The University of Georgia is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for living, work and study. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents’ policy, and University policy, the University prohibits any member of the faculty, staff, administration, student body, or visitors to campus, whether they be guests, patrons, independent contractors, or clients, from harassing and/or discriminating against any other member  of  the  University community because of that person’s race, sex (including sexual  harassment),  sexual  orientation, ethnic or national origin, religion, age, disabled status, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era. Incidents of harassment and discrimination will be met with  appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the University. Policy can be found here.     

Graduate Assistants must complete in two on-line training modules:

Hazardous Material Training:

This will require about 30 minutes of your time and you will be tested at several stages of the process. At the end you will get a Certificate of Training with a date of successful completion that will be automatically recorded with the Environmental Safety Division.

You must also print a copy and turn in to George Belcher in our office as we are required to have this on record and you are required to have it to teach a studio course or have a studio assistantship. This will both help to assure a safer work environment and also protect you personally and the School from liability.

Studio faculty should include this web address on their syllabi and suggest that your students take the training. We are not required to keep a record of these, but if they take the course the EPS office will have the record.

Right to Know:

“All Faculty, Staff, Part-Time Faculty and Graduate Assistants” are required to take the right to know training. This will take about 15 minutes of your time and at the end you will need to print The University of Georgia Environmental Safety Division Right to Know Program Chemical-Specific Training Form. Once you complete this, please sign and bring to  George Belcher with the Certificate of Training.

Finally, you should include this web address on your class syllabi and ask students to take the training. Again, we are not required to keep a record of these but are responsible for instructing them to do so.

If you have any questions about your studios, need safety storage cabinets or advisement about pick up of disposal of waste please contact: George Belcher. Additionally you can also contact Jon Vogt or Jennifer Kirkpatrick. Belcher is in charge of the hazardous waste management and safety, and report to the EPS Division at UGA. All faculty, staff, and graduate students are responsible for maintaining a safe working environment and required to have your paperwork in our office.

School of Art Live Model Policy

All faculty members and graduate teaching assistants who utilize live models, given the inherent sensitive aspects of such activity in the context of the NDAH Policy, must be scrupulous in maintaining an appropriate professional atmosphere. Instructors should avoid any conduct, whether physical or verbal, that could be misinterpreted by a reasonable person, participant or witness, or that could otherwise cause discomfort on the part of the model or other participants in the activity.

The following excerpt is taken from Drawing Essentials: A Guide to Drawing from Observation (2009 Oxford University Press, New York) with permission of the author, Deborah Rockman, Kendall College of Art and Design.

Classroom Etiquette When Drawing from a Model

Modeling is hard work. Unless you have done it before, it is difficult to realize the challenges involved in modeling well. Everyone in the classroom deserves to be treated with respect, and this is especially true for the models who find themselves in an especially vulnerable position because they are nude and because all eyes are upon them. For those of you who lack experience with drawing from the figure, it is advisable to take a few minutes prior to your first session with the model to acquaint yourself with some of the rules of “etiquette,” and your instructor will hopefully review some of this information with you.

The model’s personal space is to be respected, and you should never touch the model while he or she is at work. There are some instances, with the model’s permission, when it is appropriate for the instructor to make contact with the model in order to point something out, when teaching anatomy, when helping the model to get back to a particular pose, and so on. But the generally accepted notion is that under no circumstances should you, as a student, make contact with a model.

You should also be aware that it is inappropriate to make audible comments concerning the model’s body or appearance or to laugh out loud in a way that may lead the model to think that you are laughing at her or him. Again, because of the model’s vulnerability, it is courteous and professional to be particularly attentive to their well-being. Although it may seem unnecessary to discuss here what seems like common courtesy, drawing an unclothed model in a classroom with a group of fellow students is not exactly a “common” experience unless you are in an art school.

The models, too, should be made aware of guidelines for their behavior. During a break, you can expect that the model will wear a robe or otherwise cover himself or herself until it is time to resume modeling. Models are generally advised not to offer comments on student work since they may unwittingly reinforce something your instructor is trying to discourage or discourage something your instructor is trying to reinforce. If you encounter an uncomfortable situation with a model, your best course of action would be to discuss the issue with your instructor and he or she can address the issue with the model. In general, common sense and courtesy provide the best guidelines.