Ethics in Rubbernecking

I had never heard the term “rubbernecking” until I read this article last weekend. It’s all kinds of awful. I don’t know what would possess someone to take a picture in front of something tragic, then post it with witty and joyous taglines and hashtags.  

Of all the actions this latest group of people posing for a selfie could have taken, taking a selfie is not the action I would have assumed to be their first priority. Like many others, this group of people apologized for their actions later, after being told how reprehensible their actions there were. Interesting that it took a large number of people to point out their unethical decision for them to realize the depth of their mistake.  

Has the "selfie" phenomenon de-sensitized our culture?

Ethics at Conferences

I got back late last night from a national student affairs conference in New Orleans. There were over 7800 people in attendance from colleges, universities, non-profits, for-profits, and vendors from all over the world. It took less than 2% of our attendance to make the Chronicle over something inappropriate. Yik Yak.

I am still in awe that this happened and became such a trending topic! A little under 70 people posted unsavory comments about attendees, programs, promiscuity and cheating, and more. Get some ethics people! You are at a professional conference, probably being paid for by student fees or a state budget. I take issue with this in two ways.

First, be a role model always, in particularly while at work-related events. If you want to carry on, getting wasted, sleeping around, skipping meetings,- do so off the clock and not at a professional work conference. Go away on a vacation with some friends to a place where no one knows your name.

Second, using social media to express your personal behaviors and opinions while representing your place of work is inappropriate. Did y'all learn nothing from Justine Sacco??

I think it's our job to teach others how to behave in certain situations. We can't teach others and then not follow our own rules and guidance.We can't expect our students to become professional with ethics if we don't model that ourselves. I took six students to this conference and over the course of five days had not one issue. They were awesome, represented our college beautifully, and they enjoyed the experience. We went over expectations beforehand and I made it clear that acting a certain way brings perceptions and may get you fired. I also made it clear that they were privileged to have the opportunity to attend this conference at no cost to them and should be good stewards of those funds. Finally, I made it clear that I don't act that way, so they had better not do anything to embarrass me, our program, or the college. I wonder if these people, who were anonymously posting all over the place, had that same conversation with their supervisors?

What do y'all think?

Ethics in Policing continued..

In 1993 I was 11 years old, oblivious to a horrific murder spree being conducted next door in California.  When Gian Luigi Ferri, a broker from LA, filed for divorce, he was described as lonely, sad, and hurting. He was observed sitting for hours in his car, staring into space. And yet no one reached out to him.Thanks to technology the original footage and original reporting can still be viewed and read. There was a Nevada connection, it was in Nevada where Ferri incorporated his company. A company that would suffer huge financial blows. Additionally, every weapon he used in the incident was purchased in Las Vegas. Interesting that the article said:

"The semi-automatic Intratec DC9 is legal to possess in California without registration with state officials." And even more interesting, ""Believe it or not, they are legal," said Mayor Frank Jordan, the former police chief here. "There is absolutely no place for them in an urban society. They are used for only one purpose, warfare."

Almost 22 years later, we're still asking the same questions, still arguing over gun rights and gun control, still watching loved ones die.

This is a fear of mine. Do I pass by people in pain, in need of help, without pausing to show compassion or an interest in helping them? In my  head I understand that if someone has a plan and wants to hurt others, odds are they will find a way. Gun or no gun. Interference is probably not going to change the course they have set upon. But my heart says something else...

Did y'all read that email from Campus Police this morning? About the full scale emergency preparedness training taking place over Spring Break? I wonder, after hearing about the "militarization of police" what kind of equipment will be used in their training. And what type of emergency are they training for? Do they see the general public as the enemy? Will it be heavy on force? Or will the training be more of an opportunity to build relationships between all of the different first responder agencies on and off campus? Maybe they'll talk about lots of different kinds of emergencies? Power outages, weather, earthquakes...

Today there was lively debate at our state legislature about AB 148- a bill that would allow people to conceal and carry on campus, in schools, and in daycares. I'm sure there are already guns in those places. It is Nevada. I wrote an opinion on our state government website that mirrored what the Reno Police Chief said tonight. I would not feel safe knowing that anyone was allowed to carry on campus because I don't trust people to control their emotions, to continuously undergo training and safety protocol, to keep a safety on, and to not lose their tempers. In general, people don't receive training on conflict management and resolution or the de-escalation of a situation. All it takes one stray bullet near a child to irrevocably change a family. Near anyone really. But the thought of random people having guns near my child in daycare on campus and off campus at her school makes my skin crawl. At what point do we put less focus on needing a gun for self defense and protection, and more focus on creating a culture that doesn't need those protections? 

Ethics in Policing

I love how the Ferguson Report was released today- coinciding with a visit from our chief of police! I just made that connection. I bet Dr. Reg planned that....

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/ferguson-justice-report-shocking/

The jokes on the city's email system really got me. Those emails are public! The statement about Obama not lasting long because no Black man holds a job for 4 years" ? Are you kidding me? I am guilty like everyone else of using my work email for personal purposes and vice versa, but to use emails that the public is paying for to promote personal beliefs that are 1- incorrect, 2- abusive in nature, and 3- perpetrating myths about a specific population seems highly unethical.

What do y'all think?

Ethics at the Diversity Conference- Day 2!

It has taken me some time to think about what to say about Day 2. And I think I have it!

A session I attended was a review of research done on how employers make hiring decisions, how diversity plays a part, and what recruitment looks like. It was fascinating data! What stuck out to me was the notion of "fit". Sometimes employers hire people they like, they think they will work well with, they think look good for the company, or they know because of a connection. When they break the news to the other unsuccessful candidates, a reason used often was because they were not a good fit.

I myself have used that. I tried to define and quantify what that means and usually include examples of personality characteristics, skill sets we are in need of, or time commitments when I meet students who have huge credit loads and multiple club and organization responsibilities. In the research, employers were more basing their decision on the fact that they didn't want to hire people culturally different from them. For example, *Abercrombie & Fitch didn't hire a woman and said it was because she wasn't a good fit even though she scored high on the test and had great interview questions. She is suing them because it was later discovered that the hiring manager was told by another supervisor to not hire the woman because she was wearing a hijab, or head scarf, demonstrating her Muslim heritage.

What do y'all think? Should we continue to use the notion of "fit" in our hiring practices?