Academic Integrity and Professional Performance
The Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare requires its students to behave in accordance with the Student Conduct Codes of Stony Brook University and the School of Social Welfare, including the School’s Technical Standards and Academic Expectations. Students are also expected to embrace the NASW Code of Ethics during the course of their professional education.
Academic and Professional Standards apply to the academic program, practicum education placements and all activities related to students’ participation in the program and/or as members of the university community. Students are expected to maintain conduct that is in accordance with these standards of practice, the practicum education agency, and the professional regulations of the State of New York. Students who engage in activities that are contrary to these standards are subject to review and possible disciplinary action by the School of Social Welfare and the University.
The School has set forth professional standards, alcohol, drug and gambling policies, academic dishonesty policies, and social media policies found in our handbooks.
BSW Handbook
MSW Handbook
Finally, we have established policies for grading and performance in Practicum Education.
A. Stony Brook University Student Conduct Code
The University Student Conduct Code and Campus Policies document states:
“Regulations make it possible for people to live together and function in an orderly way, protecting the rights of the community while respecting the rights of each individual. You should be able to carry on your daily business safely, peacefully, and productively while you are here; these rules and regulations have been designed to accomplish that goal. For all students, the Student Conduct Code supports compliance with the state and federal laws related to drugs, alcohol, weapons, discrimination, sexual assault or abuse, and racial, sexual, or sexual preference harassment.”
All students of Stony Brook University are expected to know the provisions of and to comply with the University Student Conduct Code available as a downloadable document on the Student Affairs website. Information regarding campus regulations and disciplinary proceedings as well as procedures for filing a complaint, contact the university hearing officer in the Office of University Community Standards Room 347, Administration Building or call (631) 632-6705.
B. School of Social Welfare Student Conduct Code
The regulations set forth in this document apply to the academic program, practicum education placements and all activities related to students’ participation in the program and/or as members of the university community.
Students are expected to maintain conduct that is in accordance with standards of practice defined by the School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University, the practicum education agency and the professional regulations of the State of New York. Students who engage in activities that are contrary to these standards will be subject to review and possible disciplinary action by the School of Social Welfare and the University.
C. School of Social Welfare Academic Expectations
The School of Social Welfare sets guidelines for the creation of a community of learning based upon a culture of collaboration and respect that honors rights, safety, and the dignity and worth of each person. In addition, as part of an academic institution, and in preparation for professional practice, the School of Social Welfare holds the following expectations.
- Members of Faculty facilitate your learning. The School of Social Welfare seeks to prepare students for high standards of professional practice. Assistance is available to any student who is seeking to improve their professional skills - either written or verbal. Those seeking help with professional writing and those who wish to improve their writing proficiency may obtain assistance from a variety of resources that are listed below.
- Class discussion and interaction are an integral part of your education. Students are required to attend all classes on time and remain for the full session. This expectation relates to our belief that everyone’s participation provides a valuable contribution to the learning. The classroom is not just a place for you to receive information; it provides an opportunity for you to learn from your colleagues and for them to learn from you. To achieve this, attendance and participation of all involved is a requirement.
- As participation in class discussions is strongly encouraged, doing the required and supplementary readings for mastering the course material and being prepared for class discussion is required. In support of these aims, the use of technology supports such as laptop computers and audio-recorders are at the permission of the individual professor. Cell phone use during class time, unless for emergencies, is prohibited. Likewise, texting, except for emergencies, is also prohibited.
- Each student is expected to pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person’s work as your own is always wrong. Faculty members are required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty and to follow school-specific procedures. Plagiarism is defined as representing another’s words as your own or falsification of credit for submitted work. Any specific questions such as co-authorship, etc. must be discussed with the faculty member(s)involved. In general, it is not permissible to use papers written for one class to be used again for another, but components may be built upon and reformulated as appropriate. This must be discussed with the professors involved. Stony Brook University provides useful and comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty on the Academic Integrity website.
Brightspace contains SafeAssign for faculty and students to compare submitted assignments against a set of academic papers to identify areas of overlap between the submitted assignment and existing works. It is recommended to students that they familiarize themselves with this useful tool.
Students are also strongly encouraged to utilize Purdue University’s reference guide regarding issues related to plagiarism. Another source that discusses how to avoid plagiarism can be found through Indiana University.
Language often expresses institutional racism, sexism, etc. Sensitizing ourselves and becoming consciously aware of these expressions is important in achieving the goal of eliminating these. Therefore, as part of your professional preparation, we ask that you use verbal and written language that is non-racist, non-sexist, etc. Several examples of what is meant by inappropriate language may help to make the expectation more explicit:
- comments are made that express racial, sexual, class, heterosexual and other stereotypes;
- written work uses masculine pronouns when reference to both males and females is intended;
- terms are used that put people in one-down position, e.g., when terms like “girl” or boy” are used in reference to adults or young adults.
Papers and other written work should conform to college standards of written English and paper assignments should be typed unless otherwise specified by your professors. There are many resources available to help you ensure that your papers are grammatically correct and properly formatted.
- The Stony Brook Writing Center, 2009 Humanities Building, offers advice and support to all students. Contact information: (631) 632-7405.
- Students are also referred to Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab
- An online tutorial is available online here.
- Use the spell check capability of your word processors and refer to dictionaries for spelling, manuals of style for footnotes, bibliographies, etc.
- For citations, the School requires that students adhere to APA (The American Psychological Association) format. This is available at here and also on the Purdue University On Line Writing Lab. Please refer to the following website for information regarding this format.
- The Health Sciences Library offers useful information and tutorials. For example, resources exist on how to use EndNote, a program for references and citations. This software and other resources are available free of charge to students via SOLAR. These resources can be accessed from the Division of Information Technology
- In addition, the Health Sciences Library has a special site that provides important professional links related to social work. Follow the prompts here
- The School expects its constituents to demonstrate commitment to all the social work values that place high value on the worth and dignity of all people.
- We assume that everyone is always trying to do their best and that we all are striving to improve our understanding of each other’s world views. This means that we expect our classrooms to create safe places for open discussion through our demonstration of respect for each other as we broach difficult and complex topics and issues.
D. NASW Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
The National Association for Social Workers (NASW) is the national professional organization for social workers in the United States. The NASW Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. This Code includes four sections. The first section, “Preamble,” summarizes the social work profession’s mission and core values. The second section, “Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics,” provides an overview of the Code’s main functions and a brief guide for dealing with ethical issues or dilemmas in social work practice. The third section, “Ethical Principles,” presents broad ethical principles, based on social work’s core values, which inform social work practice. The final section, “Ethical Standards,” includes specific ethical standards to guide social workers’ conduct and to provide a basis for adjudication. You are expected to familiarize yourself with and adhere to the Code of Ethics. The Code is available online and may be downloaded
We encourage you to review the NASW Practice Standards for a range of topics. For example, students’ attention is drawn to the NASW Standards on Cultural Competence
In an increasingly international environment, it is important to view our profession from these global perspectives. Two central documents are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Code of Ethics of the International Federation of Social Workers. Both of these documents provide insights into the call for our profession to act on issues of social justice, human rights and social development.
E. Stony Brook University Sexual Harassment Policy Statement
The University reaffirms the principle that students, faculty, and staff have the right to be free from discrimination based upon gender, commonly known as “sexual harassment.”
Harassment on the basis of gender is a form of sexual discrimination, and violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of1972.
The University is responsible for and fully committed to the prevention and elimination of gender harassment. Supervisors and department heads are responsible for promoting an atmosphere that prohibits such unacceptable behavior.
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and verbal or physical conduct of an abusive, sexual nature constitute harassment when such conduct interferes with an individual’s work or academic performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or academic environment. Harassment of employees by supervisors, or of students by faculty or administrators, is unlawful. Conversely, harassment of supervisors by employees, faculty by students, or individuals by co-workers, is also unlawful.
The University does not tolerate gender harassment and treats it as a form of misconduct. Sanctions are enforced against individuals engaging in such behavior.
Individuals who are affected by, or are aware of, suspected cases of sexual harassment are urged to bring such situations to the University’s attention by contacting the Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action. The Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action has professional staff trained to investigate and provide assistance regarding issues of sexual harassment, and can be reached by calling (631) 632-6280. For more information, please consult the Diversity at Stony Brook website..
F. School of Social Welfare Policy Statement Concerning Heterosexism and Homophobia
The Mission of the School of Social Welfare is grounded in the basic principle of the absolute dignity and equality of all persons. Therefore, consistent with the Councilon Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards and the National Association of Social Workers Policy on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues, the School of Social Welfare believes that heterosexism and homophobia are anti-ethical to the profession of social work.
The Council on Social Work Education requires that social work educators prepare students to understand and value human diversity. It is essential for social workers to have an understanding of the dynamics and consequences of social and economic injustice including all forms of human oppression and discrimination.
The School of Social Welfare provides students the opportunity to develop the knowledge, values and skills to promote social change to implement a wide range of interventions that further the achievement of individual and collective social and economic justice.
Given the School’s Mission and the requirements of the Council on Social Work Education, the curriculum must present theoretical and practice content about patterns, dynamics, impact and consequences of discrimination, economic deprivation and oppression of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders must be acknowledged.
Students must demonstrate in their conduct and activities the integration of the principles elucidated above. Failure to abide by these principles will be considered grounds for disciplinary action.
G. Bias and Hate CRimes or Bias-Related Incidents
It is a Stony Brook University Police mandate to protect all members of our community by preventing and persecuting bias or hate crimes that occur within the campus’s jurisdiction. The University is also committed to addressing bias-related activities that do not rise to the level of a crime. These activities, referred toas bias incidents, and defined by the University as acts of bigotry, harassment, or intimidation directed at a member or group with the University community based on national origin, ethnicity, race, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, military (new status/protected class) veteran status, color, creed, or marital status, may be addressed through the State University’s Discrimination Complaint Procedure or the campus conduct code.
Please see program handbooks for more information on Academic Integrity and Professional Performance.
|