considerations make such action appropriate.
Sabbatical leaves are awarded only to those faculty who have shown by their scholarly accomplishments that such leave would benefit them and the University. Sabbatical leaves should be used to:
Submission of the following materials is required:
The Bylaws and Regulations of the Board of Supervisors and University policy require the following:
Changes to approved sabbatical leave requests within the same academic year must be made in writing to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost through the chair and through the dean prior to the effective date of the sabbatical leave. Substantial changes that cross academic years or significantly change the purpose of the leave requires approval through administrative channels to the LSU System.
See Chapter III, Section 3-1, of the Bylaws and Regulations of the Board of Supervisors and PS-12, Leave Guidelines, for additional details.
For information on how your benefits and retirement may be affected during your leave, please contact a HRM Representative at 578-8200.
LEAVE TO OBTAIN ADVANCED DEGREE
Faculty members on full-time regular academic appointment who have completed three consecutive years of service at the rank of instructor (or equivalent) or above, may petition for a leave of absence with part pay for not more than one year of study that will culminate in the receipt of an advanced degree within five years.Requests for leave to obtain an advanced degree are initiated at the departmental level and processed through administrative channels during the fall semester, according to a schedule issued by the Office of Human Resource Management. Persons awarded leave to obtain an advanced degree must return to their university duties for two years before accepting employment elsewhere. Those faculty who do not fulfill the service obligation must reimburse the University the salary received during the leave, as well as those portions of insurance premiums and retirement contributions paid by the University during the sabbatical leave.
See Chapter III, Section 3-2, of the Bylaws and Regulations of the Board of Supervisors and PS-12 for details of eligibility, method of application, service requirements subsequent to the leave, etc.
SUPPORT
The Center for Academic SuccessFor more information, please visit the webpage For Faculty and Advisors.
The Center for Computation and Technology
The Center for Computation and Technology,, or CCT, is an interdisciplinary research center located on the campus of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La. CCT advances LSU’s Flagship Agenda and promotes economic development for the state by using computational applications to aid research and develop solutions that benefit academia and industry.
CCT is an innovative research environment, advancing computational sciences, technologies and the disciplines they touch. Researchers at CCT use the advanced cyberinfrastructure “high-speed networks, high-performance computing, advanced data storage and analysis and hardware and software development” available on campus to enable research in many different fields. By uniting researchers from diverse disciplines, ideas and expertise are disseminated across LSU departments to foster knowledge and invention.
For more information, please visit the CCT’s webpage.
Office of Assessment and Evaluation
The Office of Assessment and Evaluation supports instruction through the LSU Computerized Test Scoring Service, the custom design and statistical analysis of machine-scannable survey instruments, and the processing of teacher evaluations. Additionally, the center coordinates longitudinal needs and learning outcomes assessment programs. The center also administers institutional tests for advanced standing course credit and national tests for admission to graduate and professional schools.
Student Orientation, Advising, and Counseling
The manner in which new students are introduced to the University is critical for their success and retention. Faculty are frequently asked to participate in orientation programs designed to provide entering students with the information and guidance needed for the transition to a college environment.
Faculty members are encouraged to support the orientation programs coordinated through First Year Experience. Faculty interaction with students is of utmost importance, and advising is a major responsibility of the faculty. Faculty members should make themselves available for student advising with respect to their own academic specialties and professional disciplines. Faculty can also refer students to the advisors within their respective academic college or to the Mental Health Service offered by Student Health Center.
In addition to services offered on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Student Health Center, “The Phone” (924-5781), a 24-hour confidential counseling service, provides crisis counseling information and referral service. The chart in Appendix C provides a convenient reference for faculty members who wish to direct students to professional or specialized sources of assistance.
The Center for Academic Success
The Center for Academic Success offers a wide variety of services to assist graduate and undergraduate students in increasing their learning potential. Housed in the center are audio and video tapes, computer-assisted instruction guides, and resource materials to assist independent academic learning.
Disability Services
In accordance with Federal laws and PS-26, the Disability Services ensures equal opportunity for all qualified students with disabilities in the programs and services operated by the University. The individual student’s disability-based need is the primary factor in establishing accommodations and support services. Examples of accommodations that a faculty member might be asked to provide are extended time on in-class assignments and examinations, alternative test formats and procedures, and permission for a student to tape record class lectures. Staff in Disability Services assist faculty with requested accommodations and also serve as a resource for faculty seeking additional information on working with disabled students. Upon request, the staff will provide a faculty member with the publication, “Accommodating Students with Disabilities: A Faculty Resource Guide.” For additional information, contact Disability Services at (225)578-5919 .
LSU’s policy governing disability issues is outlined in PS-26. Employees requiring an accommodation to perform their essential duties should make a request through the department to the Office of Human Resource Management.
All grievances related to the Americans with Disabilities Act, including faculty grievances, will be heard under PS-80.
Career Services
Career Services assists students in making career choices, developing career plans, and exploring job opportunities. Career assessment instruments, individual counseling, and career days are provided to help students make career decisions. Continuing students are further assisted in gaining valuable work experience through programs such as cooperative education, part-time and summer job location, and internships. The center disseminates information concerning job search preparation and available job listings and also handles arrangements when employers visit the campus to interview students.
International Programs
International Programs addresses all of LSU’s internationalization efforts for students, faculty, staff, international partners, and the public.
Information Technology Services
LSU Information Technology Services (ITS) provides technology infrastructure and services that advance teaching and learning, enable research, enrich the student IT experience, and effectively manage institutional information.
ITS’s divisions include the Vice Chancellor for Information Technology, LONI − the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative, LOUIS − the Louisiana Library Network, User Support & Student IT Enablement, University Information Systems, and University Networking and Infrastructure. ITS’s staff creates and maintains vital university systems like course registration and payroll; provides network, wireless and telephone connectivity campus-wide; houses the computational resources used by many LSU researchers; staffs and maintains student computing labs; and provides direct support to the thousands of computer users here at LSU.
LSU Libraries
LSU Libraries offer students and faculty strong support for instruction and research through collections containing more than three million volumes, a manuscript collection of more than 12 million, access to more than 400 electronic journals and databases, and microform holdings of more than 3.5 million. The network allows online access to the library catalog of holdings from anywhere. Access to the licensed electronic journals and databases is limited to individuals with LSU IDs. LSU is a founding partner of the Louisiana Online University Information System (LOUIS). The library catalogs of most of the academic libraries in Louisiana are accessible online through http://search.louislibraries.org.
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Middleton Library serves as the main library, and also housed in Middleton are the Music Resources Center, Education Resources, and Government Documents. Special collections and the LSU Libraries Digital Services Unit are housed in the adjacent Hill Memorial Library. For circulation borrowing guidelines and policies, click here. Assistance in Middleton Library is offered through the service desks in each area and through Ask a Librarian at http://www.lib.lsu.edu/virtual/. Periodicals and newspapers are housed in a room adjacent to the Circulation Desk. Workstations are scattered throughout Middleton and Hill. Self-service photocopiers are on each floor of Middleton. When resources are not available through LSU Libraries, faculty, staff, and students may borrow through interlibrary services. Requests can be placed electronically. |
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Other facilities providing library resources include: the Cartographic Information Center, which contains a large map collection, housed in 313 Howe-Russell; the Veterinary Medicine Library in the College of Veterinary Medicine building; and the Women’s and Gender Studies program office in 118 Himes.
Other collections within LSU Libraries include the Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, University Archives, the Rare Book Collection, the E.A. McIlhenny Natural History Collection, the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History, the Judge Warren L. Jones Lincoln Collection, the Oliver P. Carriere Collection of Poker and Hoyle, the Gladney Chess Collection, and the Rendell Rhoades Crawfish Collection. Additionally, The Civil War Book Review, the only journal devoted to scholarly reviews of current U.S. Civil War publications, is an electronic journal published by the LSU Libraries,
The LOUISiana Digital Library is the repository for digital files produced from the LSU Libraries’ collections most, mostly from the Special Collections, including historical Louisiana newspapers and maps, photographic collections, selections from the E.A. McIlhenny Natural History Collection and the Rare Book Collection, as well as LSU professors' research collections.
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Office of Research & Economic Development (ORED) promotes advanced research, creative scholarship and economic development. With support from national sources like the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Department of Homeland Security and NASA, LSU is forging new frontiers in hurricane response and preparedness, bioscience, national security, technology, literature, coastal sciences, and genetics. At any given time, there are more than 2,000 sponsored research projects being conducted by the more than 6,000 faculty and graduate students at LSU.INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The mission of LSU’s Office of Intellectual Property, Commercialization, and Development is to commercialize the University’s intellectual property: new ideas, inventions and discoveries. This includes: obtaining patents and copyrights; seeking licensees and business partners in the U.S. and worldwide to commercialize that technology; and negotiating and licensing LSU’s technologies for the benefit of society, the University and the inventors.RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS, RADIATION SOURCES, LASERS
Radioactive materials, radiation sources, and lasers used for research and instruction by University personnel require compliance with federal and state regulations and with conditions of the radioactive materials license issued to LSU by the Louisiana Radiation Protection Division.A comprehensive radiation safety program has been established by the University to assure compliance and to assist users in meeting standards of good practice. The Radiation Safety Committee supervises the radiation safety program; the Radiation Safety Office carries out the policies and directives of the committee and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the program.
Approval by the Radiation Safety Committee is required for:
The committee is also responsible for evaluating incompetent or willful disregard for radiation safety and for preparing recommendations to assure compliance with regulations and policies.
Radioactive waste and unwanted portions of radioactive materials are collected by the Radiation Safety Office for permanent disposal. Individual users are limited to disposal methods approved by the Radiation Safety Committee. Details of University policies and state and federal regulations concerning use of radioactive materials, radiation sources, lasers, details of necessary forms, license conditions, and general radiation safety assistance are available from the Radiation Safety Office (388-2747). Radiation safety emergencies occurring during regular working hours should be reported directly to the Radiation Safety Office; those occurring during nonworking hours should be reported to the LSU Police Department.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
As mandated by PS-19, Environmental Health and Safety Policy, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) is the principal coordinator of all University safety requirements, reference materials, safety training, hazardous waste disposal, and occupational health exposure evaluations, except radiation safety. Responsibilities and services provided are detailed in the University Safety Manual, copies of which can be obtained from EHS. Other information such as specific state and federal regulations concerning occupational health and safety, the environment, or any general safety assistance is also available from EHS.All emergencies or accidents involving injuries should be reported to EHS at 388-5640. Those emergencies occurring after hours should be reported to LSU Police at 388-3231. EHS also serves as the Emergency Response Team for environmental emergencies such as chemical spills. All concerns about student and employee safety should be reported to EHS at 388-5640.
HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
As mandated by the LSU System and the State of Louisiana, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) has established a Hazardous Waste Management plan. This plan ensures that all generators of waste on the campus will observe state and federal regulations concerning the handling, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous materials. EHS maintains a storage facility and coordinates all activities involving the collection, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste. All faculty who generate hazardous waste are ultimately responsible for the proper handling and disposal of the waste. Research grants should include funding for disposal of waste generated as a result of research.EHS guidelines on how to dispose of hazardous waste may be found here.
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Uniform policies and procedures for the safe management of human body waste as a means of protection against the AIDS virus are described in PS-65, Safe Management of Human Body Fluids and Waste.SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT
The primary responsibility for detecting, investigating, and resolving allegations of alleged scientific misconduct rests with the University, which must promptly initiate an inquiry into any suspected misconduct brought to its attention. Policies and procedures for reviewing reports of alleged scientific misconduct in research conducted at the University are found in PS-69, LSU A&M College Policy for Dealing with Alleged Misconduct in Research. For additional information, contact the Office of Research.
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