Top 10 Ethical Questions For Incoming Students

You got your acceptance letter. You’re breathing a sigh of relief, signing up for an orientation session, and starting to think about what “dorm in a bag” set to order. But there’s another way to be prepared: Imagine what you will do when you face “The Top Ten Ethical Questions for Incoming Freshmen."

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University gathered 130 stories from students in regards to ethical questions they faced in college. From these, they identified the top 10 ethical questions for students.
See more on their social media project, The Big Q, (Facebook: www.fb.com/mybigq and Blog: www.scu.edu/thebigq).

How do you react to these issues? Are there any ethical questions we missed? Let us know in the comments section.

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Do My Parents Belong at College?

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Should your parents have a say in your choice of major? Do they have a right to see your grades? Can you ask them to call a teacher when you're having trouble in a class or contact a dean if you have a disciplinary problem? Many parents want to be involved (especially when they're paying the bill), but when is that reasonable guidance and when is it an intrusion? Now that you're 18, aren't you supposed to be an adult?

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Should your parents have a say in your choice of major? Do they have a right to see your grades? Can you ask them to call a teacher when you're having trouble in a class or contact a dean if you have a disciplinary problem? Many parents want to be involved (especially when they're paying the bill), but when is that reasonable guidance and when is it an intrusion? Now that you're 18, aren't you supposed to be an adult?

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Comments

[Ellen Bremen]

07:08 PM on 05/19/2011

Two comments from a prof:
Do your parents belong at college? Five letters: FERPA! Get to know the privacy laws that actually prevent parents from accessing a student's educational record or professors without written permission once a child turns 18. This forces students to deal with their own issues in college, which is great practice for dealing with one's own issues in life!

How much should you disagree with a professor? As long as your disagreement is rooted in reason, credibility, and it is delivered respectfully and articulately, you have the right to express concerns. If you believe that the issue may be problematic for class, then discuss it with your professor privately via e-mail or in that person's office. If the problem relates to the entire class, your prof will likely open it up to the entire class after you speak with them (you can ask them to, as well). If your disagreement is about a grade, those conversations should ALWAYS happen privately, not during class. However, if you have a concern over an assignment or a professor's point of view, then others in class may have it, as well. If you derail the class, your professor will hopefully move the conversation elsewhere in an equally respectable way. Ellen Bremen, M.A. @chattyprof http://chattyprof.blogspot.com

[AcademicFreedom]

04:27 PM on 05/08/2011

Academia has become a gaggle of egotistical egotists echoing their egotistical ecstasies. University professors do not want to see parents because the students are very malleable. Pleasing a bunch of students is easy, just talk about the subject material a bit and then talk a lot about how messed up the world is. Getting students to become leftists is like shooting ducks in a pond.

[gadflygrl]

02:52 PM on 05/04/2011

I would say that the good folks who are employed by institutions of higher education work on behalf of students, rather than "for" them.

[UpperRight90]

02:35 PM on 05/04/2011

How Do I Treat the People Who Work for Me?

I have seen some of awful treatment of food service, custodial, clerical, administrative staff at universities and large corporations. I always wondered if my kids would behave appropriately.

I was at a function at my daughter's university. It was catered by university food service. I went over to one to the beverage table and one of the food service workers started chatting with me while she took care of my request. She asked me if I was alum. I told her no, but my daughter is student at the school. She asked me who she was and I told her. She knew my daughter's name. The lady responded, "blonde pony tail and plays field hockey." She just gushed about my daughter and how considerate and personable she was.

My daughter is very accomplished in many ways, but treating service workers with DESERVED respect is one of her biggest accomplishments. And in truth, it's one of mine. Sometimes you wonder if your children will get it. Well, I got my answer and it brought a joyful tear to my eye.

[Desiree Ann Rivo]

02:26 AM on 05/04/2011

Parents have no business contacting professors regarding grades or disciplinary action in the same way that they have no business contacting the employer of their adult children. Colleges and universities would simply lose their credibility if parental involvement had such an effective influence in academic affairs of higher education. I work for a student services department at my university and all sorts of problems happen when parents try to arrange for assistance on behalf of their children.

One thing that should be included into this list is a question about eating and consumerism.

[Palaver]

06:01 PM on 05/03/2011

Should the University try to predict my every move or impose martial law?

Whichever lowers my tuition...

[B4warned]

05:56 PM on 05/03/2011

In college, you really learn "who" you are when noone "close" is really looking, or the people nearby really care.

[shelshock22nd]

05:34 PM on 05/03/2011

One thing about the rushing of a sorority or fraternity is the cost. It costs well over $1000 at least the first semester you're a member (at least for the sororities on my campus).

I'm not saying you have to be rich to be in one, but you have to be willing to pay for them. There are pros and cons to it. I'm not trying to insult anyone.

[jcaunter]

03:57 PM on 05/03/2011

Question: Is it ethical to default on student loan debt?

Answer: By all means! In fact the financial industry wrote the laws governing the debt students theoretically owe to the financial industry, a clear-cut case of corruption. Thus such laws are illegitimate, and students can ethically feel proud about never paying back student loans. My suggestion: study several foreign languages while in college and leave the US after graduation, at least until the fiat dollar system collapses. Good luck avoiding debt peonage!

[cmr86]

10:44 AM on 05/04/2011

Yeah...good luck telling the Feds that. "Sorry, but I don't recognize my debt with you as legitimate." I'm sure that'll get you far.

[jugglefire]

03:48 PM on 05/03/2011

How about this one;

Given the high and rising cost of college along with the country's annual budget focusing more on military and prisons than higher education, is it alright if I turn to illegal activities to come up with the $ I'll need to finish school?

[13champlain]

02:58 PM on 05/03/2011

don't heroworship your professors
don't imagine that you are a suddenly enlightened because you completed one semester of school.

[VeryGrood]

02:45 PM on 05/03/2011

"Should your parents have a say in your choice of major? Do they have a right to see your grades? Can you ask them to call a teacher when you're having trouble in a class or contact a dean if you have a disciplinary problem? Many parents want to be involved (especially when they're paying the bill), but when is that reasonable guidance and when is it an intrusion? Now that you're 18, aren't you supposed to be an adult?"

The answer is simple- who's paying? I don't think parents should dictate your major... but if they're paying $20,000 per year and they want to see whether you're squandering that, you owe it to them.

[cmr86]

02:36 PM on 05/03/2011

1) If your parents are helping you out through school, then the least you can do is keep them in the loop. They shouldn't dictate what you study, but you should let them know how you're doing in school and what you're studying.
2) This is the stupidest fad happening on campuses nation wide. There is no substitute for attending class, paying attention, and studying.
3) Cheating. I'm not going to lie, I cheated in high school. Physics and chem would have killed me otherwise. At college, there's no point to do so as it'll only hurt you down the road. It disgusts me when I find undergraduates cheating. what's the point? It's antithetical to the reason why you're there.
4) Put up with it or move out of the dorms/request a transfer.
5) There are pros and cons. My advice--wait a semester or two before you make that commitment.
6) Depends on the prof. Sometimes they'll accept dissension, sometimes they won't.
7) This is a no-brainer. Yes. If your buddy is that messed up, you're obligated as a friend to help him. Even if it's contacting medical authorities.
8) Be conscious what you post. It could come back to haunt you.
9) Just because you move into the dorm, doesn't mean you enter a harem. If you find yourself in the position, practice safe sex. You're both (mostly) adults.
10) Don't piss off the people that work for the university. Don't be a d1ck.

[FoxIslander]

02:32 PM on 05/03/2011

How about "Should I go to college in the first place?" The question is no longer easy to answer.

[Bruce Pere]

02:32 PM on 05/03/2011

I get a feeling of socialism, thinking of college's asking ethical questions. Any kind of sensorship. There are no shoulds in the world. Political correctness is what is meant here. What that really is retention of a persons feelings. I am part of a minority because of my religion. Please dont tell me there are no anti semites. I appreciate people having the freedom to express whatever they want. At least I know whom and what I am dealing with and if we really care about Politcally correct values, we will never be able to spread those values by sensorship. An open conversation. That to me is part of the college experience. We cant change a person, or the world we can only hope to lead the horse to the water, but we cant make it drink. Bruce Applegate, www.NewHeraldNews.com

[redsongia]

10:38 PM on 05/03/2011

I feel like 4 of these are not really "ethical" questions but more, as you say, "perscribed behavior" questions.
 
Perhaps this is the problem with the national discourse in general.  People don't realize the difference between "ethics" and conforming behavior.