The term "ethics" is ambigous, i.e., it has several meanings that may be pretty disparate. The following are the most important:


1. A theoretical study of morality; a treatise.
2. A code of morals; a set of standards for conduct.
3. The search for the good life.
4. The application of ethical rules to judge something.

When talking about professional ethics we will refer predominantly to 2 and 4.

ETHICS of COLLEGE PERSONNEL

SUBJECT: PERSONAL AND WORK RELATED CONDUCT CHARACTER: PRACTICAL, APPLIED

Respect Every Person!

- Recognize the intrinsic worth of every individual!
- Treat others as a goal not just as a means!
- Respect their autonomy (freedom)! (Immanuel Kant, Deontological Ethics)

Be Fair and Just!

- Do to others as you would like them do to you!
- Treat other as they would like to be treated! (The Golden Rule)
- At least, try not to do any harm!

Be Consistent!

- Treat others equally!
- Keep promises!
- Always act so that you can ask others to do the same! (Immanuel Kant, Deontological Ethics)

Build Your Character!

- Let your good actions determine your character!
- Let your good character determine your actions!
- Be honest and dependable. (Plato, Aristotle. Virtue Ethics)

VALUES: The QUALITIES that should be actualized in the working environment or embodied in college personnel.

GOALS: The OBJECTIVES that the community strives to attain.

Defined: in the mission statement of URI, URI Cornerstones and HRL Mission statement.

VALUES FROM URI CONNERSTONES:

- Integrity
- Honesty
- Courage
- Respect
- Autonomy
- Responsibility
- Curiosity
- Open-mindedness
- Tolerance
- Improvement
- Wellness
- Learning
- Leadership

Some more specific virtues:

- Dignity - Commitment - Consistency - Fairness - Compassion - Dependability - Punctuality - Confidentiality

A COMBINATION OF

(a) SKILLS AND COMPETENCES,
(b) ATTITUDES AND APPROACHES

(a) SKILLS:

(1) COMMUNICATION - USE OF LANGUAGE (SPOKEN, WRITTEN), USE OF BODY LANGUAGE (GESTURES, GRIMASSES), USE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA (IM,EMAIL, ETC).

(2) LEADERSHIP - BECOMING TRUSTWORTHY, SHOWING BY EXAMPLE.

(3) SELF-CONTROL - BEING CAPABLE OF GAINING CONTROL AND COMPOSURE TO HANDLE SITUATIONS AND CHALLENGES.

(4) AWARENESS - BEING CONSCIOUS OF GROUP AND INTERPERSONAL DYNAMIC AND YOUR ROLE WITHIN THE GROUP.

(5) PERSISTENCE - STICKING TO THE GOALS BUT REACHING THEM THROUGH INCREMENTAL TASKS.

(6) KNOWLEDGE - BEING VERSED IN THE MATTER. BEING INFORMED AND PREPARED TO UTILIZE WHAT YOU KNOW.

(7) RESOURCEFULNESS - BEING ABLE TO MAKE A FULL USE OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES.

(8) CREATIVITY - BEING INOVATIVE AND INVENTIVE IN CONCEIVEING IDEAS AND CARRYING THEM OUT.

(9) PROBLEM SOLVING - BEING ABLE TO SPOT PROBLEMS AND DEVICE SOLUTIONS AFTER EXAMINING ALL ASPECTS AND CONSIDERING ALL OPTIONS.

(10) AVAILABILITY - BEING AVAILABLE FOR ADVICE AND HELP. Knowing when feedback, humor and active listening are appropriate.

(1) Motivation - what is moving you. Must come from your inwardness - could be only awakened in others.

(2) Concern - care must accompany competence. Otherwise we are ineffective and only arrogant. "If you care to lead, you need to lead with care." (Mitchell, R.L. 199)

(3) Involvement - you must be involved and must engage others.

(4) Consistency - you must be consistent in how you treat people. Do not play favorites and do not create precedents.

(5) Recognition - give credit to others for their ideas. Praise people for their accomplishment.

(6) Positive - everyone can have negative emotions or be upset. What matters is to deal with them constructively.

(7) Learning - everything can be a learning experience. If you can learn from mistakes there are no pure failures. Stay open-minded.

(8) Commitment - honor commitment in a timely and reliable manner. Be on time and respond adequately (nicely). Prioritize issues, phone calls, emails, and appointments.

(9) Honesty - be honest about your strengths and limitations.

(10) Self-improvement - assist in your own development by being alert and willing to assume the varied roles and tasks supervisors will ask you to perform.

CHART OF RESPONSIBILITY

1. DUTY - THERE ARE ACTIONS THAT MUST BE DONE (AND THEY CAN BE DONE).

2. LIABILITY - FAILING TO DO THEM MAY HAVE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES (AND IS PUNISHABLE).

3. OBSERVANCE OF DUTY - PRAISWORTHY AND REWARDING.

Kinds of Responsibility:

(1) Personal Responsibility is twofold:

(a) To myself, and (b) To students.

(a) - Make most of the opportunities provided by the position. - Approach the position with an open mind. - Be honest with yourself and your peers. - Set boundaries and know your limits. - Seek help when necessary. - Take time for yourself. Balance your commitments.

(b) - Treat students as individuals who possess dignity, worth and ability to make choices for themselves. - Show and teach respect. - Assist students in becoming productive members of the community. - Facilitate building a healthy and inclusive community. - Work for the welfare of all students. The primary purpose is to benefit students. - Work for positive change. (Positive interaction within boundaries)

(2) Professional Responsibility (responsibility for competence, skills and their proper exercise).

Pure role obligation is not necessarily moral (bringing a keg to a party) but in performing professional duties there is a moral obligation to do what ought to be done. Competence is essential when others depend on us for assistance and guidance. Consistently performing functions of the position is vital. If you cannot perform properly better resign than feel miserable and serving miserably. Collaborative work and sharing ideas are more productive than individual effort. Therefore work as a team member. Supportiveness is the secret of team work. Be supportive of HRL and act as the representative of the Department. Loyalty is very important. Be loyal and do not undermine the authority of other team members. But confront and report any misconduct among staff members.

(3) Human Responsibility (responsibility toward mankind as such).

Assist students in becoming members of the larger community and responsible citizens. Encourage the acceptance of diversity. Open perspective for becoming the citizen of the world (member of mankind). Sometimes it is not easy to meet all levels of responsibility and to reconcile all obligations. But in principle it is possible to be faithful to yourself, to your friends, to your institution and your profession at once.