AUB - Initiatives - Institutional Integrity

Institutional Integrity

In Fall 2009, the provost created the Harassment and Discrimination Policy Committee (HDPC) to formulate an integrated policy and separate procedures for cases of harassment (including sexual harassment), discrimination and other forms of grievance brought by members of the AUB community, as well as patients at AUBMC and participants in University programs. The HDPC included faculty members from four faculties/schools; staff from academic, administrative, and nursing service units; the provost and associate provost; and two students. The HDPC agreed that current policies and procedures were inadequate to meet the needs of all constituents. While harassment and especially sexual harassment cases required immediate action and the maximum possible confidentiality, discrimination cases and other forms of grievance were best addressed by a gradual, incremental approach that encouraged resolution at the lowest possible level of authority before appeal to the president. The HDPC spent the rest of the academic year drafting new policies and procedures prefaced by a brief preamble emphasizing AUB’s commitment to ethical principles and conduct. These texts are currently under review by senior administrators and will be made public when the review is completed. For the present, the main headings appear below.

Committee members also developed terms of reference and other documentation relevant to the establishment of an Ombuds Office at the University. The Ombuds will serve as an independent, informal, neutral, and confidential resource to explore solutions to ethics concerns as they develop.

The provost also set up a second Risk Reduction and Management Committee to develop policies and procedures related to AUB’s Human Research Protection Program – including, for the first time, a research integrity policy and research misconduct procedures. Work on them is ongoing.

Principles of Ethical Conduct

Related Policies and Procedures: General

Policies: Non-Discrimination; Discriminatory Harassment; Sexual Harassment; Romantic or Family Relationships/Conflicts of Interest; Non-Retaliation; Good Faith/Bad Faith Allegations

Procedures: Procedure to Address Allegations of Discriminatory Harassment, including; Sexual Harassment; Procedures to Address Grievances, including Discrimination, of Faculty,; Staff, and Students

Related Policies and Procedures: Academic

Policy: Research Integrity

Procedure: Research Misconduct

For information on the Institutional Review Board and the policies and procedures developed to protect the rights, welfare, and privacy of all individuals participating in biomedical, social, and behavioral research, please check the IRB website.

"The American University of Beirut is deeply committed to ethical standards which are consistent with the institution’s founding values and ongoing mission to the peoples of the Middle East and beyond. AUB’s mission acknowledges the crucial importance of freedom of thought and expression to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, and service. Academic freedom is a precondition for the vibrant intellectual debates and exchanges involved in knowledge creation and transmission. Our mission also recognizes that fruitful dialogue requires adherence to certain principles, which it identifies, explicitly and implicitly, as equity, diversity, civility, and integrity.

"As an institution and as members of a community, we endeavor to live by these principles, which protect our right to study and work in an environment characterized by mutual esteem and respect. We derive University policies and procedures from these principles and ask members of our community to abide by them in the spirit of fairness, good judgment, and good faith...."

From Principles of Ethical Conduct