University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: February 9, 2006

By MARY COCHRANE
Contributing Editor

The 16-month gestation period of UB's code of faculty conduct ended Tuesday at a meeting of the Faculty Senate, which voted to approve a seven-page code submitted by its ad hoc committee.

The code began life as a request from President John B. Simpson in September 2004 for a guide to professional behavior for UB faculty so they could know "what is to be expected" of them as university employees.

"Faculty," according to the code, includes full- and part-time, clinical, research and adjunct faculty members, as well as teaching and research assistants, a definition that was added following the code's first reading at the senate's Dec. 6 meeting.

The only change not made from the December meeting's "to do" list of suggestions by senators concerned inclusion of language that addresses faculty's role as clinicians.

Samuel D. Schack, Martin Professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics and a member of the ad hoc drafting committee, explained that because the code is meant to apply to all faculty university-wide, it "therefore should cover the main features of the job as performed by all of us, and that's the research, teaching and service obligations.

"Special obligations that may pertain to individual schools could and probably should be properly addressed in a similar statement that might be developed at the school level, with, of course, attention to be consistent with what has been laid out in this code," Schack said.

At Tuesday's meeting, senators suggested rewording just three tenets of the "Ethical Principles in Practice" section—which describes how faculty should behave in their professional roles as scholars, teachers, colleagues, university citizens and community citizens.

One tenet, as revised, asserts that faculty will "fully disclose all conflicts of interest" regarding their roles as scholars. James E. Campbell, professor of political science, asked for clarification regarding faculty disclosure of conflicts of interest, specifically "to whom are they supposed to disclose these and when?"

Schack replied that "Implicitly, the supervisor, although there are forms that we have to fill out at various times and that's where we would disclose them."

Another change was made in a section describing faculty as university citizens, in which they are told they cannot "make systematic, unreimbursed use of university facilities, supplies, staff or students for personal financial gain." The code continues: "This applies, in particular, to such activities as consulting, participating in a private business or other work for outside firms."

The word "unreimbursed" was added after Cemal Basaran, professor and director of graduate studies for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), pointed out that SEAS faculty are contractually permitted to spend eight hours of their 40-hour work week on consulting. These faculty members only need to reimburse the university if they use UB facilities, "such as testing equipment or staff," Basaran told the Reporter after the meeting. Basaran said he and some of his colleagues would feel more comfortable if the wording specified that faculty who perform such work without permission must reimburse the university.

Linda M. Harris, assistant professor of surgery and interim director of the Division of Vascular Surgery, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, asked whether another phrase should be added that requires faculty members doing outside consulting to get prior approval for such work, but Schack disagreed that such an addition was necessary.

As a whole, the code outlines predictable behavior on the part of faculty, including "to seek and to state the truth," and to uphold the highest scholarly and ethical standards of their disciplines, as stated by the American Association of University Professors. It goes on to describe expectations for faculty regarding their treatment of students, colleagues and members of the university community. The code repeatedly states that faculty members are expected to comply with other professional policies that govern them, including state, federal and university regulations.

It offers its most specific guidelines for faculty behavior in regard to their relationships with colleagues and students. As teachers, faculty members "will not enter into nonprofessional relationships, particularly sexual ones, with any student for whom they have, or should reasonably expect to have in the future, academic responsibility (instructional, evaluative or supervisory)." Faculty must disclose any such pre-existing relationships to their supervisor so that person may make alternative arrangements for instruction, evaluation or supervision of the student.

Regarding colleagues, faculty members who supervise others are not to abuse the "power differential" inherent in such relationships, and to "not enter into a sexual relationship with any individual for whom they have supervisory responsibility." They also must "honor the confidentiality of faculty evaluations or searches" in which they are involved, and again, disclose any conflicts of interest in either situation.

Publicly, faculty must "be aware that their public statements may be understood as speaking for the university and consequently should take care not to represent personal opinions as university positions," according to the code.

The Faculty Senate will send the code of conduct to Simpson, who will review it. If approved by the president, Schack said the code most likely will be made part of the UB faculty/staff handbook, available online at http://www.business.buffalo.edu/UbbContent/Hrs/facultyhandbook/.