CODE OF ETHICS
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
At the University of Southern California, ethical
behavior is predicated on two main pillars: a
commitment to discharging our obligations to
others in a fair and honest manner, and a com-
mitment to respecting the rights and dignity of
all persons. As faculty, staff, students, and trus-
tees, we each bear responsibility not only for the
ethics of our own behavior, but also for building
USC’s stature as an ethical institution.
We recognize that the fundamental relationships
upon which our university is based are those
between individual students and individual pro-
fessors; thus, such relationships are especially
sacred and deserve special care that they not be
prostituted or exploited for base motives or per-
sonal gain.
When we make promises as an institution, or as
individuals who are authorized to speak on be-
half of USC, we keep those promises, including
especially the promises expressed and implied
in our Role and Mission Statement. We try to
do what is right even if no one is watching us or
compelling us to do the right thing.
We promptly and openly identify and disclose
conflicts of interest on the part of faculty, staff,
students, trustees, and the institution as a whole,
and we take appropriate steps to either eliminate
such conflicts or insure that they do not com-
promise the integrity of the individuals involved
or that of the university.
We nurture an environment of mutual respect
and tolerance. As members of the USC com-
munity, we treat everyone with respect and dig-
nity, even when the values, beliefs, behavior, or
background of a person or group is repugnant to
us. This last is one of the bedrocks of ethical
behavior at USC and the basis of civil discourse
within our academic community. Because we
are responsible not only for ourselves but also
for others, we speak out against hatred and big-
otry whenever and wherever we find them.
We do not harass, mistreat, belittle, harm, or