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AUC Road to College Respectful Behavior Guidelines

The American University in Cairo (AUC) provides open English courses for high school students aged 14-18 years. To be able to participate in these courses, students must behave and communicate to each other in a respectful and considerate manner. All conversations in the course are monitored. AUC has a zero tolerance policy if the behavior is considered disrespectful. If any of these behaviors are observed, the person responsible will be removed from the course and not allowed to continue and will be reported.

If someone in your course exhibits these behaviors or says or posts anything in a discussion forum you are involved in that you find upsetting, disrespectful or just makes you feel uncomfortable, you should report it directly to the course director by sending an email to open.english@aucegypt.edu who will take your concerns very seriously. You should also speak directly to a trusted adult such as a family member.

Do not do or say anything online that you would not say in person. Before posting a comment, ask yourself; would I feel comfortable saying this to my co-students face-to-face?  If not, don't post it. The same rule applies to images. If you would not pass an image around to others in person, don't share it online.

  • Use respectful language at all times
  • Treat your fellow students with the same respect as you would face to face
  • Do not share personal information with fellow students 
  • Choose your online friends wisely
  • Respect everyone’s privacy
  • Report disrespectful, bad, or illegal behavior

There are a number of bad or illegal behaviors which you may come across when studying online. If you suspect anyone of conducting themselves in any of the following behavior, report it immediately to the program director.

Some of these behaviors are as follows:

  • Cyberbullying or trolling is when someone uses the internet to be mean to a young person so they feel bad or upset.
  • Online grooming is where someone befriends a child online and builds up their trust with the intention of causing them harm. It can happen quickly or over time. The abuser attempts to gain a young person’s trust to shift their understanding of what safe behavior is and then uses fear and shame to keep the young person silent.
  • Impersonation is pretending to be someone else and can include borrowing or stealing someone's identity—such as their name, image, or identifying information.
  • Sexual coercion refers to the act of a person persuading a child to meet them or share personal photos with them using threats or unethical behavior.
  • Cyberstalking is an internet based "attack" on a person who has been specifically targeted for reasons of anger, revenge or control. Cyberstalking can include harassment, embarrassment and humiliation of the victim.