Orientation Slack community guidelines

Here are a few ways to practice respectful behavior in the 2023 Incoming Graduate Students Slack channels:

This channel is meant for the exclusive use of the incoming graduate student class. It will be retired after one year. The Slack channel is intended for you to build community with your fellow incoming students. Note that it will not be actively monitored by staff, but please reach out in case of concern or questions about your MIT graduate experience.

  • Be considerate, kind, constructive, and helpful.
  • Welcome new members to the community.
  • Introduce yourself to the group so everyone can get to know each other.
  • Avoid demeaning, discriminatory, harassing, or hateful behavior, language, and imagery.
  • Questions:
    • Ask questions to the whole group. Other students can benefit from public knowledge.
    • No question is too small or too “obvious” to ask.
    • If your message contains multiple questions, especially if they are not closely related, break them into separate messages so they can be responded to in a thread.
  • Do your best to avoid repeated messages/posts and over-tagging.
  • Make posts in the relevant channels so that others can easily find related information.
  • Help others by answering questions that you are knowledgeable in.
  • Do not direct message individuals who have explicitly asked you not to.
  • Refrain from self-promotions or solicitations.
    • For example, it’s okay to mention you have extra tickets to a show and does anyone else want to come along, but it’s NOT okay to advertise your advertise your personal Spotify channel.
    • Job opportunities should be sent to Student Financial Services (for seasonal and/or part-time opportunities, such as work-study and tutoring) or Career Advising & Professional Development (for internships, full-time jobs, and related opportunities).
  • Refrain from posting housing inquiries — MIT has an off-campus housing forum for finding roommates and housing in the community, which is more effective for you!
  • If you’re not sure about something in the Slack; want to request a channel; or would like to report a concern, contact the administrators. We’re here to help you navigate the Slack space and welcome suggestions to improve our space. You can contact the Slack Administrators via direct message or email.

Slack guidelines were developed by the GradDiversity team.