Ethics and Harassment

Continuing Education Instructor/Trainer Ethics 

EICC expects instructors to act professionally. Your actions impact the college’s mission.  

These guidelines help you understand your duties, recognize ethical issues, report unethical conduct, and promote honesty and accountability. All instructors are required to follow EICC’s  

Business and Ethical Code of Conduct found at eicc.edu/ethical. 

• Uphold EICC values by promoting inclusivity and respect in the classroom.  

• Avoid conflicts of interest, like using the classroom to generate clients or sell products.  

• Resolve and/or report issues quickly. Address any student complaints or concerns promptly and fairly. 

• Avoid giving misleading or inaccurate advice.  

• Protect confidential information. Keep student grades and personal information secure and private. 

• Respect copyright and intellectual property laws. Use licensed software and materials in your teaching.  

• Handle EICC assets and information with care. Use college resources, like computers and projectors, responsibly.  

• Share confidential information only when necessary. Only discuss a student’s performance with authorized personnel.  

• Avoid actions that could harm EICC’s reputation.  

Reporting  

You are encouraged to seek guidance or clarification from the program manager, director of CE programs, or director of human resources regarding any concerns or specific situations. Additionally, any suspected wrongdoing, fraudulent activity, dishonesty, or improper conduct should be reported immediately to these individuals.  

EICC takes all reports seriously, conducts investigations as necessary, and takes appropriate action to uphold high standards of conduct in the workplace. If you have a non-emergency incident or concern that needs to be addressed, you can report it at https://cm.maxient.com/reporting.php?EasternIowaCC.  

• Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and collusion. More information at eicc.edu/academicdishonesty.

• Behavior Intervention Team involves student situations where observed behavior is cause for concern. This could include changed mood/appearance, distressing comments towards self or others, or concern for personal wellness.  

• General complaints are informal requests to address a concern about a decision, action, or practice that has impacted your experience at EICC. Please note: the college will not share information about the resolution of complaints involving alleged employee misconduct.  

• Harassment/discrimination can occur in programs, activities, and employment. It can include comments, actions, and more, that create an intimidating or hostile environment. More information at eicc.edu/eeo.  

• Sexual misconduct (Title IX) violations include sexual assault, harassment, exploitation, stalking, domestic violence, dating violence, or retaliation. More information at eicc.edu/sexualmisconduct.  

• Student conduct violations can include the use of drugs, alcohol, damage to property, violence, technology, gambling, and weapon possession. More information at eicc.edu/studentconduct. 

Your reports enable us to hold individuals accountable for their actions and ensure the issue is addressed. EICC will assist, investigate, and address any concerns professionally and confidentially.  

Safety  

EICC is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and conducive learning environment. We understand various incidents and issues may affect the quality of your education or work experience.  

For an immediate or ongoing threat to the safety of any person or campus, call 911.  

Quick Safety Tips 

• Familiarize yourself with the building, location, and classroom. 

• Review the location of emergency exits, restrooms, privacy rooms, family restrooms, stairs, and elevators. 

• If responding to a fire emergency, know where the exits are. Do not use elevators. Get students out of the building as safely and quickly as possible. 

• Find out where to direct your class if you hear a tornado warning. Move to bathroom stalls or a stairwell at the lowest level of the building and stay away from windows or doors.  

• Identify the location of the nearest first aid kit in case you need access to it while instructing a class. 

Student Harassment Policy 

EICC forbids harassment of students; harassment includes but is not limited to, sexual harassment, racial harassment, religious harassment, and harassment based on or because of a person’s age, national origin, marital status, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation. 

Any form of unwelcome, uninvited, or unsolicited behavior, conduct or language that is sufficiently severe and pervasive as to create a hostile or offensive educational environment is harassment, which is prohibited under this policy. 

Harassment includes, but is not limited to: 

• The use of insulting or derogatory names or gestures. 

• Display of derisive, abusive, or offensive written, graphic, pictorial, or electronic material. 

• Use of intimidating, insulting, or ridiculing language. 

• Touching, patting, fondling, groping, embracing, pinching, brushing against, or unwanted contact with a person’s body. 

• Telling unwelcome lewd, crude, or offensive stories or jokes. 

• Use of sexual, racial, ethnic, age-based, religion-based, marital status-based, disability-based, sexual orientation-based or other offensive, derogatory, and insulting names. 

Sexual harassment of a student includes allowing academic advancement, student grades, academic standing, or privileges to depend upon submission to sexual demands or suggestions. Sexual harassment of students by teachers, staff, or fellow students is incompatible with the educational environment and objective of the college.