The integrity of the teacher-student relationship is crucial to the educational mission of the university. This relationship vests considerable trust in the faculty member, who, in turn, bears authority and accountability as mentor, educator, and evaluator. When acting in their role as teachers, members of the university faculty treat students with professional courtesy and respect their rights, including, but not limited to, academic freedom and those rights as described in the Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities. They set an example of academic integrity and educate their students and trainees in the requirements of honest scholarship. They evaluate their students’ and trainees’ work solely based on its intellectual merit and adherence to course or program requirements. They maintain proper professional boundaries and never exploit the unequal institutional power inherent in the relationship between faculty member and student and trainee.

Faculty members who teach are expected to teach courses in their unit in accordance with the needs, requirements and expectations of the unit and the general requirements concerning the conduct of classes specified in various university regulations. Good teaching requires continual application and effort. Faculty members who teach are expected to keep abreast of new developments in their fields and must maintain credentials as scholars so that they are part of the creative process by which the frontiers of knowledge and culture are continually being expanded. A teacher should be engaged with his or her discipline and should be able to convey to the students the value of the subject. Teaching responsibilities include prompt and regular presence during scheduled class hours whether in a physical classroom or online, as appropriate to the mode of course delivery. In the case of forms of online course delivery that do not involve regular meeting times for the entire class, teaching responsibilities include meeting unit expectations for other forms of student – teacher and student – student interaction.

The following are examples of unacceptable behavior in violation of the aforementioned principles:

1. Failure to meet the responsibilities of instruction, including, but not limited to:
   1. arbitrary denial of access to instruction;
   2. significant intrusion of material unrelated to the course;
   3. significant failure to adhere, without legitimate reason, to the rules of the faculty in the conduct of courses, to meet class, to keep office hours, or to hold examinations as scheduled;
   4. evaluation of student work by criteria not directly reflective of course performance; and/or
   5. undue and unexcused delay in evaluating student work.
      
      
2. Violation of university policies related to equal educational opportunity, discrimination, harassment, and disability accommodations.
   
   
3. Entering into a relationship with a student in violation of the university’s Nepotism and Personal Relationship Policy, which are available on the university website.
   
   
4. Use of the position or powers of a faculty member to coerce the judgment or conscience of a student or to cause harm to a student. 
   
   
5. Participating in or deliberately abetting disruption, interference, or intimidation in the classroom in violation of university policies and/or federal, state, and local laws.
   
   
6. Breach of the privacy rights of students in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). 
   
   
7. Unauthorized or inappropriate use of self-authored instructional materials in violation of the Faculty Authored Educational Material policy, which is available on the university website

As scholars, members of the faculty devote their professional lives to seeking and disseminating knowledge, using the tools and resources provided by the university and the larger community. To protect their colleagues, their students, their trainees, the university, and the record of knowledge in their field, and to preserve respect for scholarship in the larger community, members of the university faculty conduct and publish their research and writing with scrupulous honesty, and they do not allow pecuniary or other improper influences to compromise the integrity of their scholarship.

Faculty members have the responsibility to engage continuously in scholarship consistent with university and academic unit expectations as set forth in Faculty Handbook, the offer letter, and the approved allocation of effort. Scholarship encompasses not only traditional academic research and publication but also the creation of artistic works or performances and any other products or activities accepted by the academic or professional discipline as reflecting scholarly effort and achievement. Scholarship should be subject to the critical scrutiny of peers and should expand the frontiers of knowledge and culture. Faculty members have a responsibility to demonstrate ethical and responsible behavior in the design, conduct, and reporting of academic scholarship consistent with the standards of their disciplines. Faculty have a responsibility to act as positive examples of responsible scholarship for students and developing scholars.

The following are examples of unacceptable behavior in violation of the aforementioned principles:

1. Violation of canons of intellectual honesty;
   
   
2. Intentional misappropriation of the writings, research, and findings of others;
   
   
3. Research misconduct as prohibited by the university’s Research Misconduct policy, which is available on the university website; and/or
   
   
4. Engaging in any activities which may constitute a violation of the university’s Conflict of Interest policy, which is available on the university website.

“As colleagues, professors have obligations that derive from common membership in the community of scholars. Professors do not discriminate against or harass colleagues. They respect and defend the free inquiry of associates. In the exchange of criticism and ideas professors show due respect for the opinions of others. Professors acknowledge academic debts and strive to be objective in their professional judgment of colleagues. Professors accept their share of faculty responsibilities for the governance of their institution.” AAUPP Statement, 1966; Revised, 1987.)

The following are examples of unacceptable behavior in violation of the aforementioned principles:

1. Making evaluations of the professional competence of faculty members by criteria not directly reflective of professional performance.
   
   
2. Violation of university policies related to equal employment opportunity, discrimination, and harassment.
   
   
3. Interfering with the academic freedom of faculty members.
   
   
4. Knowingly violating any academic unit, college, or university policy.
   
   
5. Using the creative achievements of colleagues without appropriate consultation and credit.

The overriding professional obligation of all full-time faculty members is to the university and to its mission. Faculty members recognize that the preservation of the university as a self-sustaining community of scholars requires that they accept their share of responsibility for university governance and that they comply with university policies. Faculty members participate constructively and without discrimination in hiring and promotion decisions. By freely associating themselves with the university, members of the faculty affirm their commitment to a philosophy of mutual tolerance and respect. In furtherance of mission of the university, they have the right and obligation to criticize their colleagues, staff members, and the university, but they endeavor to do so without personal animus and without seeking to intimidate or coerce. Faculty members act as stewards of university’s resources and treat university property and funds with care and prudence.

The following are examples of unacceptable behavior in violation of the aforementioned principles:

1. Intentional disruption of functions or activities sponsored or authorized by the university. Unauthorized use of university resources or facilities in violation of state or federal law or university policy. 
   
   
2. Threats of physical harm, verbal threats or gestures that would suggest physical harm, and other similar acts in violation of the university’s Workplace Violence Prevention policy, which can be found on the university website.
   
   
3. Discrimination, harassment, or retaliation against another member of the university in violation of university policy.
   
   
4. Violation of university policy at a level that would warrant discipline if engaged in by any member of the university community.
   
   
5. Knowingly furnishing false information to the university, or forging, altering, or misusing university documents or instruments of identification.
   
   
6. Plagiarism, misrepresentation, and fraud in performance of responsibilities.
   
   
7. Committing an act that involves such moral turpitude as to render the faculty member unfit for his/her position. As used in this Section, conduct involving moral turpitude means intentional conduct, prohibited by law, which is injurious to another person or to society and which constitutes a substantial deviation from the accepted standards of duty owed by a person to other persons and society.
   
   
8. Any grounds as enumerated statute Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-8-302.
   
   
9. Disclosure of confidential information acquired by virtue of employment or other confidential sources, except as allowed by law.

“Faculty members have the same rights and obligations as all citizens. They are as free as other citizens to express their views and to participate in the political processes of the community. When they act or speak in their personal and private capacities, they should avoid deliberately creating the impression that they represent the university.” (U.C. Academic Council Statement, 1971.)  Faculty should strive to conduct themselves as a responsible, productive member of the community.

The following are examples of unacceptable behavior in violation of the aforementioned principles:

1. Intentional misrepresentation of personal views as a statement of position of the university or any of its agencies. (An institutional affiliation appended to a faculty member’s name in a public statement or appearance is permissible, if used solely for purposes of identification.) 
   
   
2. Using the university’s name or logo to create the impression of university sanction for private activity.
   
   
3. Conviction for a criminal act which clearly demonstrates unfitness to continue as a member of the faculty.