Dear colleagues, 

We hope you've had a restorative summer, and we’re excited to welcome you back for fall 2024. As you prepare, we want to bring to your attention several changes that all faculty members should be aware of: 

• The federal government has changed the Title IX regulation. The University of Oregon has implemented an emergency policy on August 1, 2024. One federal change is that almost all faculty and staff must report to the Title IX coordinator any disclosure of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, including those made by a student.
• There are also newly defined rights for pregnant students and military students, some of which will affect course attendance policies.
• Students now have an outlined policy for filing grievances that is not related to their status as a student employee. This new policy situates the grievance process in the schools/colleges for academic-related grievances.

To help faculty members implement changes such as these, the Teaching Engagement Program and UO Online have put together teaching resources for fall 2024 that provide sample policy language that can easily be inserted into a syllabus. These resources also include adaptable Canvas modules and clear action steps for each instructor to take. All instructors should: 

1. Include a generative AI policy in their syllabi.
2. Update Title IX reporting obligations in their syllabi.
3. Ensure their attendance policies are reason-neutral and note the exceptions discussed in the link above.
4. Consider the November 5 U.S. presidential election and other potentially controversial contexts. This could mean avoiding deadlines near the election and taking extra care with class community building and discussion expectations early in the term.

 Please share these policy updates and resources with the faculty within your units. The Teaching Engagement Program also provides consultation to faculty members. 

Sincerely,

Office of the Provost