- Policy Statement and Purpose
All members of this diverse community are expected to maintain a positive and respectful learning environment free of harassment, intimidation, belittlement, humiliation, and abuse. This policy defines mistreatment and provides a mechanism to allow individuals to report violations without fear of retaliation.
This Student Mistreatment policy is meant to address mistreatment not otherwise covered by other existing SGU policies, such as:
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy
- Learning Environment Policy
- Nondiscrimination Policy
- Sexual Misconduct Policy
- Student Code of Conduct
- Definition of Mistreatment (specific to this policy)
According to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), mistreatment occurs, either intentionally or unintentionally, when “behavior shows disrespect for the dignity of others and unreasonably interferes with the learning process.”
Examples of mistreatment include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Harmful, injurious, or offensive conduct
- Verbal attacks
- Insults or unjustifiably harsh language when speaking to a student or publicly about a student
- Public humiliation or belittling
- Physical attacks (e.g., being slapped, hit, or kicked)
- Requiring performance of personal services (e.g., child sitting, shopping)
- Intentional neglect (e.g., intentionally neglecting a student in a clerkship)
- Disregard for student safety
- Denigrating comments about a student's field of choice
- Assigning tasks as punishment rather than to meet educational objectives or for the objective evaluation of a student’s performance
- Unreasonable and unjustifiable exclusion of a student from a usual and reasonably expected educational opportunity for any reason other than as an appropriate response to that student's performance
- Other behaviors that violate the trust between teacher and learner and/or that are contradictory to the learning atmosphere
Other behaviors that constitute mistreatment such as sexual misconduct and discrimination are covered under this and other explicit University policies (see links to Nondiscrimination Policy and Sexual Misconduct Policy in section VIII below).
- Procedures for Reporting
As set forth in the Learning Environment Policy of the School of Medicine, SGU does not tolerate student mistreatment. Students who experience mistreatment are expected and encouraged to report the mistreatment.
There are several mechanisms for such reporting:
Direct Reporting to Office of the Dean of Students
Students are encouraged to report incidents of mistreatment to the immediate attention of the Office of the Dean of Students (dos@sgu.edu), which will treat such reports with discretion.
Reporting through EthicsPoint
Students can report mistreatment anonymously using EthicsPoint, which is a confidential 24/7 reporting tool. Reports can be made online at https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/57112/index.html or by phone (1-844-423-5100). This reporting portal allows students to report misconduct to an outsourced third party, which then confidentially directs reports to the appropriate office at SGU.
Reporting After Courses/Clerkships
Students can provide feedback about mistreatment through SGU surveys. Questions about the learning environment, including any experience of mistreatment, are on the end-of-course/clerkship evaluations and on the SGU learning environment survey. Feedback from surveys is reviewed at an aggregate and de-identified level by the Learning Environment Committee (LEC). The LEC monitors the learning environment for observable trends and makes recommendations to the dean of the school of medicine on how to enhance positive influences and mitigate negative influences.
Student feedback through surveys is important in helping SGU maintain a positive learning environment for students in all phases of the MD program. However, this post-hoc mechanism of reporting mistreatment is likely to result in a delay in interventions; thus, students are encouraged to also report their mistreatment immediately to the Office of the Dean of Students so that a real-time intervention, if warranted, can be enacted.
- Processing of Reports of Mistreatment:
Reported incidents of mistreatment are treated seriously and responded to appropriately, fairly, and expeditiously as described in general below:
Non-anonymous Reports: Non-anonymous reports of student mistreatment are channeled to the Office of the Dean of (DOS), directly or indirectly. Upon receipt of a report of mistreatment, determination is made whether the conduct as reported may fall under this policy and if so an investigation pursuant to the policy will be commenced. A member from the Office of DOS conducts the initial intake interview with the student. The Office of the DOS and/or its designees may conduct additional interviews with the student and initiate additional investigatory actions with the student (e.g., interviews by a department of public safety officer). The Office of the DOS may refer a matter to and/or consult with an appropriate department/office for purposes of an investigation involving non-students, such as faculty or staff. If the mistreatment complaint is against another student, then the Office of the DOS will follow relevant procedures pursuant to the Code of Conduct, and the matter may be referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs.
Reports through EthicsPoint (anonymous or non-anonymous): If a report is made through EthicsPoint, it is shared with the compliance team, using a process overseen by the chief compliance officer. The team is responsible for reviewing all allegations, and taking the appropriate course of action, including but not limited to designating an investigator for investigation and consultation/coordination with the applicable department as appropriate. This platform specifically allows the University and the reporter to interact and enables follow-up communication on reports. An individual who files an EthicsPoint report is assigned a unique code and creates a personal password at the time of their initial report. The individual may then return to the EthicsPoint hotline (via internet or phone) to re-access their case. Through this mechanism, the individual can provide more details, ask questions, answer questions, and be provided general feedback while maintaining anonymity (if anonymity is desired).
All members of the University community are expected to cooperate with and participate in any inquiries and investigation conducted.
In a case where mistreatment is found, appropriate and prompt action will be taken. At the conclusion of the investigation, the student will be notified that the investigation has been completed and generally of the conclusion; however, for reasons of privacy, specific details regarding the conclusion and/or resulting actions may not be shared with the student. The resolution of complaints may involve informal and/or formal measures and may include remedial action, as appropriate, to help prevent the occurrence of similar behavior by other faculty, staff, and/or students, which could include relevant training and education.
- Non-Tolerance for Retaliation
The University does not tolerate retaliation of any kind against anyone for raising in good faith, concerns or reporting possible mistreatment or for assisting in the investigation of possible mistreatment. Retaliation for filing a good faith report and/or good faith and honest participation in the investigation of any such report is expressly prohibited and may constitute grounds for disciplinary action. SGU will take appropriate action in response to any report of retaliation.
- Awareness
The goal is to prevent student mistreatment through education and the continuing development of a sense of community. Faculty, staff, and students will be informed about this student mistreatment policy, including the reporting and support mechanisms that are in place for students. The Office for Faculty Affairs will provide training opportunities for faculty regarding mistreatment, including the reporting and support mechanisms that are in place for students.
- Contacts
|
Contact |
Phone Number |
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Website |
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Office of the Dean of Students |
473-439-3000 ext. 3779 |
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EthicsPoint |
1-844-423-5100 |
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https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/57112/index.html |
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Additional Support |
Phone Number |
|
Website |
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Office of the Ombuds |
473-405-4204 |
https://mycampus.sgu.edu/St.-George's-University/Office-of-the-Ombudsman |
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Psychological Services Center (Grenada) |
473-439-2277 |
https://mycampus.sgu.edu/web/psychological-services-center/home |
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BCS Counseling |
Emergencies: 877- 328-0993 |
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University Health Services (Grenada) |
473-407-2791 |
https://mycampus.sgu.edu/web/university-health-services/home |
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Department of Public Safety (Grenada Campus Security) |
Emergencies: 777
Non-Emergencies: 473-444-3898 |
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https://mycampus.sgu.edu/group/department-of-public-safety-and-security/home |
- Cross Ref.
Policies (as found in the Student Manual and Clinical Training Manual)
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy (Student Manual Link): https://www.sgu.edu/studentmanual/school-of-medicine/doctor-of-medicine-program-4-year-md/diversity-and-inclusion-policy
- Learning Environment Policy (Student Manual Link): https://catalog.sgu.edu/doctor-of-medicine-program-4-year-md-som-student-manual/learning-environment-policy
- Nondiscrimination Policy (Student Manual Link): https://catalog.sgu.edu/doctor-of-medicine-program-4-year-md-som-student-manual/policy-statement
- Sexual Misconduct Policy (Student Manual Link): Sexual Misconduct Policy – St. George's University Student Manual
- Student Code of Conduct (Student Manual Link): https://catalog.sgu.edu/university-student-manual/university-code-of-conduct
- Clinical Training Manual: https://catalog.sgu.edu/school-of-medicine-clinical-training-student-manual
Initiatives
- SGU Portal for UNITED (Understanding the Need for Inclusion, Transparency, Equity, and Diversity: https://mycampus.sgu.edu/group/united/home
Website of Student Mistreatment policy