School of Construction & Design Technologies
Lifelong Education Center, Rm. C156 · (570) 327-4518
Code of Conduct
The College’s mission states in part that "education should help individuals realize their maximum potential academically, culturally and technically, while also providing for personal enrichment." Many people – faculty, staff, students, parents, and visitors – come to Penn College with a wide variety of backgrounds, personal experiences, attitudes, goals and expectations. In order for the School to provide the best possible experience for our students, and to fulfill our mission of providing "opportunities to develop intellectually, ethically, socially, culturally, and personally" we must interact with all people at the highest common level, with our attitudes and behaviors reflecting a belief in the "dignity and worth of all individuals."
This Code represents an explicit expectation of behaviors which we believe is necessary to prepare our students to become the best possible construction professionals, preparing them to excel in their career fields and to lead others to success as well. A student in the School of Construction and Design Technologies accepts these responsibilities and agrees to fully uphold the tenets of this code. We believe practice of these expectations brings:
- integrity and credibility to our students
- respect for Penn College as a national leader in construction education
- public recognition of construction personnel as true professionals, and
- trust in our graduates as people who "do the right thing" in every situation.
Core Values
These core values represent who we are and the type of people we want our students to be. They provide a broad base for the detailed standards of behavior with which we conduct our business and the standards we expect students to uphold.
Construction professionals have the following core values guiding their lives. *
Honesty – Being honest means to:
- Be truthful and straight forward
- Be candid and non-deceptive in all communications and conduct
Integrity – Having Integrity means to:
- Be consistent in beliefs and behaviors
- Be prepared to do what is right and to reject wrong thinking and actions
Fairness – Being fair means to:
- Be reasonable, tolerant, and open minded to all viewpoints
- Treat all people with the same level of concern
- Be sincere and considerate of others at all times
Accountability – Being accountable means to:
- Accept responsibility and consequences for your own actions and in-actions and for those whom you supervise
- Take prompt action in reporting and correcting mistakes
- Be a valued team member by holding each other accountable for their actions as well
Consideration of Others – Being considerate of others means to:
- Respect the rights, dignity, safety, and property of others
- Be open to other ideas and perspectives
- Be patient, supportive and encouraging in all situations
- Practice the Golden Rule
Pursuit of Excellence – Pursuing excellence means to:
- Practice good work habits, pay attention to details, be diligent in completing tasks, and be of service to your customers, employees and colleagues
- Strengthen your knowledge and skills by continually learning as well as teaching and mentoring
- Remain flexible and open to possibilities
Reliability – Being reliable means to:
- Make only realistic promises
- Be prompt and responsive to questions from all who depend on you
- Make yourself useful in every circumstance
Citizenship – Being a good citizen means to:
- Comply with all rules, regulations, and policies
- Show consideration for the safety and welfare of others
- Work in an environmentally friendly manner at all times
- Encourage and help others around you to succeed
* Adapted from Code of Conduct: Core Values & Compliance, Granite Construction Company (2004)
A Construction Professional's Code
The core values represent a framework from which our daily behaviors and interactions with other people arise. It is in the following specific actions that our commitment to core values will be judged, and daily practice of these values will shape our habits until we become a model of professionalism.
In our daily actions as a construction professional we will:
Respect People
- Care should be taken in language at all times. Expect that everything you say can be overheard. Offensive or abusive language is not acceptable in any public setting.
- Proper attire and safety equipment will be worn at all times, and others will be urged to do the same.
- Inappropriate messages should not be displayed on T-shirts, hats, or outer clothing.
- Inappropriate messages or pictures should not be displayed on toolboxes, walls, or vehicles.
- Any form of harassment is expressly forbidden. Harassment is any behavior which creates an offensive, intimidating, or hostile environment and can take many forms: slurs, jokes, side comments, gestures, inappropriate email, pictures or cartoons, impeding movements or touching.
- Sexual harassment is expressly prohibited. Sexual harassment can be by a person of the same or the opposite sex, and can take the form of requests for sexual favors, conversations with sexual comments, unwelcome touching, or sexual advances.
Respect Property
- Intentional damage or theft of any school or personal property, such as desks, furniture, walls, tools, equipment, vehicles, and any construction materials is prohibited.
- Work sites are to be maintained in a safe and clean condition at all times. Normal construction debris will be removed promptly from labs or work sites.
- Equipment will have all safety guards or mechanisms in place and will not be removed under any circumstance except for repair by authorized personnel.
- Permission must be asked prior to borrowing any tool, equipment, books, or other materials, whether from another person or from the School.
Cultivate Integrity
- All School and College policies will be followed and others will be urged to do the same. This includes school policies on computer use, plagiarism, attendance, and behavior. You should not tolerate anyone in your group who does not uphold these standards.
- Copying or sharing work in any form is not acceptable. When working in groups, you should make certain the extent to which the group’s work can be claimed as your own. Do not lend your work to anyone regardless of the circumstances.
- Everyone working in a group will contribute to the success of the project. Those not contributing should not be in the group.
- You will meet on time and every time all commitments, including class and lab meetings, off-campus projects and volunteered activities, and professional obligations to your colleagues or employers.
- Unprofessional behavior, horseplay, uncivil conduct, or any behavior which reflects poorly upon construction professionals will be scrupulously avoided.