Policies on Harassment & Faculty-Student Relationships
The Siena Art Institute's educational mission is promoted by professional relationships between students & faculty members (including teachers, resident artists, researchers, and academic administrators). Relationships of an intimate nature compromise the integrity of a faculty-student relationship whenever the faculty member has a professional accountability towards the student. We prohibit intimate relationships between a faculty member and a student at the Siena Art Institute. "Intimate" is defined as sexual and/or romantic. If an intimate relationship should exist or develop between a faculty member and a student, the Siena Art Institute requires the faculty member to immediately notify the program director and to remove himself/herself from all supervisory, evaluative, and/or formal advisory roles with respect to the student. Failure to do so may subject the faculty member to disciplinary action.
Siena Art Institute and Siena School for Liberal Arts are committed fostering a safe and respectful atmosphere in which each student and faculty member has the right to feel free from discrimination, harassment, and violence of any kind. We take very seriously any reports of discrimination, harassment, and violence of any kind by our students, staff, or faculty. Our program staff is committed to providing a compassionate, non-judgmental response to any incident of sexual harassment or violence, with the goal of helping to empower the victim/survivor to regain some control and to address the specifics of their situation. We will take swift, appropriate action to investigate and respond to any allegations of sexual assault and harassment, including promptly helping a victim to access medical treatment (accompanied), and counseling. If a student or faculty member approaches us for assistance, our program staff will discuss evidence preservation with the victim and options they have for reporting the incident to local police.
Our Academic Director (info@sienaart.org) is able to serve as a confidential resource for students who may wish to discuss any situations they are experiencing in which they may feel discriminated against, harassed, or if they have experienced any violence.
