All Folkwängler*innen commit themselves in particular to the following:
Principles
All Folkwängler*innen are committed to an environment characterized by respect and tolerance, trust and solidarity as well as openness and plurality. They take responsibility for recognizing, preventing or eliminating discrimination of all kinds and actively combat abuse of power and harassment. All forms of discriminatory, disrespectful or abusive behavior, artistic and academic dishonesty and corrupt practices are not tolerated at the Folkwang University of the Arts.
With this in mind, all Folkwang students are actively involved in shaping their place of work and study. In particular, persons with management, training and qualification tasks in teaching, artistic development projects, research and self-administration as well as in administration and technology are responsible for ensuring that violations of this Code of Conduct are investigated in accordance with the procedures laid down at the university due to their duty of care.
All Folkwang employees are committed to supporting a power- and discrimination-critical approach to regulations, criteria and procedures at the level of the university structure and a reflexive and discrimination-sensitive approach to proximity and distance in relation to studies, teaching and work at the individual personal level of all Folkwang employees.
University management and leaders take the interests of other Folkwang students into account appropriately. They make their decisions transparent and communicate them promptly. The resulting tasks, activities and goals are formulated clearly and comprehensibly for the folkwangers involved.
The Folkwang employees reflect on their position in their actions and activities. All status groups treat each other with respect and focus on common goals. They reflect on how they deal with power imbalances in hierarchies and respect the dignity and integrity of all - regardless of hierarchical positions or roles.
In this context, the provisions of the Folkwang University of the Arts' anti-discrimination guidelines and the current version of the mission statement for teaching must also be observed. As a rule, violations of criminal law constitute a breach of obligations under labor law, employment law and/or university law and will be prosecuted as such by the university.
Fairness, honesty, open discussion and error culture
The intensive cross-status cooperation in studies, teaching, science, artistic development projects and administration requires fair and trusting interaction between the members of the Folkwang community. Cooperation is characterized by mutual helpfulness without exploiting the helpfulness of others. The conduct of all Folkwang employees is also characterized by honesty and the ability to engage in open debate. Through structured feedback and dialog procedures, a constructive approach to criticism and mistakes is encouraged and expected at Folkwang.
Respectful and appreciative communication
All Folkwang students communicate with each other in a respectful and appreciative manner. Discretion in personal and professional matters is just as much a part of this as a transparent approach to professional information, decisions and other measures. A friendly tone is a matter of course. The topicality and adequacy of the artistic, professional and academic requirements at the Folkwang University of the Arts requires a willingness to engage in open and serious cross-status discourse as well as the collegial and cooperative organization of collaboration between the academic field and university administration. In conflict situations, Folkwang employees act constructively and in a solution-oriented manner.
Careful and sustainable use of resources and legal certainty
For the benefit of all, the Folkwängler*innen treat the facilities of the University with care. They ensure that no one is restricted or even hindered in their use of the facilities. The resources available to the Folkwang University of the Arts are used effectively and efficiently by the responsible Folkwang staff. The Folkwang University of the Arts consciously uses social, economic and natural resources sparingly and strives for energy and ecological sustainability. The applicable laws at local, national and international level must be complied with. Behavior in the buildings and on the grounds of the Folkwang University of the Arts is also governed by the House Rules of the Folkwang University of the Arts as amended from time to time.
Recognizing and avoiding conflicts of interest
As a state art and music university of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Folkwang University of the Arts has a special function and social responsibility as a place of criticism and free artistic development. For this reason, Folkwang students must not place themselves in situations in which personal interests take precedence over those of the university of art and music, or where this could even appear to be the case. Conflicts of interest that could arise from personal relationships with other folk musicians or from personal economic interests must be disclosed immediately to the responsible authorities. Appropriate measures must be taken to avoid a conflict of interest or the appearance thereof.
Development and protection of personality
The Folkwang University of the Arts encourages students and teachers to experiment artistically and to break new ground. To this end, it requires all Folkwang students and teachers to engage in a culture of factual and professional discourse, open and free speech and the protection of personal rights at all times. All Folkwang members see it as their duty to avoid or report discrimination and assaults of any kind in compliance with the anti-discrimination guidelines and, in particular, to continuously reflect on physical and mental proximity-distance relationships in research, artistic practice, teaching and administration.
Issued on the basis of the resolution of the Rectorate of Folkwang University of the Arts dated 14.02.2024.
