HCC Code of Trust | Hagerstown Community College
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HCC Code of Trust

HCC Code of Trust

HCC Code of Trust

  1. I will work with other members of the college community openly and in good faith. I will treat other members of the college community with respect, good will, and candor. I will share information in helping others and I will cooperatively participate in making decisions. I will view myself and others as capable of constructive change and will remain open to new ideas and different viewpoints. I will not be deceitful. When I possess relevant information, I will not withhold it unless I have received the information in confidence. In such circumstances, I will urge others with relevant information to share it openly for the good of the college.

  2. I will respectfully and supportively work with others in doing college business to the best of my ability. For example, I will do everything possible to attend all meetings of committees and other groups on which I serve. I will prepare for meetings and, where possible, I will help others prepare as needed. I will do my fair share of work for the campus groups to which I have been assigned. I will accept responsibilities which challenge me, while contributing to strengthen the college's culture as one that is collaborative and respectful.

  3. Whenever I serve as a representative, I will work with those I represent to identify their concerns. I will actively seek out the opinion of others when I serve as a member of a small group charged with making a decision on a matter that has a large "community of interest." I will listen from the speakers' viewpoints and then I will articulate their concerns, when appropriate, and encourage them to become active in the decision-making process.

  4. I will consistently act in ways that make cooperative decision making possible. I will avoid behavior which activates an adversarial relationship. For example, I will not withdraw, or threaten to withdraw, my active cooperation in college activities in order to force another party to my way of thinking. Nor will I use college meetings to gripe, air personal grievances, or gain personal ends. I will remain open to influence and change.

  5. I will not seek retribution against anyone for being candid, expressing unpopular viewpoints, or participating in shared governance activities. For example, when I learn that someone has expressed a viewpoint for which I strongly disagree, I will respect their right to freely express their opinion and will not deny them the opportunity to persuade others. I will view differences of opinion as constructive rather than negative, and I will always respect the individual, regardless of rank or position in the college.

  6. I will act with discretion and assume others to be trustworthy. For example, I will freely share information I learn from meetings or other sources in helping others succeed in meeting their job responsibilities, and I will not spread information or data I know are not correct. I will strive to freely offer my expertise and knowledge in helping others at the College solve problems or address institutional challenges. I will assume others will behave in a respectful manner and will question them directly if I sense they have not honored this code of trust.