Mentor Code of Ethics

Welcome and Purpose

At the ANTrepreneur Center, we love seeing students connect with experienced mentors who can help them grow. Our mentors, including ACE members, alumni, and community professionals, play a vital role in guiding the next generation of ANTrepreneurs.

To keep mentorship fair, transparent, and student-focused, we have a simple guidelines to helps us avoid any conflicts of interest and ensures students feel supported, not pressured.

These individuals will play a pivotal role in elevating student engagement with entrepreneurship resources, particularly through the UCI ANTrepreneur Center, thus enriching the undergraduate learning journey. 

What to Do If You Want to Hire or Support a Student

• Want to hire a student? If that is something you wish to do, please communicate with Ryan Foland, the ANTrepreneur Center Director, before proceeding. We ask that you pause your mentorship role until the working relationship with the student has ended. Afterward, you are welcome to return as a mentor. The best way to hire a student is through our micro-internship platform run by Parker Dewey, which ensures clear deliverables, fair pay, and a positive experience for both parties. You can learn more or post an opportunity here: Parker Dewey Micro-Internships. You can also speak with one of the ANTrepreneur Center Pro Staff to explore the best approach.
• Want to buy a student’s product or service? That’s great! But please check with Ryan first. This ensures fairness and helps us track valuable data on how mentors are supporting students.

Ethical Guidelines for Mentors

Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

Mentors should:

• Conduct all activities in a way that avoids conflicts of interest between personal or business interests and the interests of the students they mentor.
• Not recommend the purchase of goods or services in which they, their family, or professional colleagues have a direct or indirect interest.
• Not become an officer, director, shareholder, investor, or partner in any for-profit business of a student they mentor.
• Not provide direct funding of any type to students they mentor.
• Not vet, advocate, or promote any tool, partner, sponsor, or service provider.

Compensation and Professional Boundaries

• Mentorship at the ANTrepreneur Center is a volunteer role and should not be used for personal financial gain.
• Mentors should not charge fees, accept honoraria, or receive commissions, kickbacks, or anything of value from third parties when recommending products or services to students.
• Mentors should not solicit business from students they mentor.
• Mentors should not become an employee, paid contractor, or professional consultant to a student’s business.
• Mentors won’t receive any form of compensation from mentoring activities.
  

Maintaining a Fair and Supportive Environment

• Students should feel that mentors are there to guide and support them, not as potential employers or business partners.
• If students expect job offers from mentors, it can create unfair advantages and unintended pressure.
• We want every student to have equal access to mentorship and opportunities.

We appreciate our mentors and the time they invest in helping students succeed. These guidelines help us create a supportive, ethical, and opportunity-driven environment for all ANTrepreneurs.

Thank you for being a part of the ANTrepreneur Center community!