Academic Freedom and Responsibility

In order to promote the condition whereby both the student and the instructor may have the freedom to search for the truth and its free expression, Northwest Indian College adopts the following principles expressed by the American Association of University Professors:

The College instructor is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing his/her subject matter, but he/she should be careful not to introduce into his/her teaching controversial subject matter, which has no relation to his/her subject.
The College instructor is a citizen, a member of a learned profession, and an officer of an educational institution. When an employee of the College speaks or writes as a citizen, he/she should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but his/her special position in the College community imposes special obligations. As a person of learning and an educational officer, he/she should remember that the public may judge his/her profession and institution by his/her utterances. Hence, he/she should show respect for the opinions of others, and should indicate that he/she is not an institutional spokesperson.

In addition, Northwest Indian College adopts a policy of respectful practice and responsibility regarding cultural information that requires all instructors and students to refrain from:

Inappropriate use of culturally sensitive information, especially spiritual information;
Unauthorized commercial or other exploitative use of Tribal and cultural information;
Unauthorized infringement of individual, family, or group ownership rights for songs, stories, or other information; and
Potential conflicts or harm resulting from cultural research, specifically coming from inappropriate interpretation of cultural information, inappropriate intrusions into community life, and breaches of confidentiality and friendship (adapted from Tribal College Journal, fall 1996, p.19).