Syllabus Statements
Lesley University Syllabus Statements
Learning Community Statement:
Faculty, staff and students are all responsible for advancing a campus and classroom climate that creates and values a diversity of ideas, perspectives, experiences and identities. As such, we aspire to engage together in a community where each person is respected and empowered to express themselves and be heard.
We commit to creating an environment and developing course content that recognizes the learning experience of every student with dignity and respect, regardless of differences that include, but are not limited to: race, socio-economic status, ethnicity, indigenous background, immigration status, nationality, gender identity/expression, language, abilities and accommodations, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, veteran status or membership in uniformed services, political views, age and physical appearance.
Lesley University's Mission Statement (lesley.edu/about/mission-history) states that “…Lesley prepares socially responsible graduates with the knowledge, skills, understanding and ethical judgment to be catalysts shaping a more just, humane, and sustainable world.” Among many experts in the field, Diane Goodman has described the following competencies: (1) Building self-awareness, (2) Understanding and valuing others, (3) Knowledge of societal inequities, (4) Interacting effectively with a diversity of people in different contexts, and (5) Fostering equity and inclusion. Our mission and these competencies are embedded in our curricula and our classrooms. They provide a foundation for transformative teaching and learning, and approaches to social justice.
Disability Statement:
Lesley University is committed to ensuring that all qualified students with disabilities are afforded an equal opportunity to participate in and to benefit from its programs and services. To receive accommodations, a student must have a documented disability as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, and must provide documentation of the disability. Eligibility for reasonable accommodations will be based on the documentation provided.
If you are a student with a documented disability, or feel that you may have a disability, please contact the appropriate disability administrator.
For On-Campus Students with Learning Disabilities, Attention Disorders and Autism/Asperger's Syndrome:
Kimberly J. Johnson, Director LD/ADD Academic Support Program
Doble Hall, 2nd floor
Phone: 617.349.8462 • Fax: 617.649.3704
kjohnso7@lesley.edu
For On-Campus Students with Physical, Sensory, and Psychiatric Disabilities:
Daniel Newman, Executive Director Academic Support Services, Lesley University ADA/504 Coordinator for Students
Phone: 617.349.8572 via Relay 711 • Fax: 617.649.3704
dnewman@lesley.edu
For All Off-Campus Students:
Daniel Newman, Executive Director Academic Support Services, Lesley University ADA/504 Coordinator for Students
Phone: 617.349.8572 via Relay 711 • Fax: 617.649.3704
dnewman@lesley.edu
The contact persons play the role of facilitator between the student's needs, faculty requirements, and administrative guidelines of the University. Disability-related information is not shared without the permission of the student.
Equal Opportunity and Inclusion Policy:
Lesley University is committed to preventing discrimination and promoting equal opportunity, affirmative action, and inclusion for all current and prospective faculty, students, and staff. Lesley University strictly prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or parental status, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, veteran or military status, membership in Uniformed Services, and all other categories protected by applicable state and federal laws in admission to, access to, participation in, or employment in its programs and activities. Lesley also prohibits retaliation against any person who brings a complaint of discrimination or harassment against anyone who cooperates in a complaint investigation.
The full policy and be found at lesley.edu/students/policies/equal-opportunity-and-inclusion-policy or for further information contact this Lesley University officer:
Valerie Yeakel
Equal Opportunity/Title IX Coordinator
Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice
equalopportunity@lesley.edu
Lesley University Library Services:
The Library Research Portal (research.lesley.edu) provides access to multiple services and authoritative resources for academic research including books, articles, texts, visual media, and teaching resources. The Lesley University Library encourages students and faculty to use these academic resources for their assignments:
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Our Ask-A-Librarian page lets you chat, text, call, e-mail, or request a meeting with a librarian!
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Visit our two libraries for drop-in help, course reserves, computers/Wi-Fi, printing, new magazines and journals, and (of course) books!
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Sherrill Library, the main University library, South Campus, 617-349-8850
Academic Freedom Statement
Academic freedom is essential in institutions of higher education. It is the freedom to engage in teaching, research, scholarship, or other creative work as the basis for expanding knowledge, promulgating research findings, and teaching and learning in an atmosphere of free inquiry and expression.
The rights of faculty and students to academic freedom carry with them duties and responsibilities. Faculty and students are entitled to freedom of inquiry and discussion in teaching and learning, to freedom of investigation in research, and to freedom of publication regarding research, scholarship, and creative work. Since discussing different points of view is an essential aspect of free academic inquiry and teaching, it is appropriate for faculty to incorporate both their knowledge and beliefs into their teaching. Concomitant with these freedoms must be a commitment to accuracy and integrity.
Faculty members are private citizens, professionals, and members of an educational institution. Faculty, recognizing that the public may judge an institution by their utterances, should indicate when they are speaking as official representatives of the University.
Approved by Board of Trustees, December 17, 1997
Approved by Academic Affairs Committee, November 5, 1997
Approved by Faculty Assembly, May 20, 1997
Revised by FAAP and AAC, May 2009