Faculty affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all persons and their right to learn. Learning best occurs in an environment devoted to the pursuit of truth, excellence, and liberty. These traits flourish where both freedom and responsibility are esteemed. Compassion, honesty, integrity, professionalism, the pursuit of excellence and scholarship are core values of AUA and it is the responsibility of each member of AUA’s faculty to affirm these values through their conduct at all times.
In order to more adequately express the affirmation of our professional responsibilities, the Faculty of American University of Antigua, do adopt the following code of professional ethics:
1. Faculty shall treat all persons with respect, dignity and justice, discriminating against no one on any arbitrary bases such as race, creed, relation, gender, sexual orientation, age, or social status.
2. Faculty shall strive to help each student realize his or her full potential as a scholar and as a hu-man being.
3. Faculty shall, by example and action, encourage and defend the unfettered pursuit of truth by both colleagues and students, supporting the free exchange of ideas, observing the highest stand-ards of academic honesty and integrity, and seeking always an attitude of scholarly objectivity and tolerance of other viewpoints.
4. Faculty, recognizing the necessity of many roles in the educational enterprise, shall work in such a manner as to enhance cooperation and collegiality among students, faculty, administrators and non-academic personnel.
5. Faculty shall recognize and preserve the confidential nature of professional relationships, neither disclosing not encouraging the disclosure of information or rumor which might damage or embar-rass or violate the privacy of any other person.
6. Faculty shall maintain competence through continued professional development, shall demon-strate that competence through consistent adequate preparation and performance, and shall seek to enhance that competence by accepting and appropriating constructive criticism and evalua-tion.
7. Faculty are expected to attend relevant professional meetings and participate in faculty develop-ment programs in their field on a yearly basis.
8. Faculty shall exercise the higher professional standards in the use of time and resources, including adhering to time frames for starting and ending lecture and facilitation responsibilities on time.
9. Faculty, recognizing the needs and rights of others as embodied in the institution, shall fulfill the employment agreement both in spirit and in fact.
10. Faculty shall give reasonable notice upon resignation or retirement.
11. Faculty shall support the goals and ideals of the institution and shall act in public and private af-fairs in such a manner as to bring credit to the institution.
12. Faculty shall observe the stated rules and regulations of the institution, reserving the right judi-ciously to seek revision.
13. Faculty shall participate in the governance of the institution by accepting a fair share of commit-tee and institutional responsibilities.
14. Faculty shall support the right of all colleagues to academic freedom.
15. Faculty shall not support a colleague whose unethical conduct or professional incompetence they are aware of or has been demonstrated through due process.
16. Faculty shall not engage in any non-academic university-related activities without the prior ap-proval of the Executive Dean of Preclinical Basic Sciences (or his or her designee). This specifically includes, but is not limited to, any announcements to both the University and the public.
Standards of Conduct
The following standards of conduct shall apply to all faculty of AUA:
1. No faculty member shall accept or solicit any gift, favor, benefit or service that might be regarded by a reasonable person as tending or intended to influence the faculty member in the discharge of his/her official duties. Faculty shall not accept a gift, favor, benefit or service the value of which exceeds US$25, given or provided directly or indirectly from a student or other member of the AUA community over or for whom the faculty member has supervisory or teaching obligations, absent the express written consent of the Executive Dean.
2. No faculty shall accept employment or engage in any business or professional activity that the faculty might reasonably expect would require or induce the disclosure of confidential information.
3. No faculty shall accept other employment of compensation that could reasonably be expected to impair his/her judgment in the performance of official duties.
4. No faculty shall make personal investments that could reasonably be expected to create a substantial conflict between the faculty member’s private interests and the public or University interest.
5. No faculty shall intentionally or knowingly solicit, accept, or agree to accept any benefit for having exercised the faculty’s official powers or performed official duties in favor of another.
6. No faculty shall engage in any other business, profession, or work outside the University directly or indirectly for a competitor of AUA or that would be to the detriment of his/her University responsibilities.
7. No faculty shall issue public statements regarding University’s operations, business or students without the pre-approval of the President or an Executive Dean.
Harassment
The American University of Antigua values diversity of its students, employees and faculty members. Harassment of any type will not be tolerated, and any member of the University community determined to be guilty of harassment will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
Harassment may be defined as: Any unwelcome of unwanted conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward any person on the basis of any characteristic, which includes but is not limited to an individual’s gender, race, ethnic or national origin, color, age, religious beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics. Any conduct is unwelcome if the person did not solicit, instigate or provoke it, and the person reasonably regarded the conduct as undesirable or offensive.
Sexual Harassment
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) defines sexual harassment as follows:
“It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Harassment can include “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. For example, it is illegal to harass a woman by making offensive com-ments about women in general. Both victim and the harasser can be either a woman or a man, and the victim and harasser can be the same sex. Although the law doesn’t prohibit simple teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious, harass-ment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim be-ing fired or demoted). The harasser can be the victim’s supervisor, a supervisor in anoth-er area, a co-worker, or someone who is not an employee of the employer, such as a client or customer.”
Harassment includes but is not limited to: epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping, threatening or intimidating or hostile acts that relate to gender. Also, written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group because of gender or sexual orientation that is placed on walls, bulletin boards, in social media or elsewhere on or off University property.
Prohibited Conduct
Employees, faculty, and students shall not engage in any conduct or behavior that constitutes sexual or other harassment. University officials or their agents will investigate all allegations of sexual harassment and shall take prompt and appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination against any employee or member of the faculty who engages in conduct constituting harassment. Because of the serious nature of a harassment claim, faculty, employees or students who knowingly allege a false claim will be subject to discipline up to and including suspension and/or termination of employment or faculty appointment.
Grievance Procedure
Any member of the University community who believes he or she has been or is currently subject to any form of harassment shall bring the matter in the first instance to the Dean of Students , or, if the charge of harassment is against the Dean of Students, to the chair of the Grievance Committee. No procedure or step within the process will require the individual alleging harassment to present the matter directly to the person who is the subject of the grievance. Detailed grievance procedures can be found in the Student Handbook.
Faculty/Student Relationships
AUA’s faculty offer academic instruction and administrative services to provide a high-quality education for students. While it is essential to maintain a cordial and congenial relationship in the daily interactions with students, it is imperative that students at AUA feel confident that the relationships they develop with faculty and staff members rest upon the highest ethical standards of the education profession.
Consequently, these standards prohibit inappropriate relationships of any kind, which are defined as, but not limited to:
1. Socializing with students, except when carrying out one’s job responsibilities. It is possible that faculty and/or staff may encounter students in public places or events so it is plausible that some interaction will take place. This is certainly acceptable provided that “good judgment” is exercised by the faculty or staff member, there is no appearance of impropriety, and these policies are otherwise not violated.
2. Visiting students or entertaining students outside of AUA’s academic and administrative facilities or designated areas, except when acting in an official capacity.
3. Providing students with personal contact information or connecting with students on personal or social media websites (i.e. Facebook or Twitter) except when acting in an official capacity. In keeping with the goals of the University it is acceptable for faculty members to provide cell phone numbers to their students, in order to facilitate faculty availability.
4. Providing housing to students.
5. Engaging in activities with students that are coercive or exploitative.
6. Engaging in quid pro quo activities used to advance a student’s or students’ academic or professional standing.
Additionally, in order to avoid misunderstandings, perceptions of academic favoritism, supervisory issues, compromised campus security, impaired morale, alleged claims of harassment, and any other complication not included here, faculty and staff are strictly prohibited from dating, requesting a date, or pursuing any personal, intimate, romantic or sexual relationship with students.
This policy does not apply to those faculty or staff members whose spouse or partner is a student at AUA.
Faculty and staff in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
Dress Code
Employees must present a clean and neat appearance. Since faculty work in a variety of settings, they are expected to use good judgment in the type of clothing that is appropriate for the workstation. Department Chairs are responsible for determining appropriate dress for their departments. However, faculty are expected to dress as professionals; for example, no shorts or short skirts are permitted.
Violations
Employees shall comply with the standards of conduct set out in this policy and with any other policies, regulations, and guidelines that impose duties, requirements, or standards attendant to their status as University employees. Violation of any policies, regulations, and guidelines may result in disciplinary action, including termination of employment.