Aspects of the ethical code of the UPF

We can start if you like by talking about the ethical code of the UPF. First of all, when we raised the issue of the ethical code, is it necessary to have an ethical code at the university? Or not? If it is necessary or not and it is also linked to the question in hand, what actually is an ethical code? What should it contain? Is it simply a code of behavior, a code of conduct, which is always inspiring on a value, a value of the institution that caused them to develop it as an articulated text. It is not a law, it is a conduct code.

Having an ethical code goes a little further. The ethical code, as we are going to see, was approved for just two or three months, the month of July 2012. That means that have lived for 22 years without an ethical code. I think that things have gotten worse, just that there comes a time in an institution that diversity, the level of internationalization in a university, the diversity of people that comes together or for their origins or about different cultures, and sometimes as for different values need to type in an ethical code, not of law but of ethical code, a series of basic principles that we will discuss now.

It is an ethical code for the UPF not only for the students, but the entire UPF, so therefore obviously involves students, teachers and also administrative and service staff. When we made this effort, what we did was to try to think of the whole university, not only in a specific problem that could have some particular group. What we are going to do is to present the values, I think it’s more important to present the values not necessarily the ethical code, as it is more practical: there are few values, the ethical code is a 24 page document and therefore reading 24 pages of ethical code will bring you a little…, what we are going to do is a zoom, some focus on a specific point of the ethical code. What it basically aims to do is to identify various limits: respect limits, limits based on the rights and duties of all and remember them, fix them, there are basic limits. What would happen now if ten people enter and disturbed the class? And they invited me to go out and they made noise and disturbed so we couldn't finish the class today. I think that would have exceeding a limit, a respect in relation to you and in relation of me, therefore it’s a basic thing, I hope that doesn’t happen, I guess not but if it happens, we would have a document that says: “Hey! You are going through; you are doing things that aren’t accepted by this community”.

We will take the time to talk about quality education, we understand by quality training… which means is interaction between three collectives, as we mentioned after, administrative and services staff, students and teachers, sometimes very different in terms of age, in terms of motivation and for the life vision. That often creates friction and friction of these somehow we refine, we want to clarify rights and duties and though it's the ethical code, therefore it is a tool that must contribute to the coexistence of this institution.