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FAQ for TA/CA/IAs

General Needs

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Whom do I contact if I or a colleague wants or needs additional training on teaching and/or TA’ing?

Whom do I contact if I need more information about my specific responsibilities for the course to which I am assigned?

Whom do I contact if I need to know more information about the hiring process and payment for my TA position, or have other questions of that nature?

Whom do I contact if I need books, office supplies, etc. for the classroom?

Whom do I contact if I need space to hold office hours?

Where should I go if an undergraduate in the class needs more academic support?

Please refer the student to Academic Services, who are available at acserv@brandeis.edu. Students may schedule individual appointments with their academic advisor to address their concerns or connect to other resources. Additional resources can also be found on the Academic Support for Undergraduates page. If the student has provided you with an accommodation letter, you may also reach out to Student Accessibility Support at access@brandeis.edu.

Whom do I contact if I am an international student and I have a question regarding my TA position and visa status?

Whom do I contact if I have concerns about my workload or TA obligations that I have not been able to resolve by talking to my supervising instructor, or if I have a conflict with my supervising instructor?

What is the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) between the University and Graduate Assistants, and how do I find it?

Whom do I contact if I want to provide feedback on the course structure and my experience as a TA?

Whom do I contact if there is a conflict between my PI/dissertation advisor and my commitments as a TA?

Whom do I contact if I have a conflict with an undergraduate student in a class I’m TA’ing?

ADA/Mental Health/Safety

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What are “reasonable accommodations,” who has them, and why?

As a TA who is not the instructor of record, what is my involvement with accommodations?

Students will typically submit their accommodation letter to the instructor of record. If a student shares a letter directly with you and you are not the instructor of record, you should notify the student that you will be sharing it with the instructor of record as well and then do so. TAs can be proactive in accessibility for the areas they oversee by asking the instructor if there are any disability accommodations they need to implement/be aware of and reminding instructors that they should ask the student’s permission before sharing that information with the TA.

For courses in which you are not the instructor of record, but for which you are responsible for implementing accommodations (e.g., extended time on exams), you should first direct questions about accommodations to the instructor. You may also reach out to SAS directly at access@brandeis.edu, preferably with a CC: to the instructor so they are in the loop. When emailing SAS directly, you may include the student’s name so long as no one who does not have a direct need to be aware of the student’s private disability status is included on the email.

I am the instructor of record for a course; what are my responsibilities with accommodations?

As the instructor of record it is your responsibility to implement accommodations as written in the letters students provide to you from SAS. If you have any questions about those accommodations you should reach out to access@brandeis.edu. If you are teaching other graduate students, you can reach out to Jaspreet Mahal (Accessibility Specialist for Graduate Students, jaspreet26@brandeis.edu) directly. The Faculty page of the SAS website provides additional helpful information.

If I am a TA and a student tells me the instructor of record is not implementing their accommodations, what do I do?

Whom do I contact if I need to request job-related ADA accommodations for myself as the TA?

Whom do I contact if I am worried about a student’s mental health, physical health, or safety in class?

For emergencies, call Public Safety at 781-736-3333. In all situations of concern, please fill out a CARE report about the student. You can also reach out to the Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC) at 781-736-3730 or bcc@brandeis.edu (non-urgent email). The BCC will talk about issues with a TA and they may be able to offer advice, but please note that they wouldn’t be able to share any information about the student.

Support at Brandeis also has a comprehensive listing of support resources.

Who do I contact if I experience or observe discrimination or harassment, a Title IX violation, and/or unprofessional behavior in a course that I am TAing?

Whom do I contact if I need to report an OSHA violation or if I feel proper safety protocols are not being followed/implemented?

Please reach out to your Departmental Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and Andrew Finn (Manager of Environmental Health & Safety, afinn@brandeis.edu, 781-736-4262).

If this is in a lab environment, please also reach out to Maryanna Aldrich (Manager, School of Science, Engineering, and Technology Graduate Affairs Group, maldrich@brandeis.edu, 781-736-2352).

FAQ for TA/CA/IAs

General Needs

ADA/Mental Health/Safety

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