COMMON MISTAKES LIST

COMMONMISTAKES

Professional Etiquette

Joining the Bash

advising

personally involved

Assume availability

Qualifying for Accommodations

task completion

Professor guidance

Unattended exams

admitting error

Sharing Situations

ERROR 1: Sympathizing with negative experiences It does not serve the best interests of the student to sympathize with their negative experiences with other college personnel. If a student is not receiving services for which they are eligible under 504, refer the student to the Director. If a student indicates that they are having a problem with a professor that is not related to the disability it is suggested that the student discuss this with the professor if they have not done so. WE DO NOT BECOME INVOLVED IN THIS! Remain neutral and encourage the student to seek someone appropriate to speak to about their concerns. SAY "I see...have you tried..." - resources or avenues of support and problem resolution. (DON'T validate the negative experience) SAY "Have you tried talking to your professor about your concerns?"

ERROR 2: You are not an advisor We do not advise. We encourage students and visitors to speak to IRIS for all issues pertaining to registration, financial aid, and course selection. All professors are good professors and websites, such as Rate My Professor, should be taken with a grain of salt. SAY "I'm not familiar with the course offerings, you should arrange to speak with your advisor [listed in Degree Works] or call IRIS." - offer to assist if necessary SAY "You can find your financials through MavZone under the Account section or call IRIS to get further information."

ERROR 3: Be neutral and professional EAS expects student workers to be engaged, present, and professional while working. EAS asks that student workers refrain from using offensive language, side-step political or socially charged topics, address students by preferred pronouns/names, maintain library volume, and be mindful of their audience. Whether it is a parent, visitor, student, faculty, or staff chances are someone can hear your conversation and is associating it with EAS. There is nothing wrong with having fun or having a difficult day; however, student workers should be mindful that they are the face of EAS and are responsible for placing visitor interactions on a professional plane.

ERROR 4: Always ask about availability When speaking with someone on the phone or in person and you need a supervisor's support, never assume they are available - even if they are standing next to you. Do not indicate to the person you are speaking to that your supervisor is present. Get pertinent information and seek support. A supervisor will indicate if the student should allow the supervisor to take over. SAY "Do you mind holding for a moment while I contact my supervisor..." SAY "Let me find out if my supervisor is available, one moment."

ERROR 7: Determining if a student qualifies for accommodations Accommodations are for students with a diagnosis that rises to the level of a disability impacting major life functions. However, it is important that EAS follows a procedure when a student inquires about accommodations. EAS may want to allow the student a trial period of accommodations while the student explores a diagnosis. This is NOT the job of a student worker. Student workers should direct inquiring individuals to the application website, and inform these individuals that professional staff can always have a conversation to determine if accommodations are an appropriate fit.

ERROR 8: Consciously complete All tasks When completing a task designated on the Daily Task Log - do it right and entirely. If you aren't sure about a task, ASK! It is important steps are done correctly to ensure smooth daily operations. Important Tasks that are not simple - so read the instructions:

• Prep Test Warning Sheet: determining the need for computer accommodations takes more critical thinking
• Prep test computers: requires problem-solving, multiple steps, and knowledge of the procedure
• "Clean" & Restart computers: more than just wiping down and restarting, requires removing tests and shutting down program

ERROR 9: Direct Professors to Professional Staff If a professor stops by or calls, get their name and the general topic of their question and immediately notify a supervisor. Professors sometimes call to gain insight about procedures for implementing accommodations; while student workers can give this information there may be unknown factors that have created a unique situation that deviates from the typical procedure. Therefore, as a general rule, allow supervisors to answer questions from professors, even if you know the answer. SAY "Do you mind holding while I get my supervisor to answer your questions?"

ERROR 10: Never Leave exams unattended Students testing should NEVER be left unsupervised - ask another student worker or supervisor to cover if you need to excuse yourself. Exams in envelopes should NEVER be left unsupervised at the front - get someone to stand up there if necessary. The only exceptions are when you are the only one working and need to walk someone back to an individual room to log onto the computer - but even then you can seek assistance from a supervisor.

ERROR 5: don't admit an error too early Use your resources and check all the facts of a situation before indicating you or the student made an error. For example, when checking a student in for a test be careful to read the instructions and communicate them clearly but only what is necessary. If a student mentions a notecard, double-check the instructions and ask a supervisor if the instructions in AIM are unclear. Don't be afraid of admitting a mistake, especially to a supervisor; however, make sure there isn't clarification information elsewhere first. This will help the student remain calm and prevent the situation from escalating. SAY "I need to clarify something with my supervisor, hold on one minute." You can always ask a student for more clarifying information when you don't see the information where you expect it to be - look up the student's profile as sometimes more information can be ascertained there.

ERROR 6: keep information/situations confidential If a situation occurs during your shift, don't spread what happened between coworkers unless it is necessary for the other worker to know. For instance, if you caught a student cheating, you can share the situation with a coworker but it is not necessary for the other worker to know the name of the student, in most cases. Remember, students with accommodations are protected by law. You should not be sharing the students' names with anyone, the nature of their accommodations, or any diagnosis information you are informed about. Students may not want anyone to know about their association with EAS, so be careful about what you talk about with the student outside of the office - they might not want to explain that they only know you from EAS.