Standards:

STANDARD ELEVEN

INTEGRITY

11 Description

Ethical Standards in Management
	Eastern Connecticut State University, as a public institution of higher 
education in Connecticut, is bound in the management of its affairs and dealings 
with students, faculty, staff, external agencies and organizations, and the 
general public by the state statutes. The public system of higher education and 
the authority of the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University are 
established in Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) 10a-1 and 10a-87, 
respectively. Connecticut General Statutes CGS 1-83 (Ethics Statute), CGS 10a-6 
(b) (the act providing for freedom of information in the conduct of public 
business and at the federal level), and the Family Educational Rights and 
Privacy Act of 1974 inform the university's management and administration in 
terms of ethical standards. Pursuant to Section 1-83 of the Connecticut General 
Statutes, the CSU Ethics Statement was developed and is included in the Faculty 
Handbook. ECSU's mission and governing authority are established in state law, 
as addressed in Standard 3. 

Fair and Equitable Relations with Constituencies

	Collective bargaining agreements inform the administration in its ethical 
obligations to faculty and staff. Eastern's Student Handbook describes 
university requirements and regulations related to students and the procedures 
that are used to implement these procedures. Eastern's ethical obligations are 
articulated in other documents including the Board of Trustees' policies, 
viewbooks, senate documents and university documents related to sexual 
harassment and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The 
university catalog describes standards for admission and educational policies 
and procedures. The catalog is supplemented by Senate documents and the Student 
Handbook. Guidelines in these documents ensure that educational policies and 
procedures are equitably applied to all students. 

Free Pursuit and Dissemination of Knowledge
	The CSU-AAUP and the State University Organization of Administrative Faculty 
(SUOAF) collective bargaining agreements include articles that protect academic 
freedom. The university's Catalog states that Eastern fosters the pursuit of 
knowledge, including student-faculty research and interdisciplinary study. 
Included in the Student Handbook, the Connecticut State University Guidelines 
for Student Rights and Responsibilities and Judicial Procedures state that like 
other academic institutions, CSU campuses "exist for the transmission of 
knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the development of students and the general 
well-being of society. In line with this purpose, the university has the duty to 
protect the freedoms of inquiry and expression and furthermore has the 
responsibility to encourage all of its members in developing a capacity for 
critical judgment in their sustained and independent search for truth." 
Related to intellectual property, as stated in the Faculty Handbook, inventions 
and marketable discoveries are governed by CGS 10a-97 through CGS 10a-99 except 
as provided by BOT/CSU/AAUP Agreement, Appendix E, and BOT/CSU/AAUP Agreement, 
Article 27. 

Charter and Accreditation
Page 8 of the Catalog states that Eastern is accredited by the New England 
Association of Schools and Colleges. 
Nondiscriminatory Policies and Diversity
Eastern Connecticut State University is committed to affirmative action, 
multiculturalism, equity, and diversity. 
	The university's catalog states that Eastern fosters diversity within the 
student body, faculty, and staff, and educational access, at a reasonable cost, 
for all students with academic potential. Prefatory material in the university 
catalog includes the Compliance Statement and the CSU Pluralism Statement, and 
describes the Student Rights under the Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 
1974. The Office of Equity and Diversity advises the president and the 
university community on hiring procedures, affirmative action planning, civil 
rights, and equity policies. Issues of compliance, consistent with state and 
federal laws and regulations (Title VII and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, 
CGS Secs. 46a-68-31 to 46a-68-74, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the 
Age Discrimination and Employment Act), are addressed through monitoring and 
programming. 
	The university prepares an annual affirmative action plan that describes its 
goals and related procedures for hiring and advancement. In January 2000, the 
Office of Affirmative Action and the affirmative action officer were renamed the 
Office of Equity and Diversity and the executive assistant to the president and 
director of equity and diversity, respectively. These changes were made to 
reflect the university's position that equity and diversity are not merely legal 
obligations but are fundamental to the goals of the institution. The Office of 
Equity and Diversity is responsible for ensuring the university's compliance 
with all federal and state laws including Title VII and Title IX of the Civil 
Rights Act, state employment and affirmative action laws and regulations, the 
Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and 
the family Medical and Family Leave Act. The director serves on the president's 
staff and informs the staff and all other university officials on affirmative 
action goals and developments in affirmative action law. The office ensures 
through its Procedures for Conducting Affirmative Action Searches that all 
searches are conducted in a manner consistent with institutional goals of equity 
and diversity and in compliance with legal mandates. 
	Another function of the office is to conduct training on sexual harassment for 
university staff and students and to investigate complaints of sexual harassment 
and discrimination. Eastern's policy on discrimination and sexual harassment is 
published in the Faculty Handbook, and it advises complainants that they also 
have a right to file a complaint with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights 
and Opportunities, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. 
Department of Labor, or any other agency that enforces laws concerning 
discrimination in employment. The Student Handbook explains that claims of 
discrimination or harassment by students will be investigated by the Office of 
Student Affairs according to the Guidelines for Student Rights and 
Responsibilities as outlined in the Student Handbook. 
The director of equity and diversity serves as campus coordinator for the 
Americans with Disabilities Act. The office advises staff with disabilities, 
maintains files on staff, and makes recommendations for accommodations for 
employees when necessary and handles complaints from students and employees. 
Provision of these services for students are coordinated by a student 
disabilities counselor. Eastern develops, prints, and distributes the "Faculty 
Guide for Providing Accommodations to Students with Disabilities." ECSU complies 
with and informs its employees via appropriate handbooks of the Medical and 
Family Leave Act. 
	The university also has published "Aids and Other Sexually Transmitted 
Diseases," "Drug and the Alcohol-Free Workplace," and "Workplace Violence 
Prevention," which include related policies.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Enrollment Management and the 
Graduate Division attempt to ensure that the student population is ethnically, 
economically, and geographically diverse. Several organizations exist on campus 
to foster an atmosphere that respects and supports people of diverse 
characteristics and backgrounds. These include the Women's Center, the Unity 
Center, the West Indian Club, Abigayle, and others. 
Complaints, Local Procedures  and Grievance Procedures
	Procedures for the fair resolution of complaints and grievances are described in 
the Student Handbook and the collective bargaining agreements, respectively. The 
university has in place the necessary mechanisms to implement these procedures. 
Mechanisms include hearing officers for student appeals, relevant senate 
committees, and those required by collective bargaining agreements. Policies 
related to students' probation and readmission have been under review in order 
to ensure that all students are treated equally. Policies related to eligibility 
of students athletes to participate in athletics have been revised to ensure 
that student athletes are treated in a manner consistent with the Student 
Handbook, NCAA regulations, and established practices. 

Assessment of Ethical Policies and Procedures
	Periodic assessment of the university's ethical policies and the mechanisms by 
which they are enforced occurs through several mechanisms, including negotiation 
of collective bargaining agreements, resolution of grievances filed under those 
agreements, ongoing senate committee reviews, and wide participation in the 
University Senate, including membership from administrative and teaching 
faculty, students, and administration. During the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 
academic years the University Senate has called special sessions to discuss 
various issues, and this procedure could be used in the future for examination 
of ethical concerns should they arise. In Spring 2000, the Research Advisory 
Council developed two sets of policies: 1) Guidelines for Research on Human 
Subjects; 2) Financial Policy Disclosures.

11 Appraisal
	In the past ten years, changes in academic policies have been carefully 
implemented to ensure that students are adequately informed. Some changes 
implemented include a new course-repeat policy, a new grade-appeal policy, and 
several changes in degree requirements. We have had virtually no complaints from 
students in the way the policies were implemented. Policy changes have been 
incorporated in various documents including the Catalog, Student Handbook, 
Faculty Handbook, and other institutional documents. 
	The Research Advisory Council has played an important role in promoting research 
by faculty and students. Guidelines for ethical research have been developed, 
and a clear and timely process has been implemented to ensure that all 
appropriate safeguards are in place to protect human and animal subjects. 
Members of the Research Advisory Council are appointed by the vice president for 
academic affairs, who acts as the president's designee in all matters of 
academic research on campus. 
	The process for the resolution of grievances brought by employees has been 
standardized through changes in respective collective bargaining agreements, 
resulting in less "red tape" in achieving solutions. There are also clear 
processes for the resolution of complaints brought by students. Student 
applicants can challenge admissions decisions by appealing to the director for 
admissions and enrollment management and to the vice president for academic 
affairs. The process for resolving student disciplinary decisions has also been 
streamlined. 
	We have endeavored to become, and have become, a campus community that welcomes 
and encourages diversity. Policies and procedures in place at the university 
support our commitment to advancing social justice and equity by exercising 
affirmative action to remove all discriminatory barriers to equal employment 
opportunity, admissions, and upward mobility. Additionally, Eastern is committed 
to the goal of full participation in our community life and learning. This is 
accomplished through providing access and reasonable accommodations, as 
appropriate. Moreover, at Eastern there is no tolerance for sexual harassment, 
sexual assault, or violence in the workplace. Policies and procedures regarding 
these areas are communicated to the community through campus publications, as 
well as through collaborative efforts of the Eastern Campus Police, the Office 
of Equity and Diversity, and the Office of Student Affairs.
	A continued commitment to equity and diversity at Eastern requires ongoing 
enforcement of policies and procedures, as well as community engagement through 
programs and community activities. Support for our commitment includes programs 
supported by the Housing Office, Office of Student Affairs, and the faculty. The 
Unity Center coordinates programs throughout the year on topics concerning 
ethnicity, race, and gender orientation. Since 1997, the University Hour program 
has been used to offer programs that celebrate the diversity of the campus and 
society. Similarly, innovative programs and activities that take into account 
our diverse campus are being sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts, Office of 
Student Affairs, the library, academic departments and the student government. 
Many of the university policies are available in hard copy and on the ECSU Web 
pages. In addition, historical enrollment statistics and data from surveys are 
posted on the Web for access and use by the entire university community. 

11 Projection
	Although we are proud of our accomplishments in the area of diversity and 
service to all constituencies of the university, there are many challenges and 
opportunities that lie ahead. We are committed to improving quality in all 
aspects of institutional activity. Attracting talented faculty and students from 
all socioeconomic backgrounds will be of critical importance to realizing our 
mission as the state's public liberal arts university. The "vital few" goals of 
the university will serve to focus our energy and resources on fulfilling our 
mission as an institution that emphasizes excellence and diversity. 
	New information technologies will enable us to publish, update, and disseminate 
information more widely and to specific groups. The data from faculty, staff, 
and student surveys will be made available in a timely fashion. Our plans call 
for organizing and presenting on the university's Web pages all university 
documents that are currently published in other forms. In addition to catalog 
information, we plan to post documents such as the Faculty Handbook and the 
Student Handbook. Maintaining accurate information and removing dated material 
from our Web pages will be a challenge. We will ensure that an individual is 
charged with maintaining the integrity of the Web pages. Information on our Web 
pages is increasingly accessed by people throughout the world who are interested 
in applying to the university for employment or admission. 
	The university expects an exponential increase in the use of electronic 
information and technology in teaching and research. We plan to support both 
faculty and student access to information technology. We plan to upgrade our 
computers every three to four years. At the same time, we will refine our 
guidelines and procedures regarding plagiarism and ethical use of intellectual 
property. 
	A new integrated information system is being deployed on the campus that has the 
potential to improve services to students, faculty, and staff. This represents a 
large investment of institutional resources. The magnitude of the project will 
continue to challenge all our offices.