Graduate Student Desk Assignment Policy

Department of Agricultural Economics

July 1972

Amended Summer 1980, Spring 1984, 1987, Fall 1993

Last Amended 26 February 1999

The offices and desks in Cook Hall are the property of the Department of Agricultural Economics. Desk use is a privilege granted by the Department of Agricultural Economics to help students complete their assistantship work and studies. Each student who applies for and uses a desk in Cook Hall must abide by the Desk Policy as specified in this document.

Section I: Definition

• Graduate Status is defined as admission to a graduate degree, non-degree, or special program as specified by University policy in conjunction with the policy of the Department of Agricultural Economics. Graduate students in the Department of Agricultural Economics consist of those students with graduate status.
• Seniority for a graduate student of the Department of Agricultural Economics is defined as the total number of quarters and/or semesters for which the student has (and is currently) registered and taken with at least the minimum number of credits required by the University and the Department of Agricultural Economics to maintain graduate student status at Michigan State University. (See graduate status in A.).

Section II: Priorities

• Seniority shall be the only criterion for the assignment of a desk, provided the total number of desks available is sufficient to satisfy stipulation B below.
• In conformity with the policy of the Department of Agricultural Economics, a student holding an assistantship, or equivalent as certified by the Department office, shall be guaranteed a desk, provided space is available.
• If, in order to satisfy stipulation B above, it becomes necessary to remove students not holding assistantships, such students will be removed according to the lowest seniority.
• Incoming Ph.D. students have priority over incoming Masters students in their application for a desk.
• When students with equal seniority apply for the same desk, the desk will be assigned by random selection, subject to stipulation A above.
• The Cook Hall Building Representative will be granted three extra semesters of seniority upon entering office. This will be relinquished upon leaving office, though any desk assignment may be maintained.
• In order to ensure that the Cook Hall Building Representative has access to the building facilities, s/he is guaranteed a desk regardless of assistantship status and seniority, subject to Departmental policy stipulated in II.B.

Section III: Implementation

• Upon first applying for a desk, each student must read the Desk Policy. By applying for a desk, the student agrees to abide by the Desk Policy. If a student fails to abide by the Desk Policy, the Cook Hall Building Representative can turn the matter over to the Judiciary Committee. After deliberation, the Judiciary Committee can decide to turn the matter over to the Department Chairperson (who may delegate the matter to the Associate Chairperson as Graduate Coordinator).
• Assignments in any area will be made by the Cook Hall Building Representative, based on availability of desks and desk applications submitted. Any student who is dissatisfied with the decision made by the Cook Hall Building Representative may appeal the decision to the Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee must decide whether or not to uphold the assignee's appeal. Failure to overturn the Cook Hall Building Representative's decision will result in loss of the appeal. If the appeal is successful, the assignee will be allowed to keep his/her desk assignment. The Judiciary Committee's decision is final, and is not subject to further appeal.
• When desks become vacant, their availability will be announced by email to all the students by or on Friday, and announced in the Friday Ag Econ-O-Gram. Applications will be accepted by email or in writing by the Cook Hall Building Representative until 5:00 p.m. the following Wednesday, at which time the vacancies will be assigned.
• In the event of a desk vacancy, any interested student must submit an application by email or in writing to the Cook Hall Building Representative indicating his/her seniority and desk preference. The student with the highest seniority shall receive his/her preferred desk indicated in his/her application. If students of equal seniority apply for the same desk, please see Section II.E. above.
• When a student vacates a desk, s/he must notify the Cook Hall Building Representative of his/her departure and return her/his office keys to the Secretary to the Department Chairperson. In addition, if the student leaves the Department of Agricultural Economics, s/he must also return her/his Cook Hall building key to the Secretary to the Department Chairperson.
• Retention of a desk assignment shall be subject to the following restrictions: The assignee must use the desk by the last day of each semester. Another student who believes the desk to be unused and wishes to apply for the desk must submit an application in writing to the Cook Hall Building Representative. The Cook Hall Building Representative must notify the assignee whose desk is in question in writing. Failure to respond within two weeks will result in forfeiture of the desk. Once the assignee's response is received, or once the two week period is over (which ever is shorter), the Cook Hall Building Representative will determine whether the desk is being used reasonably. The Cook Hall Building Representative is not required to identify the new applicant when addressing issues of use. As specified in point B above, the decision made by the Cook Hall Building Representative may be appealed to the Judiciary Committee.
• A student who will be absent from campus and thus not occupying his/her desk may retain the assigned desk if his/her absence is of not more than nine months duration and they are doing field work and/or assistantship work, or an internship related to their program in the Department of Agricultural Economics. The desk assignment is retained during the student's absence with the understanding that the desk may be temporarily occupied by others in his/her absence.
• In situations where a student will be absent for more than nine months or is leaving for purposes other than work related to the Department of Agricultural Economics program, assistantship work, or an internship, the student must notify the Cook Hall Building Representative. The student's desk assignment privilege is not retained during his/her absence, and s/he must vacate the desk so that it may be re-assigned. If the student would like to retain the assignment, or apply for another desk assignment, this may be done at the discretion of the Cook Hall Building Representative. As in III. G., if the student retains a desk assignment during his/her absence, it is done with the understanding that the desk may be temporarily occupied by others in his/her absence.
• Smoking policy for the individual offices will be determined by the University's policies on smoking in campus buildings.

Return To Agricultural Economics GSO