To receive external funding, you must plan at least one year ahead. Graduate students have the right to receive regularly a formal, written evaluation of their progress and to be informed of the criteria upon which such evaluations are based. You will find it helpful to be available to your advisor for both formal and informal evaluations. You should inform yourself of the department criteria for grading and expected rate of progress to degree as well as how you may remediate any deficiencies in your academic performance. If you are planning on postponing or abandoning graduate work, you should inform your advisor as early as possible of that decision.
Graduate students have the right to reasonable confidentiality in their communications with faculty.
That is, they are not legally protected. Consider carefully what personal and professional information you communicate to your advisor and other faculty members. Communication can be open and honest without being compromising. Graduate students have the right to appropriate recognition when they contribute significantly to research and publications. Faculty Faculty members have a responsibility to appropriately acknowledge significant student contributions to research and publications.