The Board of Trustees and the administration of Goodwin University are committed to providing educational opportunities to all who seek and can benefit from them. They recognize that an important part of providing opportunity is creating a welcoming environment in which all people are able to work and study together, regardless of their differences.
Goodwin University recognizes that it has an obligation to provide programs which promote pluralism and diversity and encourage the University community to respect and appreciate the value and dignity of every person and his/her right to an atmosphere not only free of harassment, hostility, and violence, but supportive of individual academic, personal, social, and professional growth.
Policy Disclaimer
The policies in the catalog are not an exhaustive list of all Goodwin University policies and procedures nor is the full record of the policy and procedure always iterated in the catalog. Please refer to the Student Handbook and the Goodwin University policy website for more detailed information.
Anti-Violence Policy
Violence is not tolerated at Goodwin University. All University employees and students share a responsibility, and should therefore strive, to create and maintain an environment that is free from violence.
Violence includes assaults, threats, bullying, stalking, intimidation, and other disruptive behaviors. It can involve oral, written, or electronic statements, gestures, or expressions that communicate a direct or indirect threat of harm.
All members of the Goodwin community have a duty to report actual or potential violence on University property, or during a University-approved activity. All reports shall be taken seriously and investigated. No reprisals will be taken against any individual who makes a report, unless it is found to be of a vexatious or retaliatory nature.
Any person who finds him/herself in imminent danger while on University property or engaged in any University-approved activity should immediately contact the East Hartford Police Department and Campus Security when reasonably possible. The primary consideration is to ensure the safety of that person(s) as well as any other person in the immediate vicinity who might be at risk.
Campus Security may contact the East Hartford Police Department in non-emergency situations depending on the circumstances or at the victim’s request.
Nothing in this policy shall prevent any member of the Goodwin community from directly contacting a police service or other appropriate emergency response agency.
Any individual who commits or plans a violent act on University premises may be banned from all campuses and/or subject to disciplinary actions, criminal charges, or both.
In addition to the processes described above, the University is committed to providing support services to victims of violence. Members of the University community who are victims of violence will have access to the Counseling Services, which may be contacted at (860) 913-2159 or (860) 913-2021. Additional information about the Counseling Services can be found on the website.
Appeals and Grievances
When questions or concerns arise which must be discussed and resolved, it is important to know the person with whom to speak and the procedure for obtaining resolution of issues.
Goodwin University treats its programs as a form of on-the-job training for its students. For that reason, any complaint or suggestion regarding a class should be discussed first with the instructor. If a student is unable to satisfactorily address the problem, (s)he should make an appointment with the appropriate Dean. After that, appeals may be made, in writing, to Goodwin University’s Appeals Board (GUAB). All appeals should be sent to . Decisions will be rendered in writing within two (2) weeks.
The GUAB will also hear appeals on financial aid and conduct issues after the student has sought a remedy through the appropriate channels. As with academic issues, appeals may be made, in writing, to the Goodwin University Appeals Board (GUAB). All appeals should be sent to Michael Pardales, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, at mpardales@goodwin.edu. Decisions will be rendered in writing within two (2) weeks.
If you are still aggrieved after speaking to all of these people, you may call or write the Connecticut Office of Higher Education at 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 707; Hartford, CT 06103-1841. The phone number is (860) 947-1800. Students wishing further clarification may direct concerns, in writing, to the New England Commission of Higher Education; 3 Burlington Woods, STE 100; Burlington, MA 01803-4514. Their phone number is 781-425-7785.
Children on Campus Policy
To protect the safety of young visitors and to avoid disruptive behavior, children accompanying employees, students, or visitors of Goodwin University must be under the constant supervision of a responsible adult while on University property or on the site of any approved off-campus class or other University event. The only exception to this policy is the Kid care program, which is an on-campus drop-in child care service that provides supplemental child care assistance for Goodwin University students during class time. Employees of the University have assigned duties and cannot take supervisory responsibility for any unattended children of employees, students, or visitors. Children should not be unattended in any University facility at any time. Furthermore, children may not be brought with students to class sessions, labs, internships, fieldwork placements, or clinical placements. A violation of this policy may result in appropriate disciplinary action.
The University assumes no responsibility or liability for children, or for any accidents or injuries to children. For the purposes of this policy, a child is defined as any youth under the age of 16 who is not officially registered in a Goodwin University class.
If an unattended child is observed on campus, Campus Security should be alerted immediately. Security will attempt to locate the child’s (children’s) parents or legal guardians or caregiver to remedy the situation. If the parents, guardians, or caregiver cannot be found in a reasonable amount of time, Security may refer the situation to the Department of Social Services or other appropriate agency.
Copyright Information
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) was signed into law on August 14, 2008, and regulations for implementing the law were issued by the Department of Education on October 29, 2009. Several sections of the HEOA are designed to reduce the illegal distribution of copyrighted works, including the unauthorized uploading and downloading of copyrighted works through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing on campus networks. These provisions require all U.S. colleges and universities to:
- Provide an annual disclosure to current and prospective students describing copyright law and campus policies related to copyright infringement, including penalties and liabilities for unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing.
- Create a plan to effectively combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials by users of its network, including the use of one or more technology-based deterrents.
- Offer alternatives to illegal downloading, to the extent practicable.
- Identify procedures for periodically reviewing the effectiveness of the plan to combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material.
Copyrights
Users shall not use Goodwin University’s computers or network to copy, download, modify, or distribute copyrighted materials. This includes but is not limited to the following:
- Music
- Movies
- Literature
- Photographs
- Software
Abuse and Enforcement of policy
- Any abuse of this policy should be immediately reported to the Vice President for Physical Facilities and Information Technology.
- Abuse of this policy may result in disciplinary action by the University, local law enforcement, and/or federal law enforcement.
- If there is a violation of this policy, the Director of Information Technology is authorized to take actions to implement and enforce the network usage policy and provide system integrity and security.
- The Director of Information Technology is authorized to suspend any user’s access rights if the administrator has reason to believe that said user has violated the network usage policy.
Goodwin University (“the University”) complies with the HEOA by the following:
Annual Disclosure. At the beginning of each Fall term, the following statement (“P2P Policy”) will be incorporated into the Student Handbook for all students and sent to all students in a stand-alone email:
Institutional policies and sanctions related to the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material: The University takes copyright infringement seriously. All students must abide by federal and state copyright laws when using the University computing or network resources. The unauthorized publishing or use of copyrighted material on the University computer network is strictly prohibited and users are personally liable for the consequences of such unauthorized use. This specifically applies to P2P file-sharing of copyrighted music and movies. Students should be aware that by engaging in unauthorized sharing of copyrighted material, they not only violate University policy, but they may also be held criminally and civilly liable by federal and/or state authorities.
Summary of Civil and Criminal Penalties for Violation of Federal Copyright Laws
Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under Section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement.
Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505.
Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense.
For more information, please see the Website of the U.S. Copyright Office, especially their FAQ’s.
The University will subject students who violate this policy to discipline as appropriate. Repeated infringement is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from the University.
Fair Use
A provision for fair use is found in the Copyright Act at Section 107. Under the fair use provision, a reproduction of someone else’s copyright-protected work is likely to be considered fair if it is used for one of the following purposes: criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. If the reproduction is for one of these purposes, a determination as to whether the reproduction is fair use must be made based upon four factors:
- The purpose and character of use (principally, whether for commercial or nonprofit educational use);
- The nature of the copyright-protected work;
- The amount and substantiality of the portion used; and
- The effect of the use as it affects the value of the copyright-protected work.
The law does not state exactly what uses of a copyright-protected work will be considered fair uses under the law and may therefore be used without obtaining permission. As such, individuals who are not lawyers may often need to be interpreters of the law in everyday circumstances, and answers as to how much reproduction may be considered fair use often remain unclear. Fair use requires a very circumstance-specific analysis as to whether a particular use or reuse of a work may indeed be considered fair use.
To avoid confusion and minimize the risk of copyright infringement, the University interprets the following situations as fair use:
- Quotation of short passages in a scholarly or technical work for illustration or clarification of the author’s observations;
- Reproduction of material for classroom use where the reproduction is unexpected and spontaneous - for example, where an article in the morning’s paper is directly relevant to that day’s class topic. This would generally cover one-time use in only one semester;
- Use in a parody of short portions of the work itself; and
- A summary of an address or article, which may include quotations of short passages of the copyright-protected work.
If your use does not meet the above criteria and the work is protected by copyright, you probably need to obtain permission to use the work from the copyright holder or its agent.
Types of Use
Classroom handouts. Based on XYZ’s fair use analysis, classroom handouts fall into two categories: one that requires permission and one that does not. If the handout is a new work for which you could not reasonably be expected to obtain permission in a timely manner and the decision to use the work was spontaneous, you may use that work without obtaining permission. However, if the handout is planned in advance, repeated from semester to semester, or involves works that have existed long enough that one could reasonably be expected to obtain copyright permission in advance, you must obtain copyright permission to use the work.
Reserves. If the Goodwin library owns a copy of a publication, the library may place that copy on reserve without obtaining copyright permission. If the library wishes to reproduce additional copies of a work and place them on reserve for students to review, in either paper or electronic format, the library must obtain copyright permission.
Photocopying in the library. It is permissible to photocopy copyright-protected works in the Goodwin library without obtaining permission from the copyright owner under the following circumstances:
- Library user requests for articles and short excerpts. At the request of a library user or another library on behalf of a library user, the library may make one reproduction of an article from a periodical or a small part of any other work. The reproduction must become the property of the library user, and the library must have no reason to believe that the reproduction will be used for purposes other than private study, scholarship, and research.
- Archival reproductions of unpublished works. Up to three reproductions of any unpublished work may be made for preservation or security or for deposit for research use in another library or archive. This may be a photocopy or digital reproduction. If it is a digital reproduction, the reproduction may not be made available to the public outside the library or archive premises.
- Replacement of lost, damaged, or obsolete copies. The library may make up to three reproductions, including digital reproductions, of a published work that is lost, stolen, damaged, deteriorating, or stored in an obsolete format. Any digital reproductions must be kept within the confines of the library.
- Library user requests for entire works. One reproduction of an entire book or periodical may be made by your library at a library user’s request or by another library on behalf of a library user upon certain conditions being met. These conditions include the library determining, after reasonable investigation, that an authorized reproduction cannot be obtained at a reasonable price. Once made, the reproduction must become the property of the library user. The library must have no reason to believe that the reproduction will be used by the user for purposes other than private study, scholarship, and research, and the library must display the register’s notice at the place library users make their reproduction requests to the library.
Online Use
Instructors may post their own authored materials, such as lecture notes, tests, exercises, problem sets, and PowerPoint presentations. If material they wrote was published, they may have transferred the copyright to the publisher. In that case, it will be necessary to obtain permission from the publisher to post the material.
Materials from Goodwin-licensed collections may be included in electronic reserves and course websites without any further permission by linking to a persistent URL. Material not protected by the Copyright Act may be made available on electronic reserves or on course websites without the permission of the copyright owner, such as works in the public domain, works of the U.S. government, and links to websites.
Warning
Compliance with copyright law is the responsibility of the individual. This is only a short introduction to copyright issues affecting students and faculty. Please see the copyright book in the library, Copyright Clarity by Renee Hobbs, Ed.D., for further discussion of fair use supporting digital learning. Dr. Hobbs is a leading authority on media literacy education and copyright law.
Drug and Alcohol Policy
Goodwin University is dedicated to providing quality educational services to its students and a quality work environment for its employees. In keeping with this commitment, Goodwin University maintains a campus free from drug and alcohol abuse. Any violation of this policy will warrant disciplinary actions up to and including dismissal or termination and may result in local, state, and/or federal criminal charges.
The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act Amendment of 1989 (Public Law 101-226) requires that all institutions of higher education implement a program that prevents the use of illicit drugs and the abuse of alcohol by students and employees.
Please refer to the Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook, or Staff Handbook, as applicable, for the full policy.
Policy on Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, and Retaliation
Goodwin University (the “University”) is committed to providing a workplace and educational environment, as well as other benefits, programs, and activities that are free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Consistent with the University’s commitment to equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and in compliance with federal and state civil rights laws and regulations, the University strictly prohibits discrimination and harassment. Prohibited conduct includes discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim status1 or any other protected category under applicable local, state or federal law. Prohibited conduct also includes retaliation against a person for the good faith reporting of these forms of conduct or participation in an investigation or proceeding under this Policy.
Any member of the campus community who acts to deny, deprive or limit the educational, employment, residential, or social access, benefits, or opportunities of any member of the campus community, including guests or visitors, based on their protected class, is subject to sanctions under this Policy. Upon notice, the University will appropriately address and remedy all allegations per the resolution procedures described herein. Vendors, guests, visitors, and other non-campus members who engage in discriminatory actions within Goodwin University programs, activities, or on Goodwin University property are not subject to the Grievance Processes under this Policy. However, they may be subject to actions that limit their access and involvement with Goodwin programs as the result of such misconduct.
The University is committed to stopping, preventing, and remedying discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, and retaliation and addressing any violations of this Policy. Accordingly, the University has created two grievance processes to accomplish this task; the Title IX Grievance2 Process and the Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, and Retaliation (DHSMR) Grievance Process. The Title IX Grievance Process is designed to address conduct that falls under the Title IX Regulation’s definition of sexual harassment. In contrast, the DHSMR Grievance Process provides a process for the resolution of all complaints of violations of this Policy that fall outside Title IX covered conduct. For more on the Grievance Processes, see below.
The University adopts these policies and procedures in furtherance of:
- Preventing, eliminating and addressing discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, retaliation, and othercivil rights offenses;
- Fostering a climate where all individuals are well-informed and supported in preventing and reporting discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, retaliation, and other civil rights offenses; and
- Providing clear standards and a fair, prompt, and impartial process for all parties by which violations of this Policy will be addressed.
The University will take prompt and effective action to eliminate discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, retaliation, and other civil rights offenses; prevent their reoccurrence, and remedy their effects.
Goodwin University’s Appeals Board
The Goodwin University Appeals Board (GUAB) is the final arbiter of all financial aid issues, including the Record Review Committee (RRC); academic issues, including grade appeals; and conduct issues, including issues regarding Title IX, ADA, and Section 504. The Goodwin University Appeals Board shall be chaired by the Chief Academic Officer or their designee. That person is Michael Pardales, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and he can be reached at mpardales@goodwin.edu.
Intellectual Policy
Goodwin University recognizes that the creation of intellectual Property may be a natural outgrowth of activities within the Goodwin University community. The goal of this Policy is to ensure that Intellectual Property created by Covered Individuals is utilized in ways most likely to benefit Goodwin University and the public. This policy defines and protects ownership rights in Intellectual Property created by all Covered Individuals independently or with the support of the University.
Intellectual property rights to Independent Works belong to the creator of the work when it meets all of the criteria described in the definition of “Independent Works”. An Independent Work is created by an employee outside the scope of his or her employment or by a student attending the University, but without use of University resources other than resources that are available to the general public.
Intellectual property rights to University-Supported works that meet at least one of the criteria described in the definition of “University Supported Works” belong to the University, unless otherwise provided in a written rights agreement. The University owns all rights to a copyrightable or patentable work created by the employee or student with Significant Use of University resources. The University, with the permission of the president or designee, retains the option to release or transfer the rights of a University-Supported work to the work’s creator through an appropriate written agreement. The University owns all rights to its trademarks, including all names, acronyms, logos, seals, and other related materials associated with the University.
A Covered Individual may enter into a written agreement with Goodwin University for an equitable arrangement for joint ownership, sharing of royalties, or reimbursement to the University for its costs and support, which may include publication and distribution of University-Supported Works. In all such cases, the agreement shall provide that the University will have the right to use the work at no cost for its educational purposes.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this policy, in the case of a work created under a grant accepted by the University, the ownership provisions of the grant shall prevail.
IT Support
The mission of the Goodwin University Information Technology (IT) Department is to support the activities necessary to obtain and maintain connectivity to the Goodwin University network infrastructure, and to provide current and relevant technology to the students, faculty and staff by researching, procuring and supporting the appropriate IT related solutions, including educating them on the same, in facilitation of the mission, vision and goals of Goodwin University.
Library Public Use Policy
Recognizing that the primary mission of the Hoffman Family Library is to provide high-quality materials and services to Goodwin University students, faculty and staff, the library limits use by the public. Use of computers, printers or library physical space by members of the public is not allowed.
The Hoffman Family Library limits use by the public as follows:
- Members of the general public that need to use the Library’s print materials are welcome to do so by prior appointment only; please contact the library staff at 860-913-2042 to make arrangements
- Researchers interested in working with the library’s Special Collections, including the Haley and King collections, should email SpecialCollections@goodwin.edu for guidelines on requesting access. Please note: the library’s Special Collections are not housed on site and are never available on a walk-in basis
- Guests of Goodwin University students, faculty and staff are welcome while accompanied by a University community member
- Family members of prospective students who are on campus are welcome after registering as “visitors” at the front desk
Persons with Disabilities Policy
Goodwin University is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunity for individuals with disabilities and actively seeks to develop and maintain reasonable accommodations for all students. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply for admission. With appropriate documentation, students may request reasonable accommodations through the Office of Disability and Access Services at accessabilityservices@goodwin.edu.
Goodwin University is accessible to people with disabilities. Accessible parking is located in the front of the school in designated areas. A ramp is located at the entrance of the University. All campus buildings have been built to handicapped specifications.
Student ID Cards
All students at Goodwin University are issued a student ID card for the purposes of security-related identification, to use in financial aid situations and to use in the various other functions of University life at Goodwin. Each student is expected to have and wear an ID card. The initial card is provided at no cost to the student. Subsequent cards will carry a charge of $10 for replacement.
Technology Policy
This policy will outline the acceptable usage for all computers and peripherals, network resources, telephones and all other electronic devices owned and maintained by Goodwin University, including personal devices that access Goodwin University networks or resources.
Access to all computer systems, networks and electronic devices owned by Goodwin University imposes certain responsibilities and obligations to all faculty, staff and students (who will be referred to as “users” in this document). Users failing to adhere to this policy may face disciplinary actions by Goodwin University and/or local and federal law enforcement agencies.
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