Act Right.
Ethical decision making- Is to have your own honor code that you abide by. Your honor code is based off your background and experiences. Ethical choices are not standard, one may view another’s choices as unethical. Everybody’s ethical compass is unique to themselves.
To be ethical criteria:
• Need to have your own honor code
• Have the will to abide by your own honor code
• Look not only in the short run but also the long run
• Understand to the best of your knowledge how your actions will affect others around you
• Make sure your actions are for the best of others and not just yourself
• When you make an unethical decision, forgive yourself and learn from your mistakes
In one of my college courses, the professor allowed for the students to have a cheat sheet for the final exam. It took me several hours to go through my notes and decide what information would be most useful. I definitely had to prioritize my schedule in order to complete the sheet and also get an adequate amount of studying for my other courses.
The night before the exam I was faced with a proposition. There were some peers of mine that did not prioritize and waited to the night before the exam to start the sheet. Along with having a sheet to write, my peers also had another exam besides the one class we shared. With all the stress on their plates, they decided to call me up to see if I could just scan my cheat sheet for them. At first I did not see a problem, until I started thinking about what I was really doing. If I gave them my cheat sheet, I would be cutting them out of learning the material themselves and quite possibly dishonoring the Aggie Honor Code. What would my professor think if she saw the cheat sheet copied three times? Would that not raise a big, red flag of people cheating? Would her perception of us change because of this foul? It was hard, but I called my peers back to tell them that I could not do it. I felt terrible but in the end I knew that the consequences for all of us would outweigh the gain of one cheat sheet. In the end my peers were able to produce their own sheet and they actually made a great grade in the course.
This situation made me believe that I do follow the Aggie code along with my own personal code. My personal code is not to leave me better off than the rest. Instead I want to better people and let them prosper by their own talents, strengths, and skills. By helping them cheat, I too would be cheating them and that would not leave them better off in the long run. This situation made me think long and hard about the choices I make. I want to help everybody especially when it comes to school, but I do not want to handicap them and vice versa. I also do not want anyone to make unethical decisions because of me. I would expect them to tell me “no” if I had ever asked them for anything that went against their ethical code. It is important for me to follow my own honor code as it is for others to follow their own. I will continue to honor my own code in everything that I do, including my work, family, or anything that I am personally involved in. I realize that I am not always going to make the most ethical decisions, however I will learn from my mistakes and go on.
To be ethical criteria:
• Need to have your own honor code
• Have the will to abide by your own honor code
• Look not only in the short run but also the long run
• Understand to the best of your knowledge how your actions will affect others around you
• Make sure your actions are for the best of others and not just yourself
• When you make an unethical decision, forgive yourself and learn from your mistakes
In one of my college courses, the professor allowed for the students to have a cheat sheet for the final exam. It took me several hours to go through my notes and decide what information would be most useful. I definitely had to prioritize my schedule in order to complete the sheet and also get an adequate amount of studying for my other courses.
The night before the exam I was faced with a proposition. There were some peers of mine that did not prioritize and waited to the night before the exam to start the sheet. Along with having a sheet to write, my peers also had another exam besides the one class we shared. With all the stress on their plates, they decided to call me up to see if I could just scan my cheat sheet for them. At first I did not see a problem, until I started thinking about what I was really doing. If I gave them my cheat sheet, I would be cutting them out of learning the material themselves and quite possibly dishonoring the Aggie Honor Code. What would my professor think if she saw the cheat sheet copied three times? Would that not raise a big, red flag of people cheating? Would her perception of us change because of this foul? It was hard, but I called my peers back to tell them that I could not do it. I felt terrible but in the end I knew that the consequences for all of us would outweigh the gain of one cheat sheet. In the end my peers were able to produce their own sheet and they actually made a great grade in the course.
This situation made me believe that I do follow the Aggie code along with my own personal code. My personal code is not to leave me better off than the rest. Instead I want to better people and let them prosper by their own talents, strengths, and skills. By helping them cheat, I too would be cheating them and that would not leave them better off in the long run. This situation made me think long and hard about the choices I make. I want to help everybody especially when it comes to school, but I do not want to handicap them and vice versa. I also do not want anyone to make unethical decisions because of me. I would expect them to tell me “no” if I had ever asked them for anything that went against their ethical code. It is important for me to follow my own honor code as it is for others to follow their own. I will continue to honor my own code in everything that I do, including my work, family, or anything that I am personally involved in. I realize that I am not always going to make the most ethical decisions, however I will learn from my mistakes and go on.