Student affairs professionals traditionally struggle with how to bring the proper balance to their work. Their work takes place in a variety of settings--some informal, some structured. In each of these settings, they may find opportunity to serve as moral mentors. The authors describe the moral mentor as a professional practicing in the field of…

Dana is a graduate assistant in the second year of a master's program in student personnel. In a class discussion of assistantship issues, Dana reveals that he has decided not to enforce the university's policy of "writing up" all underage students who are in a residence hall room where alcohol is present. He says that in his opinion the punitive…

Community colleges have historically been a major gateway to higher education for many students. Students enroll in community college programs and courses for multiple reasons: closeness to home, financial issues, job retraining, remedial work, plans to transfer to a four-year institution, and a love of learning. These divergent goals make…

Decisions of student personnel often involve an operational definition of quality'', making it a matter of personal and professional integrity to investigate an ethical posture fully and to act consistently with that posture. (Author)

Presents "Statement of Ethical Principles and Standards" of American College Personnel Association (ACPA) to assist student affairs professionals in regulating behavior regarding ethical problems and daily practice standards. Suggests courses of action available to professionals observing unethical conduct by fellow professionals.…

Greek-letter organizations can and should be vehicles for their members' ethical development. If fraternities and sororities examine the ethical challenges they face, they can enhance their contribution to the campus learning community. (Author)

Describes aspects of the moral voice of the self and of the institution, and makes suggestions for assessing and reducing the dissonance between these two forces. Examines student services' ethic of care and argues for the desirability of "moral bilingualism": the need for an ethic of care and an ethic of justice. (RJM)

Policies and procedures focusing on students as learners and as agents of their own development should be considered as a new framework for student affairs professionals. Explores the contradictions faced by student affairs professionals and suggests a model for facilitating development of individuals, groups, and the community. (MKA)

Supervision provides student development professionals with an important forum for examining and discussing ethical issues which arise in practice. However, high-quality counseling supervision may not always be available to practitioners when they need it most. Peer supervision is a method of counseling supervision which can be a viable…

Argues that universities' complexity challenges the knowledge of those in student affairs with both legal and ethical dilemmas. Claims that student affairs needs to move beyond discussion of ethical codes and apply them to daily work. Professional organizations and preparation programs must be combined to improve ethical training in student…

Explores the meaning of dual roles and relationships for counselors in small colleges; examines relevant ethical standards; describes the major risks involved; suggests safeguards to minimize risk; outlines frameworks for ethical decisionmaking; and illustrates the issues with a case example of problems related to multiple roles. (JBJ)

Current literature on academic dishonesty identifies many factors that influence students to cheat, faculty members' responses to cheating, and ways that campuses have sought to deter cheating. Through an appropriate use of both educational and developmental programs and due process policy responses, campuses can make real progress in the struggle…

Only recently have competencies related to legal issues been viewed as important for those entering the field of student affairs. Explores what preparation programs should teach about law and ethics, strategies that can be used to teach these topics, and how faculty can enhance the ethical growth of students in the program. (Author)

Through a national survey (n=219), this study explores how gay, lesbian, and bisexual students view discrimination on campus. Students concluded that on many campuses, existing ethical guidelines concerning discrimination are not equally applied to gay, lesbian, and bisexual students. Considers possible causes for this divergence between ethical…

Explores balancing ethics with the conflicting goals for student orientation sources. Ethical standards, including those developed by the Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS), related to the development and assessment of orientation programs, as well as specific issues unique to orientation, are considered. Offers models for ethical…