Recruitment & Marketing Code of Conduct

Background

College recruitment professionals help students make thoughtful choices about their futures. At Metropolitan Community College, this work is guided by principles of honesty, integrity, transparency, equity and respect for students and fellow education professionals.

These values guide our recruitment staff as they provide service to students and their families. This Code of Conduct serves to build trust while ensuring that every student’s dignity, worth and potential is realized through their college journey.

This Code of Conduct follows recommended practices published by the National Association of College Admission Counseling¹ and serves as supporting documentation to comply with the Higher Learning Commission Policy Number CRRT.C.10.0100 on Recruiting, Admissions and Related Institutional Practices.²

Core Values

Education – we are committed to educating students, their families, the public, fellow education professionals and ourselves about the transition to and within college life.

Access and Equity –  we strive to increase access and eliminate bias based on race, ethnicity, religion or creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, political affiliation, national origin or disability.

Professionalism –  we believe ethical behavior is fundamental in our outreach, recruitment and enrollment management efforts.

Collaboration – we believe in working with others to advocate for students and their best interests.

Trust – our work is based on building trust through honesty with one another and with students.

Social Responsibility – we are committed to contributing toward a society that is free from racial and other biases for our colleagues and the students we serve.

Guiding Principles and Rationale

Sharing of Accurate Information

College recruitment staff should provide comprehensive and factual information that will allow all students to make informed decisions. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Accurately describing, representing and promoting the College’s offerings, organizations and services to students and the public.
• Sharing information relevant to the College’s enrollment process that is accurate, up-to-date and free from misrepresentations of fact or material omissions.
• Ensuring that alumni/ae, representatives, interviewers and interviewees, third-party contractors, vendors and other representatives working on the College’s behalf follow these same principles.

Transparency in Marketing Materials

The College’s marketing materials will provide comprehensive, accurate and current information concerning:

• All deadlines for enrollment, scholarships, financial aid and other topics that impact students directly.
• Academic Focus Areas, academic offerings, programs of study and student life, clubs and organizations.
• Costs to attend, types of scholarships and other financial aid.
• Significant changes to institutional policies and procedures due to pandemics or other extraordinary circumstances.

Additionally, College marketing materials will:

• Not induce or pressure prospective students to enroll by a specific deadline through marketing incentives.
• Not feature calls to action to enroll incentivized through prizes, free goods or services or allude to any quid pro quo offers involving financial aid, institutional discounts or waiving of fees. This extends to messages distributed at outreach events or external College-sponsored events.
• Not contain explicit claims, promises or guarantees of employment as they relate to credit-earning programs at the College.
• Marketing materials may include expected job titles, market and opportunity outlook, but will refrain from referencing any specific likelihood of employment or pay as an implied or guaranteed outcome of its educational offerings.
• Ensure that translated materials fully and accurately reflect the meaning of the text in the source language.

Fair and Impartial Recruitment Practices

Advocating for students’ best interest in the recruitment process is a primary ethical concern for the College’s recruitment staff. This requires that students receive guidance they can trust. Conflicts of interest, whether real or perceived and unprofessional conduct undermine that trust. To this end, the College and its recruitment staff will:

• Treat students ethically, respectfully and professionally in our recruitment and outreach processes so that students can make informed decisions without being subjected to high-pressure tactics from the College or any of its approved contractors. High-pressure tactics include making multiple unsolicited contacts (three or more per day as a general practice and no more than two per month for military-connected individuals³), including contacts by phone, email or in-person, or engaging in same-day recruitment and registration.
• Have appropriate education, job titles and training for their role and are overseen by the College through the enforcement of this Code of Conduct, employment procedures memoranda and policies set forth by the College’s accrediting institutions.
• Oversee third-party contractors and other personnel who may work with prospective students so that these agents have similar education, experience and are trained by the College to provide a similar level of service.
• Not be compensated by commissions, bonuses or other incentive payments, based on the number of students referred, recruited or enrolled.
• Not offer or accept any reward or remuneration to influence an enrollment, scholarship, financial aid or other enrollment-related decision.
• Not explicitly or independently complete or apply the signature of a student to enrollment materials. College recruitment staff, officers and approved third-party contractors may answer questions and support a student in completing these documents but will not impersonate the student in submitting enrollment materials.
• Handle student information protecting the confidentiality of what is shared.
• Adhere to College’s policies for confidentiality.
• Not divulge an individual student’s Directory Information or financial aid details, unless a public records request has been made or if the student provides their express consent in writing.

¹ Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admission, National Association for College Admission Counseling, September 2020.
² Higher Learning Commission Policy Change: Student Consumer Protection. Policy Title: Recruiting, Admissions and Related Institutional Practices, Policy Number CRRT.C.10.010, November 2017.
³ To comply with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Isakson and Roe, Section 1018 Requirements, Public Law No: 116-315, effective August 1, 2021.