Ethics policy

An education at Union Institute & University is based upon the philosophy of "person-centered learning," which places the individual (instead of the department or the discipline) at the center of the educational process.  Learners attending Union Institute & University are members of a diverse and dispersed community of scholars that offers unusual challenges and opportunities.  The concept of person-centered learning implies a set of ethical principals that guide and strengthen that community.

Foremost among these is the principle that a person's unique individuality is his/her most important trait.  Every person has more than one characteristic, including such features as gender, profession, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, discipline, religion, political persuasion, or socioeconomic condition, but a person is always more than the sum of his or her particular qualities and at Union the totality of the person is the focus of the educational process.  The personhood of the individual gives rise to all that is most creative, original and valuable in university programs.  We honor this principle by striving to treat one another with positive regard, learning from one another even as we acknowledge and struggle with our differences, which may appear magnified by distance or conflict.

As members of a person-centered learning community, all employees and learners have the right:

• to be treated as individuals first;
• to be listened to;
• to the ownership and acknowledgement of our original ideas, creations and expressions;
• to a learning and working environment that is free of discrimination and harassment;
• to fair, just, equitable, and professional treatment by all members of the community.

As members of a person-centered learning community, all employees and learners have the responsibility:

• to respect one another's cultural, intellectual and personal differences;
• to refrain from harassment or discrimination;
• to acknowledge properly the intellectual or artistic work of others, especially when it may have contributed to our own work;
• to honor the principles of person-centered learning and the educational process that the university has developed to embody them;
• to treat one another with professional dignity, courtesy and respect;
• to view our ignorance as an opportunity and to honor our capacity to learn;
• to protect the rights of humans or animal subjects used in our research;
• to avoid conflicts of interest and dual relationships that might compromise the educational process.

 As members of a person-centered learning community, we are challenged:

• to learn from one another's differences;
• to treat conflict as an opportunity for growth and learning;
• to refrain from spreading rumor, slander or misinformation;
• to respect all persons in the community as fellow learners.

 From these principles of person-centered learning and their attendant rights, responsibilities and challenges can be derived most of the professional values and standards of conduct honored by the academy.  These include professional courtesy, proper attribution and citation, intellectual honesty, academic integrity, effective teaching, and intellectual rigor.  Similarly, disregard or contempt for these principles can be found at the root not only of academic crimes such as plagiarism, forgery, intellectual dishonesty, or falsification of records, but also of socially destructive behaviors such as racism, discrimination, slander or sexual harassment.

Every employee of the university is obligated to adhere to the above stated principles while engaged in their respective roles as employees of Union Institute & University.

Code of conduct

The proper conduct of all members of the university is necessary to create an educational environment based upon the values of learning from one another while acknowledging our differences, maintaining an environment which is free from intolerance directed toward individuals or groups; and it strives to create and maintain an environment that fosters respect for others. The following Code of Conduct is intended to establish expectations about the behavior expected of members of our university as we conduct our business.  The following are examples of conduct which are prohibited and will subject the university member, whether faculty, staff or learner to sanctions including, but not limited to, disciplinary probation, suspension, dismissal, expulsion, withholding of grades, termination of employment or other appropriate action.  It is not possible to list all forms of behavior that are unacceptable.

A) Behavior contrary to civil law and/or behavior which interfere with the university’s maintenance of order or its educational process are forbidden.
B) The decision as to whether a specific kind of behavior is a violation will rest with the administration.  Following are specific but not exclusive examples of behavior prohibited by this Code:

1) Deliberate destruction of, damage to, malicious misuse of, university property.
2) Assault or battery upon another person while on university owned or controlled property.
3) Theft of the property of the university, or any private individual, which is physically located on university
      owned or controlled property.
4) Forgery or alteration of any university identification cards, parking permits, or records or information
     storage systems.
5) Plagiarism or any behavior involving academic dishonesty.
6) Illegal manufacture, sale, possession, or use of alcoholic beverages, narcotics, marijuana, hypnotics,
    sedatives, tranquilizers, stimulants, hallucinogens or similar controlled substances.
7) Obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary procedures or other university activities.
8) Participation in or organization of any demonstrating or unauthorized activity that interrupts the function of the university or interferes with the rights of other members of the university community.
9) Unauthorized entry into or use of university facilities, either buildings or grounds.
10) Illegal or unauthorized possession or use of firearms, fireworks, explosives, dangerous chemicals or weapons on university owned or controlled property.
11) Deliberate disobedience of or resistance to identified university authorities acting in the line of duty.
12)  Drunkenness or gambling on university owned or controlled property.
13)  Disorderly conduct on university owned or controlled property.
14)  Sexual and other forms of harassment based on characteristics such as age, ancestry, color, disability or
       handicap, national origin, political belief, race, religious creed, sexual orientation, veteran status or other
       protected classes as prohibited by state or federal law.
15)  Poor attendance and/or performance.
16) Improper use of Internet and campus computers.
17)  Retaliation against a member of the university community for the filing of complaint or for participation as a witness in the investigation of  a complaint of discrimination based on characteristics such as age,
ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, political belief, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or other protected class.
18) Accepting, seeking, or soliciting, directly or indirectly, any gift or benefit of more than insignificant economic value, including money, any service, gratuity, fee, property, loan, promise, or anything else of
more than insignificant economic value from or on behalf of any individual or entity who is doing or is seeking to do business of any kind with the university or whose activities are regulated or controlled in any way by the university.
19) Use of university tangible assets and services for personal gain, by employees for purposes outside the scope of their employment, or by learners beyond their instructional requirements.