Universal Learning

I am committed to the principle of universal learning, which means that I will work to make our classroom, our virtual spaces, our practices, and our interactions as inclusive as possible. Careful listening and mutual respect are important components of universal learning. The following paragraphs--which in some cases use helpful language created by campus experts in each area--express the values and commitments that I will bring to the administration of the course.

Grinnell College makes reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students with disabilities partner with the Office of Disability Resources to make academic accommodation letters available to faculty via the accommodation portal. To help ensure that your access needs are met, I encourage individual students to approach me so we can have a discussion about your distinctive learning needs and accommodations within the context of this course. If you have not already worked with the Office of Disability Resources and believe you may require academic accommodations for this course, Disability Resources staff can be reached via e-mail at access@grinnell.edu, by phone 641-269-3089, or by stopping by their offices on the first floor of Steiner Hall.

I also recognize the importance of religious observances as part of my commitment to inclusivity. I encourage students who plan to observe holy days that coincide with class meetings or assignment due dates to consult with me in the first three weeks of classes so that we may reach a mutual understanding of how you can meet the terms of your religious observance and also the requirements for this course.

Grinnell College is committed to providing learning, living, and working environments free from discrimination and harassment. For this reason, it is important to report if you or someone you know is experiencing any form of sexual harassment. Your professor is responsible to pass reports made to them to the Title IX Coordinator. If you want to make a report to a confidential resource, your professor can direct you to those spaces. If you are a pregnant student, have pregnancy-related conditions, or are a parenting student who wishes to request reasonable related supportive measures from the College under Title IX, please email the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@grinnell.edu. The Title IX Coordinator will work with Disability Resources and your professors to provide reasonable supportive measures in support of your education while pregnant or as a parent.

If you have other needs not addressed above, please let me know soon so that we can work together for the best possible learning environment. In some cases, I will recommend consulting with the Academic Success Center (ASC). They are an excellent resource for developing strategies for academic success and can connect you with other campus resources as well. If I notice that you are encountering difficulty and I have reached out to you and not received a response, or if you have missed multiple class sessions or are not meeting our class objectives repeatedly, I will submit an academic alert via the Academic Success Center’s SAL portal. This alert is a communication about my concern with the goal of providing you information. It also informs your adviser(s), coach(es), and the ASC staff so that they can reach out to you with offers of support.