Code of Ethics for Global Perspectives Trips
(Adaptation from The Code of Ethics for Education Abroad from the Forum on Education Abroad)
Ethical Principles for Lee University Global Perspectives Practices
Truthfulness and Transparency
Truthfulness and transparency are essential to ethical Lee University Global Perspectives practices. The fundamental premise is that practices should be open and clear, and that decision-making processes should be appropriately disclosed and periodically reviewed. This includes but is not limited to:
- Transparency of institutional Global Perspectives policies and procedures with respect to: trip development, institutional partnership agreements, criteria for trip approvals, eligibility and permission to study abroad, applications, admission, fees, financial aid, academic, grading, and credit policies, and student codes of conduct;
- Disclosure of the decision-making processes that guide practices, policies and all Global Perspectives operations;
- Clear and consistent communication appropriate to relevant constituencies;
- Complete and accurate marketing, advertising and promotional materials that avoid unfair and misleading statements.
Responsibility to Students
As an educational endeavor, Lee University Global Perspectives practices should keep students’ academic objectives, personal growth, and best interests foremost in mind. This includes but is not limited to:
- Helping students make well-informed decisions about global perspectives trips;
- Preparing students thoroughly for participation in global perspectives trips;
- Supporting students appropriately throughout their global perspectives experience and after their return;
- Focusing on program quality, academic integrity, and student health and safety;
- Protecting students’ rights and privacy as required by law and ethical considerations.
Relationships with Host Societies
By its very nature a cross-cultural experience engages host societies in myriad of ways. In so doing, Trip Directors, faculty, staff, and student participants should demonstrate:
- Sensitivity to and respect for differences between local cultural norms and those of the home culture;
- Awareness of the program’s impact on the local community, a commitment to creating sustainable local relationships that are mutually beneficial, and an effort to minimize any negative effects on the host society;
- Effective orientation of students, faculty and staff so they are aware of applicable host and home country ethical and legal practices, and understand the host society, in order to avoid actions that negatively impact that society or the image of Lee University or the home country.
Observance of Law and Good Practice
In all administrative, business, and financial arrangements, all applicable U.S. and international laws should be observed and principles of good practice followed. These include but are not limited to:
- Protecting the rights and privacy of all employees;
- Allowing for free and fair competition among trips and avoiding the denigration of programs offered by other academic departments or colleges/schools;
- Respecting intellectual property rights;
- Paying fair and locally-appropriate wages to employees, providing adequate training, and avoiding discrimination in employment practices;
- Establishing and maintaining safe conditions for living, working and studying abroad, and informing students, faculty and staff of any conditions beyond Lee University’s or Global Perspectives reasonable control.
Conflicts of Interest
All potential conflicts of interest involving global perspectives trips should be reviewed by the Global Perspectives Committee in conjunction with the Vice President for Academic Affairs to determine whether such conflicts exist, and if so, whether they may or may not be resolved. A potential conflict of interest exists when the financial or non-financial interests of an institution or organization (or an employee of either) may be seen as competing with the interests of the student. Those conflicts that cannot be waived or appropriately managed after full disclosure to all concerned parties must be eliminated.
Gifts, Gratuities, Discounts, Rebates and Compensation
Provider organizations and travel agencies should neither accept nor offer compensation (such as honoraria and consulting fees), gifts, gratuities, discounts, and rebates if it could be reasonably inferred that they would impact either party’s ability to make objective and fair decisions about any aspect of Global Perspectives operations, including but not limited to affiliation, approval of global perspectives trips, and student enrollment in such programs.
Ethical Guidelines
Examples of Ethical Best Practices for Lee University Global Perspectives Practices
Truthfulness and Transparency
- In marketing, advertising and promotional materials Lee University Trip Directors and academic departments should focus on what they believe to be the strengths of their program, avoiding disparaging or misleading statements about programs offered by other academic departments or colleges/schools. Marketing, advertising and promotional materials should clearly set out the program’s limitations, as well as its strengths;
- Program materials should be updated regularly, as information changes, and every effort should be made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information, especially key information such as program price, what the program price includes or excludes, program dates, and the availability of academic courses or special opportunities described in the promotional materials;
- Materials such as those listed below in Section 8 should be made available upon request.
Responsibility to Students
- The Lee University Office of Student Life in conjunction with the Global Perspectives Office should maintain easily accessible, written codes of student conduct expected while participating in global perspectives trips. Students should be made aware of and be directed to such codes early in the program selection/application process;
- Lee University academic departments and colleges/schools that limit student participation to approved programs should have frequent assessment of these programs that includes consideration of the evolving interests of the home institution as well as student input and feedback;
- Lee University students should be informed of the processes of program assessment and evaluation and how they can participate;
- Lee University students should be required to sign the Lee University Agreement, Release, and Waiver, a statement of student rights and responsibilities;
- The Lee University Office of Academic Support in conjunction with the Global Perspectives Office and their staff should assist students in understanding what reasonable accommodations can be provided for students with special needs;
- Lee University Trip Directors should appropriately disclose to students that there are limitations on their rights while they are participating in a global perspectives trip and that some rights protected under U.S. law are not recognized or protected by other nations. Students should be advised that they have individual responsibility to inform themselves about the limitations of U.S. laws and the impact of foreign laws or restrictions on their rights.
- The Lee University Office of Financial Aid organizational policies and practices regarding the awarding or transfer of student financial aid for participation in global perspectives trips should be transparent, consistent, communicated clearly, and readily accessible to students and the general public.
- The Lee University Office of Financial Aid should be proactive and provide assistance and financial aid advice to make education abroad financially accessible to as many students as possible.
- Any and all financial aid and scholarships awarded by the Lee University Office of Financial Aid for global perspectives trips to individual students should be applied in a manner that benefits the student.
- Grants awarded should be used to reduce students’ loan requirements first, rather than reducing existing grant awards.
- Federal, state and institutional aid should be made available to all Lee University students consistent with federal and other applicable laws.
Relationships with Host Societies
- Lee University staff, faculty, and students should have knowledge of local laws and the cultural setting, such as formal and informal differences in the practice of speech, religion, political participation, gender relations, etc.;
- The creation and enforcement of any student code of conduct should embrace both U.S. and local societal and cultural norms;
- Lee University Trip Directors should advise students that they are subject to local laws and should expect no immunity or other special treatment by local authorities;
- The Lee University Global Perspectives Office must ensure that students receive orientation about differing cultural, social and educational practices through the ANTH 200 Global Perspectives Seminar;
- Lee University Trip Directors should understand local business practices prior to program development and avoid arrangements that violate laws or accepted business practices of the U.S. or the intended host country;
- Special attention should be paid to the potential economic, political, and personal risks faced by institutions and colleagues in countries where international educational cooperation may create controversy or conflict;
Good Practice
- Lee University Trip Directors, academic departments and colleges/schools should operate according to established written protocols, policies, and procedures which, along with job responsibilities, should be documented in handbooks and/or other written materials and reviewed and updated on a regular basis;
- The Lee University Global Perspectives Office should provide Trip Directors, academic departments and colleges/schools with a written policy pertaining to which records (including electronic records) about students will be kept, what will be done with such records, who will have access to them, how long they will be kept, and how they will be discarded;
- In program evaluation, students should be informed of how evaluation data will be used, and have the option of participating anonymously or of opting out of the evaluation process entirely;
- Lee University employees and Trip Directors should receive from the Global Perspectives Office and their respective academic departments appropriate initial and ongoing training relevant to their responsibilities;
- Lee University academic departments and colleges/schools should provide employees with a safe working environment, foster an environment of respect for all employees, be sensitive to diversity issues, needs, and responsibilities, and not tolerate sexual harassment or other harassment of employees;
- Lee University academic departments and colleges/schools should support and protect employees acting in good faith in execution of their responsibilities.
- Lee University should insure employees against liability for program related activities, except in the case of intentional malefaction or gross negligence.
Observance of Law
- Lee University Trip Directors, faculty, staff, and students engaged in global perspectives trips should take reasonable steps to inform themselves of applicable laws of the host country. This may include, but is not limited to, awareness of and compliance with pertinent laws relating to privacy, labor, currency exchange, taxation, and bribery;
- Lee University’s legal counsel in conjunction with the Office of Global Perspectives should review existing and proposed agreements between the institution and student participants, as well as contracts relating to agreements for specific individual education abroad programs;
- Lee University global perspectives trips should not unlawfully discriminate in admissions on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, age, ancestry, familial status, or on any other basis;
- All contracts regarding admission into global perspectives trips should comply fully with applicable law and, where a choice of laws offers differing standards, the higher or more protective standard should be applied.
Conflicts of Interest
- If conflicts of interest arise with provider organizations and/or travel agencies that cannot be resolved, Lee University Trip Directors should recuse themselves from the decision-making process and/or should not participate in the proposed transaction;
- Lee University Trip Directors should not accept gifts, services, or other favors under circumstances from which it might be inferred that such actions were intended to influence or impair the performance of their duties or their ability to exercise objectivity in their professional responsibilities.
Gifts, Gratuities, Discounts, Rebates and Compensation
- Lee University Trip Directors, academic departments, and colleges/schools should guard against allowing gifts, gratuities, hospitality, or compensation of any kind to improperly influence decision-making or create the appearance thereof;
- No paid travel should be accepted by any employee of Lee University if offered by a provider organization, travel agency, or other third party, unless substantive work, such as program assessment or program development, is required;
- Any rebate, commission, or discount provided by a provider organization or travel agency should be used to defray costs to students.
Formal Program Site Visits
- Formal site visits for review of and familiarization with global perspectives trips are essential for maintaining and improving program quality, and for providing accurate and essential information to students. Clear communication regarding the site visit should be established in advance between the visitor and the provider organization and/or travel agency. Such communication should include but not be limited to:
– the specific purpose and goals of the visit;
– the qualifications of the visitor and resident staff, e.g. Trip Director, advisor, faculty; program director, etc.
– the duration and schedule of the visit;
– the opportunity for unmediated contact between the visitor and students/faculty/administrators;
– the cost-sharing between the program and the visitor;
– the gifts, hospitality or honoraria provided.
- Materials that the visitor may solicit include
– student programs and course evaluations;
– orientation materials;
– syllabi and course materials;
– Provider organization and travel agency staff backgrounds;
– health and safety information and emergency plans;
– Appropriate activities include visits to classes, facilities, host homes, internship placements, co-curricular activity sites, and field study events.