MOTTO:
“ The word honesty usually relates to the word work, each word of the pair saving the other. You cannot have honour without work, generosity, kindness, worth, balance and moderation in everything, without stability in thoughts, feelings and facts, without a high cult of work and of its results.”
Tudor Arghezi
THE UNIVERSITY ETHIC CODE
Athenaeum University was created as a university education structure with the founding of the namesake Foundation in 1991, on the basis of Law no.21/1924 regarding associations and functions.
Athenaeum University , accredited by Law no. 135/2005 develops activities of economic-social interest under a non-profit policy.
For more than a decade of activity, through the departments of economic science and public administration, Athenaeum University has proved to be a veritable alternative to public education in Romania .
CHAPTER I
PREAMBLE
Art.1. The university ethic code is made on the basis of art. 141, paragraph (s) of the Education Law no. 84/1995, republished with ulterior changes and additions, on the basis of Government's Decision no. 223/2005 in what concerns the structure and the way of work of the Ministry of Education and Research.
(1) The university ethic code, which completes the University Charta, respects the state's Constitution, the professor's Status and the internal order Regulations, and is according to the requirements of the European integration.
(2) The university ethic code includes the aims, principles and moral rules that the members of Athenaeum University 's academic community agree to respect and follow in their professional activity.
(3) The university ethic code establishes the standards of professional ethic that Athenaeum University 's community wishes to respect and the moral penalties that those who break them expose themselves to.
(4) The university ethic code works as a moral contract between the persons involved in Athenaeum University's activity – professors, students, staff – taking part in the growth of the institution's prestige and moral capital, in the strengthening of its members' unity, in creating an academic climate based on cooperation (professionally and socially) and fair play competition.
Art. 2. The aim of the university ethic Code is:
- To identify the essential values that are at the basis of university education's mission;
- To establish a package of professional conduct standards;
- To make clearer the responsibilities and actions of persons involved in the request and offer of educational services, scientific research and other services based on science.
(1) By adhering to this code, Athenaeum University 's faculty – professors, students and staff – will apply it and will take measures to discourage, prevent, notice and correct any eventual behaviour that proves to be lacked of ethic.
(2) By adopting this code, Athenaeum University 's community pursues to keep and strengthen the university modern image with a good reputation in the educational environment and with academic integrity.
(3) In order to consolidate the university prestige and to ensure the professional achievement and development of each member, Athenaeum University commits itself to promote values and principles according to the exigency of knowledge's evolution, while respecting the state and the human rights.
CHAPTER II
THE ETHIC CODE'S CONTENT
Art. 3. The ethic dimension represents an essential requirement to both the professional conduct and everyday life of the members of our academic and scientific community. The ethical basis of Athenaeum University lays it the primary values of the democratic project, and equally in the exemplar models suggested/imposed by our internal tradition.
Art. 4. The present Ethic Code identifies the common values, principles and responsibilities of anyone involved in the institution's life, with the intention not to moralize, but to make people responsible. The following elements of our ethic profile are essential: moral integrity, academic freedom; fairness, equity, tolerance; honesty, integrity and intellectual correctness; professional and civic responsibility.
Art. 5. Moral integrity
(1) The professorate has been and must always be a model of moral consistency, coherence and dignity. The institution's public image depends on the moral verticality of each person of this community, as well on the institutional administration of this moral capital.
(2) Athenaeum University stimulates intellectual work, responsible education, study and school attendance, scientific research and creation, college activities and all professional obligations. For this reason, each person must act sincerely, correctly, without deceiving, being directly responsible for the obligations that are due to him/her through his/her position.
(3) As the academic community's mission is to search and send over the truth under the sign of science and morality, we consider that this mission, as well as Athenaeum University 's public image, is directly threatened by imposture and any conscious deceptions, no matter the form, level and intensity of their manifestation.
Art. 6. Respect and tolerance
Athenaeum University promotes the existence of an academic community where each person's dignity is respected, in a climate without any manifestation or form of harassment, exploitation, humiliation, contempt, threatening or intimidation. The university supports tolerance towards differences between people, opinions, beliefs and intellectual preferences. Misogynist, racist, chauvinist, xenophobe and homophobe manifestations and sexual harassment are not allowed.
Art. 7. Academic freedom
(1) Athenaeum University is a place of expressing authentic professional and scientific values, and it protects them of any external interventions, pressures and manipulation. Any form of political obedience or ideological conformism is and will be excluded. Our community's members are protected from any manipulation, persecution or censorship manifestation, no matter where these may come from. Also, there will be a legality and moral engagement climate, in order to avoid other people's privation of freedom.
(2) The right to difference, the encouraging of critical approach, cooperation and intellectual partnership will be conditions that will always strengthen the academic freedom area, no matter the political opinions or the religious beliefs of those who work in our institution. The academic freedom also aims protecting the right to privacy and confidentiality.
Art. 8. Fairness, equity, tolerance
(1) All members of our academic community will be treated, in any circumstances, equitably, fairly and correctly. With object this in sight, phenomena such as exploitation or discrimination are unacceptable. Fairness as a value is based, in what concerns our institution, on a fair and equitable distribution of benefice and power, and also, on creating mechanisms that are due to prevent the power abuse. The leadership structures of Athenaeum University will constantly adopt measures to promote equality of chances in what concerns the access to study, employment, and research programs. Assuring fairness and equity is possible only by identifying and then eliminating the conflicts of interests and, also, by preventing and fighting against any forms of corruption, wangle, favouritism and nepotism. The lack of equity, the injustice, the discriminatory treatment and the corruption facts will be sanctioned, in order not to generate and increase the suspicion and not to create an environment incompatible with the normal democratic life.
(2) Respect and tolerance are also requirements to ensure an environment of understanding between all the members of the community, regardless the different opinions, intellectual preferences or religious belief. Firmly, phenomena such as chauvinism, racism, xenophobia, etnophobia, misogynist, moral and sexual harassment or, generally speaking, alterphobia, are forbidden.
(3) Our university considers important values the care for others and a goodwill attitude. That's why we encourage phenomena such as: gratitude towards those who deserve it, politeness, kindness, altruism and compassion towards the ones in difficulty. Behaviour showing brutal selfishness, cynicism, resentments, envy, vainglory and vanity is unacceptable and undesirable. Moreover, our institution will be grateful to those who, at difficult times, of crisis or calamity, will be ready for self sacrifice.
Art. 9. Honesty, integrity and intellectual correctness
(1) At Athenaeum University honesty and intellectual correctness are compulsory for teachers and researchers, as well as for students. With this in sight, the right to intellectual property will be defended, and the benefits and rewards will be offered strictly professionally to those who have proved abilities that are recognized by the academic environment. Intellectual fraud - meaning plagiarism, exam or competition copying, falsification of scientific research results, willful misstatement, cheating, as well as any other form of inappropriate intellectual behaviour or thought theft- is strictly forbidden.
(2) The principle of transparency is an absolutely necessary requirement for the good development of all activities that are of interest to the members of the academic community. Thus, we ensure correct informing, aimed to stimulate well-founded and constructive criticism.
(3) In our institution are forbidden: misinforming, falsification or misrepresentation of information available to its members or to the wide public, as well as any form of hiding/manipulating the information and the relevant facts.
(4) The merits will be administrated institutionally, as it is the moral requirement that increases the public credibility of Athenaeum University.
Art. 10. The principle of personal and professional responsibility requires people to avoid causing harm to one another and, at the same time, to have a respectful conduct in order to establish a common well-being. We expect people to protect other people's rights and to respect the cultural and experience diversity.
Art. 11. Professional and civic responsibility
(1) The members of Athenaeum University 's community also have - besides rights and obligations - professional, public and civic responsibilities. They are responsible- as individuals, groups and academic community – towards the students, to whom they owe the right to free and nondiscriminatory access at all existent academic benefits and opportunities, in an environment free of envy, harassment, favouritism or intimidation.
(2) The Athenaeum University community's members are granted the right to public criticize the violation of professional and quality standards, as well as any overlooking of elemental legality and/or morality, on well-founded arguments. The use of Athenaeum University 's name/image for publicity purposes or for increasing the personal prestige is not allowed. Each faculty member is bound to mention when he speaks on behalf of Athenaeum University and when he speaks on his behalf.
(3) Defamation and public disparagement of the institution's members, or of professional and scientific results of the academic community's members, are not allowed.
(4) Professionalism is encouraged as a solid and doubtless source of prestige.
(5) We encourage and reward efficiency, quality and professional excellence at managerial and administrative level. Mechanisms working against stagnation, superficiality, amateurism, lack of interest and imposture, will be created.
(6) All forms of professional and moral responsibility request and use personal autonomy and the deep meaning of the human rights.
CHAPTER III
CONDUCT ASPECTS FOR STUDENTS AND OTHER BENEFICIARIES OF THE DIDACTIC PROCESS
Art. 12. The students, researchers and the students for doctoral and master degrees, have the obligation to use the study, social and recreation spaces with maximum responsibility. Deliberately caused damages during research or teaching activities will be sanctioned.
Art. 13. The non-observance of specific regulations inside educational institution, students' hostel and offices is forbidden.
Art. 14. In the educational process is forbidden:
(a) To use and consult unauthorized materials or contrary to the academic curriculum.
(b) To cheat in any form or to encourage cheating.
(c) The use of mobile phones and of any electronic means in order to cheat in the exam.
(d) The use of internet for inappropriate purposes or for swindling the educational process.
(e) Collaboration in order to solve the problems in assessments.
(f) Falsifying, copying or modifying the results of the research.
(g) Requesting recommendations, certificates, and arguments based on unreal situations.
(h) Creating or using unreal medical documents or emergency situations in order to justify the absence at an exam or the extent of the assessment period.
(i) Theft of academic materials: books, course notice and/or the electronic support that multiplies the didactic material.
CHAPTER IV
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY
Art. 15. The integrity of the pedagogical relationship professor-student is the basis of Athenaeum University 's academic mission.
Art. 16. The professorate shows respect to students as individuals and adhere to their own roles of intellectual educators and advisors. The professorate must make constant efforts to develop an academic behaviour, to ensure the correct assessment of students, according to their real skills. The professors must avoid any exploitation, harassment or discrimination of students and they will protect their academic freedom.
Art. 17. Unacceptable conduct type in the relationship professor-student:
(a) the arbitrary refusal of having a proper didactic professional conduct;
(b) interferences on thematic fields without connection to the academic curriculum;
(c) breaking the conduct rules during classes, the rest of the program and/or the non-observance of students' scheduling at different activities;
(d) assessment of students through other criteria than those of performance;
(e) unjustified delays in assessment of students and in the results' announcement;
(f) discrimination, including harassment of a student on political reasons or on reasons such as race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, handicap and/or medical condition, age, citizenship or other arbitrary or personal reasons.
(g) Use of position or power abuse of a professor in order to influence a student's way of thinking or knowledge for arbitrary or personal reasons.
Art. 18. Colleague relationships between professors and types of unacceptable behaviour
(1) The professors have obligations that come out of the common membership of the academic community. The academic community's members must not discriminate or harass one another, must respect themselves and defend the academic freedom of their colleagues. In this spirit, they must be impartial in their professional assessment of colleagues and must accept well-founded criticism.
(2) The following are forbidden:
(a) Making assessments of professional competency of colleagues on the basis of other criteria that professional performances, merits, professional results, etc.;
(b) Any discrimination (race, sex, religion, national origin, etc.);
(c) Breaking confidentiality rules in relating with colleagues.
Art. 19. The professorate's relations with the community
(1) The professors have the same rights and obligations as any other citizens. They are free to express their opinions and to take part in political activities of the collectivity, as private person, according to the law.
(2) It is forbidden to willingly present personal opinions as Athenaeum University 's points of view.
CHAPTER V
FINAL CLAUSES
Art. 20. Goodwill and care
At Athenaeum University we encourage goodwill and care. With this in sight, we encourage appreciation and gratitude towards those who deserve it, empathy, compassion, support for those who are in need, amability, politeness, altruism, understanding, solidarity, concern, promptitude and optimism towards all members of the academic community. At the same time, we discourage the behaviour that shows envy, cynicism, vanity, lack of amability, lack of interest.
Art. 21. Athenaeum University will take the required measures so that the exam commissions will not be formed of persons that are in conflict of interests.
Art. 22. The University Ethic code does not change and does not substitute the present legal regulations.
Art. 23. In order to promote and apply the University Ethic Code, Athenaeum University 's Senate establishes a committee of university ethic composed of five persons that represent all the categories of members of Athenaeum University (professorate, students, jurist, officials of auxiliary didactic or technical-administrative staff and of syndicates). The committee also has the role to analyze the eventual non-observances of the Ethic Code's principles.
The present code was approved by Athenaeum University 's Senate on its session on 30 th of January 2006.
Univ. Prof. Dr. Emilia Vasile
Athenaeum University Rector
