20-007 02/24/82 ARTICLE 5. CODE OF ETHICS The Board endorses the following Code of Ethics: I. As a member of my Board of Trustees, representing all the citizens of my school system, I recognize: 1. that my fellow citizens have entrusted me with the educational development of the people of this community; 2. that the public expects my first and greatest concern to be in the best interest of each and every one of these people without distinction as to who they are or what their background may be; 3. that the future welfare of this community, of this reservation and of the nation depends in the largest measure upon the quality of education we provide I the college to fit the needs of every learner; 4. That my fellow Board members and I must take the initiative in helping all the people of this community to have all the facts all the time about their college, to the end that they will readily provide the finest possible program, staff and facilities; 5. that legally the authority of the Board is derived from the Tribal Council which ultimately controls the organization and operation of the school system and which determines the degree of discretionary power left with the Board and people of this community for the exercise of local autonomy; 6. that I must never neglect my personal obligation to the community and my legal obligation, nor surrender these responsibilities to any person, group, or organization; but that, beyond these, I have a moral and civic obligation to the reservation and tribe. II. In view of the foregoing consideration, it shall be my constant endeavor: 1. to devote time, thought, and study to the duties and responsibilities of a Board member so that I may render effective and creditable service; 2. to work with my fellow Board members in a spirit of harmony and cooperation in spite of differences of opinion that arise during vigorous debate of points at issue; 3. to base my personal decision upon all available fact in each situation; to vote my honest conviction in every case, unswayed by partisan bias of any kind; thereafter, to abide by and uphold the final majority decision of the Board; 4. to remember at all times that as an individual I have no legal authority outside the meetings of the Board, and to conduct my relationships with college staff, the local citizenry, and all media of communication of the basis of this fact; 5. to resist every temptation and outside pressure to use my position as a Board member to benefit either myself or any other individual or agency apart from the total interest of the school system; 6. to recognize that it is important for the Board to understand and evaluate the educational program of the college as it is to plan for eh business of school operation; 7. to bear in mind under all circumstances that the primary function of the Board is to establish the policies by which the college is to be administered but that the administration of the educational program and the conduct of school business shall be left to the employed President of the college and his professional and non-professional staff; 8. to welcome and encourage active cooperation by citizen, organizations, and the media of communication in the system with respect to establishing policy on current college operation and proposed future developments; 9. finally, to strive step by step toward ideal conditions for most effective Board service to my community, in a spirit of teamwork and devotion to education as the greatest instrument for the preservation and perpetuation of our way of life; and 10. to accord a mutual respect to all staff members.