CA/OA CODE OF CONDUCT: OUR THREE PRINCIPLES

Accountability is the first principle of our code of conduct.

The Collaborative Arts/Open Arts program believes that for the highest level of learning to take place, participants need to be in the same place at the same time. It is expected that students and instructors attend every scheduled class, and on time. In the rare instance when a student must be absent or late, they must undertake every good-faith effort to alert the instructor, giving ample advance notice. Because we hold all students to the same evaluative standard, it is the responsibility of each student to make up any missed work, as well as accept consequences—whether additional work or lowered grade—resulting from an absence.

Instructors, likewise, must make every good-faith effort to inform the department when a scheduled class may need to start late or, in rare instances, be postponed and re-scheduled. Classes are not to be cancelled and cannot be covered by anyone other than the instructor of record—unless special arrangements have been made well in advance.

To ensure we remain accountable to one another, no communication regarding these contingencies—between student and professor, between professor and administrator, or between student and administrator—is considered excessive. Accountability is our bedrock: it reflects decency and respect for one another, and we all must share in its practice.

Freedom of Expression is the second principle of our code of conduct.

At CA/OA, we are fierce advocates of freedom of expression, believing it is a central tenet of artistic creation and intellectual development. We maintain that education should not make people comfortable but, on the contrary, challenge them, provoke them, and make them think. In this spirit, we draw upon New York University’s stated commitment to “fostering an ethical, efficient and dynamic learning and work environment.” It is not the role of the institution nor individual educators to shield students from ideas, opinions, histories, and modes of creative expression some might find unwelcome or offensive. While we insist on civility, all our learning happens within an unobstructed arena of debate and collaboration, inclusive of all. Without adherence to the principle of freedom of expression, our program relinquishes its responsibility to be a place of learning devoted to the unfettered expression of diverse ideas and artistic experimentation.

A Universal Standard is the third principle of our code of conduct.

NYU is categorized as an “extremely-selective” university; Collaborative Arts/Open Arts is expected to perform at a caliber consonant with that designation. As instructors, we hold the bar high, but we also hold it level: we are compelled to 1) expect the most from our students, and 2) evaluate each student by the same criteria. While we celebrate the diversity of our community—and work tirelessly to uncover each student’s unique potential—we make no allowances for any student not meeting that bar. We are members of an elite institution and, as such, consider it unjust to expect anything less than a consistent showing of diligence, dedication and improvement.

Our instructors have expertise in their fields of study and practice; it follows that they care about the continued integrity of their fields. This integrity can only be assured when members of the next generation are secure in their ability to succeed. Students need to know they’ve been tested and measured alongside their peers so that they may withstand the challenges of their ever-evolving chosen professions. Any individual held to a lower standard is prevented from acquiring this confidence. Rejecting the “soft bigotry of low expectations,” we strive for a universal standard of comportment and performance to which each student must adhere—without exception—so that all students may realize their full potential.

Finally, while we ask instructors to apply this standard of professionalism—with its concomitant respect and goodwill for all students—we expect the same from our students in their behavior with one another. This professional attitude applies not only to interactions with peers in the classroom, but during all extra-curricular events, rehearsals, student-professor and student-administrator conferences, etc.