Expectations

Participation

SyBBURE is a unique collection of multi-disciplinary Vanderbilt undergraduate students within a community defined by teamwork, creativity, and innovation. To allow our students and the community as a whole to reach full potential, everyone must agree to a few simple guidelines. We expect that you will refresh yourselves about these expectations every semester.

Our expectations include:

  • Communicating respectfully

  • Engaging meaningfully

  • Committing time and energy at the level selected each semester

We expect SyBBURE to be in your top 3 highest priority activities (school, SyBBURE, something else). Prioritizing SyBBURE at this level is the only way you will accomplish anything meaningful, otherwise you are taking away a spot from someone who can and would want to commit at that level to get more out of the program.

Respectful Communication

We use Slack as our primary mode of communication. Communication goes beyond replying to a message or knowing what’s going on. It’s about being considerate, honest, and timely.
Each SyBBURE student will constructively help their peers in the SyBBURE program and provide feedback to them. If someone asks a question in slack and you know the answer, reply.

If a SyBBURE student is unable to attend a scheduled SyBBURE activity or event or fulfill an expectation on time, the student should inform their subgroup leader or Kyle on Slack in advance.

Be honest about what you need to do to stay enrolled. If a SyBBURE student needs to take a class over the summer or their classes/other activities become too overwhelming during the school year, they will talk to their subgroup leader as soon as possible to discuss scheduling and time commitment options.

Engagement

SyBBURE is more than the sum of its parts and more than the resources and support that we offer to students. It is was it is because everyone in the community buys in and engages meaningfully in what we are doing.
Be an active, engaged, and ethical member of their research lab, their VIX group, the SyBBURE community, and the greater scientific network. This means spending time, doing the work, dealing with issues that arise. If you truly prioritize the program and contribute as much as you take, you’ll have no problems.

Enthusiastically participate in all SyBBURE events and activities (i.e. ThinkTank, training modules, subgroups, presentations, special events) not interfering with your class schedule. We hope that you want to participate in these things and that we don’t have to MAKE you.

Make the program better. If something is off or not working, the engaged student tells us and helps make it better. This program is what it is because every participant leaves a legacy in one way or another.

Commitment Levels

Be honest with us and with yourself about how much you can handle. Let us know if you are not able to meet these expectations, and we will work with you to find a solution

 

Research Fellow

This is the default and most common level of participation. You do research, come to all our meetings and have access to all SyBBURE resources.

Fall & Spring:

  • You will be paid hourly for up to 8 hours/week doing research & design project work.

  • We also expect you to commit to attending weekly ThinkTank and subgroup meetings.

  • You can do research for credit instead of being paid. You can do additional hours on top of your credit hours and be paid in addition to your credit (ex: you work 8 hours/week for credit plus 8 hours/week for pay for a total of 16 hours/week). You cannot be paid and get credit for the same hours worked.

Summer:

  •  40 hours/week doing SyBBURE related programming (ex: Training Modules, ThinkTank, Subgroups), VIX projects, and research in your lab.

  • Attend all ThinkTank, a weekly training module, and weekly 1-hour subgroup meetings.

  • Each SyBBURE student will give a poster presentation, or a 5-15 oral minute presentation to the full group at the end of the summer. You must apply for an oral presentation

  • Each SyBBURE student should miss no more than two personal (vacation, sick) days. This does not include presenting at a conference or holidays Vanderbilt celebrates (Juneteenth, July 4th, etc). You must communicate the days you will be missing to your subgroup leader, VIX team, and by filling out this form: Request for Time Off.

  • You will not be permitted to make up extra hours for days you are missing in excess of your 2 personal days during evenings and weekends because of this. You will have to tack them on before or after the program dates.

  • You will get feedback on: Research, Subgroup, VIX, Accountability, and Community

While 40 hrs/week may be standard, some labs will expect more. You should also realize that just because you participate for 40 hrs/week doesn’t mean you turn off your brain the rest of the time. Research takes full mental engagement that doesn’t stop when you leave the lab. Be honest about your workload. Students should not have other jobs over the summer (if you must, limit them to the weekends and < 10 hrs/week). Taking classes is discouraged, but is possible if you need it and your stipend will be prorated. This will all go better if you communicate regularly and often. Students should not be involved with anything that takes more than 10 hrs/week over the summer and will be expected to make up any days beyond the allotted time off that they miss.

*****If you are distressed or overwhelmed with anything that is going on in the world or your personal life please let whomever you feel most comfortable talking to on Team SyBBURE know and take the time that you need off. Please still fill out the form to help us manage expectations.

Member

The member level of participation allows you to take off some time from research without leaving the program. You may want to do this level if you have a particularity difficult class load during a semester or want to spend all your free time studying for the MCAT for example. You may be on this level for two consecutive terms at max and this level is not available over the summer.

You will not do research or be paid at this level, but you are still expected to be part of SyBBURE. The means that you will be expected to attend Think Tank (and eat lunch with us) and attend subgroup. During subgroup you will still present goals and non-research topics of your choosing every other week. You will not have access to research or travel funds, but will have access to Gidhub and all the supplies within. You may choose to do VIX at this level, you must commit to it at the beginning of a semester and you will be given numerical feedback on it if you opt-in.

Feedback on: Subgroup, Accountability, Community and VIX (if you opt-in)

Abroad or Internship

This level is reserved for students that are studying abroad or have an internship and will be away from campus. You will have no expectations from SyBBURE and you can continue where you left off when you return. You will still have access to the remote workstations in Gidhub. Watch out for study abroad dates that continue past the start of SyBBURE summer (the day after Memorial Day) and reach out if this will make you miss some of the summer. Summer spots determined on a case-by-case basis if you miss some of it.

Former Member

Sometimes things just don’t work out. If you can’t or don’t want to come weekly to a Subgroup and Think Tank then we will give your spot to another student. You can still ask for mentorship or recommendation letters, but you will lose access to all of our spaces and resources. If you want to rejoin, you can submit a reapplication letter and acceptance will be determined on a case-by-case- basis.