The Governing Council approves of the Code of Ethics on integrity and best practises of the University of Barcelona
The Governing Council has approved today, with 32 votes in favour and 6 blank votes, the Code of Ethics on integrity and good practises of the University of Barcelona, after adding observations and modifications by several UB collectives. The professor and president of the Ethics Committee, Norbert Bilbeny, highlighted that the new document is not a legal regulation but it aims to address the rights and obligations of the collectives of the University and to support them. “This is a general declaration of the principles of the UB and a set of best practises”, said Bilbeny.
The Governing Council has approved today, with 32 votes in favour and 6 blank votes, the Code of Ethics on integrity and good practises of the University of Barcelona, after adding observations and modifications by several UB collectives. The professor and president of the Ethics Committee, Norbert Bilbeny, highlighted that the new document is not a legal regulation but it aims to address the rights and obligations of the collectives of the University and to support them. “This is a general declaration of the principles of the UB and a set of best practises”, said Bilbeny.
The new Code of Ethics considers best practices the set of rules, recommendations and commitments the UB collectives have to bear in mind to favour the excellence in different fields of the University and avoid integrity problems in the practice of its activities. The area of application of the Code covers the fields of research, teaching, learning, publications, communication and management, among others.
Academic freedom, professional responsibility, scientific and academic integrity, honesty, equal rights, respect, privacy and confidentiality, sustainability and support, and potential risky behaviours are the areas that build the Code of Ethics, whose interpretation is made by the Ethics Committee of the UB.
For instance, in chapter 2, on Scientific and Academic Integrity, article 3.4 states: “Plagiarism is the worst way of intellectual possession. Plagiarism is considered malpractice, regardless of the legal consequences it brings. It is also a malpractice allowing another person to take benefit from some work without being its co-author or letting someone sign as co-author if that is not the case”.
In the section of Equal Rights, article 5.3 notes that “academic authorities have to stand up for and guarantee equal rights and respect for diversity, using the necessary measures to prevent discrimination from happening in the University, as well as intolerance and obstacles in free debates”. Chapter 9, on risk behaviour, notes that “selling and buying academic work such as exams, essays, end-of-degree projects or dissertations is unacceptable”.
After the approval of the Code of Ethics, specific rules are expected to be promoted in several fields of the institution, as well as the diffusion and application of this document.
In another issue of the agenda, the vice-rector for Teaching and Research Staff, Josep Batista, commented that he believes by 2020 this stock will be empty. The Governing Council also approved the regulation of the Faculty of Education and the Unit of Training and Research on Social Work.
New bkUB edition
During his report, the rector commented on the different mala praxis cases that occurred in the Spanish university system. Elias highlighted that these are specific cases and that the UB maintains its condemning position towards any action of this kind.
The vice-rector for Students and Language Policy, Mercè Puig, announced the new call for bkUB aids, which this year adds another branch to support students of master degrees who were denied the general grant due not reaching the average score. The University of Barcelona was pioneer in creating a general grant program to complement the public calls. Each year, more than 500 students receive economic aids from the University of Barcelona.