You are welcome at HFC.

The following expectations apply to everyone on our campuses! These behaviors will make the environment better for everyone. Thanks for your cooperation.

Expected behaviors

Help keep the community safe. Be aware of your surroundings, keep an eye on your belongings, and conduct yourself in a peaceful, mature manner.

Honor the diversity of our community. Many of the people around you will look and dress differently from you. They will believe, speak, and behave differently than you do. The variety of backgrounds and perspectives we all bring to our community make our interactions richer and better, and allow us to learn about our world. Honor the differences among us, even when these differences are uncomfortable or unfamiliar to you.

Be mindful of your language and gestures. Supportive and respectful language is a core goal. At a minimum, we expect that everyone will refrain from any profane, vulgar, bigoted, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, sexist, or other offensive comments, gestures, or actions on our campuses.

Be respectful in classrooms. Classrooms, labs, and other educational spaces are some of the core places where our mission is carried out. To support the teaching and learning process of your peers and instructors, please arrive for classes on time, turn off your phone, refrain from side conversations or other distractions, engage respectfully toward others, and do your best to support everyone's educational experience.

Follow all legal regulations and campus policies. If you manage your own behavior through respect and maturity, you will readily comply with laws and policies. Pay particular attention to regulations about possession of alcohol (age 21+ and at limited events only), any kind of smoking/vaping (prohibited), and illegal substances (prohibited).

Cooperate with Campus Safety and other campus personnel. Campus officials are here to help and support you. It is important that you quickly comply with their guidance and directives.

Take care of children. We welcome the children and young adults among us. Be a role model for positive, caring behavior, and make sure all children are closely supervised.

Leave your pets at home. Registered service animals are allowed on campus. All other animals should be left at home.

Refrain from any kind of smoking, and all tobacco use. Henry Ford College is a non-smoking environment. All smoking and tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are prohibited in all indoor and outdoor spaces on both campuses. Smoking inside enclosed private vehicles is permitted.

Spaces and facilities

Be aware that public spaces are shared spaces. We ask you to commit to behaving in a respectful manner toward everyone around you. Limit the volume of your conversations, be thoughtful about how your words impact others. If you wish to listen to music or watch cell phone / laptop videos in public spaces, please use headphones.

Keep public spaces clean. Just as you prefer to sit down to a clean table to eat, work, or study in a pleasant environment, please make sure public spaces -- indoors and outdoors -- are as clean and usable as when you arrived. Dispose of any trash properly, wipe down table/chair surfaces if you spilled any food or beverage, and use spaces as carefully as you can.

Actively steward the campus environment. Be careful to treat gathering spaces, rooms, furnishings, technology, outdoor spaces, and all campus items as important assets that should be preserved for shared use. Expected behaviors include not breaking or defacing anything, not leaving gum or food waste on surfaces or floors, and generally treating items with the care you would treat your own possessions.

Bottom line: follow the “golden rule” of treating others as you wish to be treated

Help your guests cooperate with these guidelines. Every person on campus, including visitors and community members, is expected to behave in a respectful, honorable manner throughout their stay on our campuses. If you bring guests to campus, please make sure they are aware of, and willing to comply with, our community values in showing respect.

Campus cameras

Please be aware that most public/open spaces on campus are monitored by security cameras for your safety and security.

Each of us is on a lifelong learning journey. And none of us can know the lived experiences and backgrounds of everyone around us. This makes it fun to learn about our broad diversity.

If you feel uncertain about what to say or do in any situation, or if you are unsure whether a comment or action might be offensive or disrespectful, give yourself credit for wanting to learn, and for recognizing that not everyone sees the world through the same lens.

Here are some strategies you can use.

1. Observe what is happening around you. Look for behaviors that are peaceful and that appear respectful and honoring of others. Use those behaviors as a guide.
2. Listen first. Listen more than you speak. You will learn more and have more impact.
3. Research your questions and uncertainties with a trusted source This can be a trusted online source if you know it is valid, or, even better, it can be a person or persons you know and respect. If you do not know what a trusted source might be, ask a faculty member, a parent, a clergy member, a counselor, or someone who is a member of a group you have questions about.
4. Respect the boundaries of your own knowledge. Keep an open, learning posture when you are outside of your knowledge base. Seek to grow in knowledge or understanding.
5. Ask careful questions, and do not ask overly personal questions.
6. Check your emotional state. Are you feeling angry, hurt, disrespected, afraid, or frustrated? There is nothing wrong with these feelings, but they can affect your responses and behaviors. Be aware that you might respond differently if you are feeling secure, respected, and safe. If you are having difficult feelings, it might be best to remove yourself from the situation until you can re-ground yourself, and ask or help and support.
7. Think about how you might like to be treated, and how you would like your loved ones to be treated. Be inclusive, kind, and caring toward everyone around you.
8. If you make a mistake, apologize and ask for help to improve.

If you need more help, please reach out to one of our College Counselors, who have the experience and knowledge to help guide you.

Our expectation is that everyone will behave in appropriate, respectful ways. If someone treats you in a manner that expresses disrespect, it is likely that you will feel uncomfortable. You have options in how you respond. Here are some:

Choose your response. Only you can decide which approach is best in any specific situation. You might consider:

• Ignore it: It is not always necessary to respond directly to disrespectful words or conduct. You might choose not to engage if it is not worth your energy.
• Stay calm: Take a few seconds of silence to avoid an emotional reaction, which can put you at a disadvantage and cause you to respond in a way you would not otherwise respond.
• Walk away: If the person is not receptive or the situation is not conducive to conversation, calmly remove yourself from the situation.
• Report harassment: In the unfortunate event that you might experience or witness any form of harassment, bullying, or physically or emotionally unsafe conditions on campus, start by reporting the incident to Campus Safety. They will be able to guide you in appropriately addressing the issue you have faced or witnessed.

Address the disrespect calmly and assertively. If you choose to engage:

• Use "I" statements: Focus on how the behavior affected you without making the other person feel directly accused. For example, say, "I feel disrespected when you talk to me in that tone of voice."
• Set a boundary: Clearly state the kind of behavior you need the person to change. You can say something like, "Please don't speak to me that way," or "We need to speak civilly to each other," or, "I will listen to you without interrupting if you will show me the same courtesy."
• Name the behavior: You can directly but politely state what the disrespectful behavior was. For example, "I find those kinds of jokes inappropriate," or "In my family, this is an important holiday."
• Explain the impact: Clearly explain why the behavior is not acceptable to you. "Your comment sounded like you did not think a woman could be a good astronaut."

Remember that not all behaviors come from the same motives

The impact of behavior is important, and we do not excuse bad behavior based on intent. However, it is also useful to recognize that sometimes people behave unintentionally, or with lack of awareness, in ways that we find disrespectful. You can consider whether this might be the case. If so, this can present a learning opportunity if both parties are open to constructive dialog. If you are skilled in dialog, it might be worth addressing the situation thoughtfully and without defensiveness. Sometimes this will elicit an apology and can result in growth and improved behavior.

These discussions usually start from a posture of inquiry and openness (such as "Can you tell me more about what you meant by that?," "May I share what I observed just now?," or "Did you know?” types of questions). This is not always easy, and it can require some practice, especially if you are feeling hurt or disrespected.

Get support on campus

Take advantage of our many supportive resources, including Counseling, academic and personal resources, and more.

Report dangerous or harassing behaviors

Reach out to Campus Safety for issues of safety on campus. Report any specific harassing incidents by following the College's reporting procedures.

All of us are responsible to create and maintain a respectful, safe environment. In some cases, it is necessary for the College to take steps to remediate situations in which disrespectful, unsafe, or disruptive behavior is occurring.

We hope not to need these procedures, but we want everyone to be aware of them.

The following are representative examples of what could happen if you violate a policy or conduct rule. They might or might not take place in the order listed. More severe violations will lead immediately to more serious outcomes.

Please note that while you are entitled to due process, Campus Safety will take immediate action to remove you from campus if you are causing a threat to the safety or well-being of any member of the campus community, or to our facilities.