Policies and Practices in the Context of Field-Based Educational Placements
Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion considers Field-Based Education programs to be an extension of its campus-based education programming and central to the curriculum. As such, all Field-Based Education Placement Sites must adhere to the policies of the College - Institute. Prior to the start of a Field- Based Education Placement, HUC-JIR will provide the Placement Site Supervisor with a current version of the Student Academic Handbook, which contains the institution’s policies regarding appropriate student conduct. Field-Based Education Placement sites will also receive HUC-JIR policies relating to conduct expected of HUC-JIR faculty and staff.
Throughout the fieldwork period HUC-JIR students and their Placement Site Supervisors, as well as other individuals associated with the placement, are expected to maintain proper bounds of conduct as outlined in HUC-JIR institutional policy.
Any student who violates these policies while serving in a Field-Based Education Placement or internship will be subject to disciplinary action, as specified in the Student Academic Handbook. Additionally, the Field-Based Education Placement or internship site, including the Placement Site Supervisor and any individual associated with the site who is connected with the fieldwork or internship in any manner, is expected to maintain an appropriate, professional environment free from harassment, discrimination, intimidation and related conduct.
Use of Power
In the realm of covenants, one of the most fundamental relationships is the use of power. As students advance through HUC-JIR’s programs of study and participate in Field-Based Educational Placements - irrespective of whether they are student pulpits, internships or other types of placements - it is important that both the Placement Site Supervisor and the student understand and appreciate the ethics of power. Power is inherent in the role of clergy and in the role of the supervisor. As HUC-JIR students and their Placement Site Supervisors work together it is important that appropriate boundaries are both observed and acknowledged. In Field-Based Education Placements, students should also recognize the need and develop the ability to relate in a responsible manner to congregants, clients, colleagues, and others with whom they interact.
Sexual Ethics
As discussed in the “Equal Employment and Non-Discrimination Policy” and the “Sexual Misconduct and Interpersonal Violence Policy,” HUC-JIR will not tolerate sexual harassment in any organizational setting in which HUC-JIR students are placed. It is always the Placement Site Supervisor’s responsibility to maintain appropriate boundaries and a professional relationship with the student. It is also important for Placement Site Supervisors and students to remember that it is not appropriate for sexual contact to occur in the context of Field-Based Educational Placements, including but not limited to sexual contact between the Placement Site Supervisor (as well as others within the organization who participate in guiding aspects of the field-based educational placement) and the HUC-JIR student, between the student and a congregant in a synagogue setting, or between a student and a client in a community-based organizational setting. Such conduct will result in the immediate termination of the Field-Based Educational Placement.
Procedures for Handling Incidents of a Sexual Nature in Field-Based Educational Placements
Any student who has been subjected to sexual harassment, or any untoward conduct of a sexual nature, should refer to the “Sexual Misconduct and Interpersonal Violence Policy” for information regarding how to proceed.