California State University, Long Beach                                                                

Policy Statement

99-15
August 9, 1999

Avoidance of Conflict of Interest in the Assignment of Course Materials

 

This policy was recommended by the Academic Senate on May 13, 1999 and approved by the President on July 7, 1999.

 

    It is a conflict of interest and a violation of professional ethics for any member of the faculty to solicit or accept, for personal use, a payment of royalties or commission in connection with assigned course materials other than those materials published for general (that is, national or international) use. The preparation of course materials and the selection of assigned readings to be used in a course are integral parts of a faculty member's regular duties. Therefore, faculty are prohibited from profiting personally from the local sale of course materials, except in the specific case of materials published for a wider market, where the level of royalties is set by the terms of a publishing contract and likely to be nominal.

 

    University employees may not charge or collect money from students unless specifically authorized to do so. Therefore, course materials, including textbooks and other assigned readings, may not be sold by faculty members directly to students. All fees charged in connection with a course, such as miscellaneous course fees, must be collected by the CSULB Business Office.

 

    Course packs prepared by a faculty member may be sold through the Forty-Niner Shops or through an off-campus copy center, but no royalties may be received by the faculty member for preparing or editing the course pack. For course packs sold through the Forty-Niner shops, the Shops will assist in obtaining permission to use copyrighted materials and will build the cost of copyright fees into the selling prices. For course packs distributed through an off-campus copy center, faculty members assume personally the full legal responsibility for compliance with the copyright law. The CSU Office of General Counsel cannot provide legal assistance in cases involving privately owned copy centers, nor can the State of California be held liable for individual failures to comply with copyright law.
 

EFFECTIVE: Fall 1999