Service Learning Forms

Students enrolled in service learning courses are provided with many opportunities to work in various capacities within communities outside of the campus.  Along with these opportunities come the serious responsibilities of the student to community partners and the University.  Each student must comply with the following expectations:

1. Adhering to the University Honor Code adopted and endorsed by the faculty and Board of Trustees of High Point University and the Service Learning Code of Professional and Ethical Behavior.
2. Maintaining regular attendance, being punctual, and when engaged in service work, staying for the time scheduled.  Only illness or true emergencies excuse an absence or tardiness.  Students are expected to notify the service site if the schedule cannot be met.
3. Never engage in any inappropriate social interaction (including, but not limited to, profane or lewd remarks, dating, etc.) with members of the community partner organization.
4. Never misrepresenting one’s professional qualifications.
5. Conforming to the community partner’s policies regarding standards of behavior.
6. Safeguarding all personal and confidential information concerning community partners. This includes refraining from texting and discussions on social networking websites and e-mails. Sharing inappropriate information can do much damage to the community partner.
7. Acknowledging the diverse views of community partners.  Students should be open to being challenged to look at all sides of controversial issues and refrain from simply exerting their own personal beliefs on others.
8. Following the rules of basic courtesy toward members of the community. It is especially important to refrain from making unfavorable remarks about community members.
9. Dressing appropriately.  Personal hygiene and grooming should be of the highest order.  Provocative or sloppy dress is always unacceptable. 
10. Maintaining good professional relationships.  Always deal with community partner personnel in an open, honest, and fair way.
11. Refraining from using personal cellphones, computers, and other personal devices in the community partner setting unless approved by the site supervisor.
12. Refraining from using social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, in the community partner setting other than for instructional purposes.  Texting and friending community partners, unless approved, are not permitted.
13. Protecting the community partner’s assets and ensuring their efficient use.
14. Placing the community partner’s duties and responsibility as a first priority and willingly accepting all reasonable duties assigned.
15. Reporting to your professor any criminal prosecutions or pending criminal charges you have at the beginning of the course and any that you incur during the semester in which you are enrolled. You should report this information as soon as they occur.
16. Adhering to any additional instructions by your instructor.

FINAL NOTE: We must all work to ensure prompt and consistent action against violations of this Code.  However, in some situations, it is difficult to know right from wrong.  Since we cannot anticipate every situation that will arise, it is important that we have a way to approach a new question or problem.

First, make sure you have all of the relevant facts – making good moral decisions requires that we be as fully informed as possible.

Second, ask yourself questions like: “What am I being asked to do?”  “Does it violate my own sense of morality?” “Are there alternative approaches?”  This will help you focus on the specific issue at hand, see the alternatives, and act out of your own sense of moral conviction.

Third, discuss the situation with your community partner supervisor, other students, and/or raise the issue in class.  The supervisor is often quite knowledgeable about the clients their organization serves and the issues in the community; he/she can be a strong resource.

Finally, you can always directly contact the Executive Director of the Center for Community Engagement, Dr. Joe Blosser (jblosser@highpoint.edu or 336-841-9337), if you do not feel comfortable talking with others.  The University is committed to offering you a safe and valuable service experience.

If you encounter problems, it is your responsibility to reach out so we can ensure you receive the best experience and education possible.

(This code is adapted from the Code of Ethics for North Carolina Educators approved by the North Carolina State Board of Education in March 2002).

Approved by the Service Learning Committee Fall 2011

Click here for full document: SL Code of Conduct