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Voicing Concerns

How do I voice a concern in the Department of Dance? 

You are always welcome and encouraged to bring forward concerns or questions within the Department of Dance. Department personnel will respect and protect confidentiality (unless there is a risk of immediate danger to yourself or others), and will never participate in or tolerate retaliation. 

What is “a concern”?

Concerns might arise in a class, a performance or rehearsal, a shared space, a campus event, or an interpersonal exchange. Concerns might relate to any number of topics such as:

You may have concerns about your own experience or something you witnessed. Both are important. The severity of your concern may change over time. It is never too early or too late to speak up. You can repeat your concern if the issue persists. And sometimes you might be concerned but you are not sure how to describe it or whom to tell. You can safely talk to our department contacts (or other campus resources) about any concern in order to explore possible next steps.

Whom can I contact?

  1. If you feel comfortable and safe, address concerns informally through thoughtful dialogue with the individual(s) closest to the situation. 

    Usually this means contacting your course instructor, choreographer, or the concert director. Explain your concerns or questions and ask for clarification and assistance. When appropriate, be willing to offer suggestions on an outcome that would most help you. If you meet in person to express a concern, you can always bring someone with you for support. 

  2. If you are not comfortable contacting someone involved in the issue or if you tried and were not comfortable with the outcome, you always have additional options such as: 

Still unsure of whom to talk with? Here are some suggestions: 

What if…

Suggested Contacts

I have non-emergency safety concerns about equipment, facilities, activities, or behaviors?

You can alert any department employee about safety concerns, including:

In the event of any injury (yourself or someone else), always file an OARS report within 24 hours.

I have concerns involving a syllabus, my grade, or other class activities?

I have concerns involving student academic misconduct or dishonesty?

I have other concerns involving a fellow student?

I have concerns involving a department instructor?
(including temporary faculty and graduate student instructors)

I have concerns involving auditions, rehearsals, or other concert activities?

I have concerns involving a staff member?

I have a general interest in the life of the department and I want to get involved?

Contact the Department Chair or Department Advisor for information about department committees and meetings where you can become involved.

What happens with Course Evaluation forms?

Course evaluation forms are primarily meant to provide feedback to your instructor(s) about the learning experience in a specific class. 

The Department Chair will receive some summary data analysis from these evaluations but the Chair typically does not receive the written student comments. Comments are only provided to the instructor. If you wish to provide specific feedback or express a concern to the department chair, please contact the chair directly.

Campus-wide Resources

The University has additional resources to address concerns that are not or cannot be addressed at the department level.

University Ombud

The Office of the Ombud serves the entire University of Washington community by providing collaborative and confidential support services for preventing, managing, and resolving conflict at this university. Through active participation in the problem-solving process, clients develop the ability to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts.

Sexual Misconduct, Violence, and Harassment

The UW Office of Title IX Coordinator provides a full array of resources, support, and referrals for anyone with concerns related to sexual misconduct including discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, pregnant or parenting status, and LGBTQ identity.

Student Conduct and “Report It”

The UW Office of Community Standards & Student Conduct (CSSC) is responsible for maintaining and implementing the UW Student Conduct Code. CSSC has an online “Report It” tool to make reporting incidents of student misconduct easy for faculty, staff, and students.

Employee* Conduct and Bias

The University maintains various policies for Resolution of Complaints against University Employees to help students who have concerns about the behavior of University employees. This includes the online Reporting System for Incidences of Bias and the University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office (UCIRO). *Employees include faculty, staff, and (sometimes) graduate students. 

Student Disability Support & Accommodations

UW Disability Resources for Students (DRS) partners with students with disabilities to request accommodations that grant access to educational opportunities. Students can register with DRS to request academic accommodations.

Employee Disability Support & Accommodations

The UW Disability Services Office (DSO) partners with employees to explore reasonable accommodations for employees (including student employees) and job applicants with medical conditions or disabilities.

Physical Safety and Accident Reporting

The University’s Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) is responsible for all aspects of physical safety associated with university activities and operations. EHS maintains an Online Accident Reporting System (OARS) to track work-related problems so preventative measures can be implemented. This includes near misses, hazardous conditions, and accidents or injuries involving employees, students, UW volunteers working on or off campus, or members of the public visiting campus. After reporting the incident to an appropriate supervisor, always make sure to submit an OARS report.


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