Moral, Ethical, & Spiritual Compass
Graduates should possess a well-defined personal moral, ethical, and spiritual compass that provides grounding and direction. This “Compass” should include:
a. personal moral, ethical, and spiritual commitments that are reflected through honesty, truth-telling and servant-oriented approach to leadership;
b. an ability to articulate a Christian worldview that reflects the values, ethics, and principal teachings of the Christian faith;
c. an understanding of and commitment to the codes of ethics guiding the various student affairs professional organizations.
a. personal moral, ethical, and spiritual commitments that are reflected through honesty, truth-telling and servant-oriented approach to leadership;
b. an ability to articulate a Christian worldview that reflects the values, ethics, and principal teachings of the Christian faith;
c. an understanding of and commitment to the codes of ethics guiding the various student affairs professional organizations.
Honesty with Student A
In career counseling appointments I would utilize honesty in the helping relationship (Egan, 2009). Last fall I encountered Student A, an African-American female who, from her work history, I assumed was twice my age. After 15 years at a health care company she was looking to switch to the energy field. In an e-mail follow-up after her resume appointment she shared, “It’s been a struggle to focus on this on my own…it seemed easier with 2 eyes looking. Also, I’ve been busy with work and school. I don’t know if there is a deadline to get back to you but I’m stuck.” In my response back I said, “I know school and work can make life busy, but look inside yourself to see if anything else is holding you back from getting this done.” She wrote back, “Eric, you are right…maybe something is holding me back.” A week after my honesty with Student A she sent me her updated resume. |
Discussing Academic Requirements
At APU, 18 units of the General Studies Requirements involve “God’s Word & the Christian Response.” Students had varying responses when we would come across this section on the General Studies Checklist during an academic advising session. They would say: “Do I really have to take that?” or “Exodus/Deuteronomy was hard, I don’t think I could do Luke/Acts” or “I’m excited to take that.” I worked with students who wanted to be Biblical Studies majors, I worked with students who wanted nothing to do with religious studies, and I worked with students who were indifferent about the situation. As an academic advising intern, I understood and appreciated the diverse spiritual journeys these students were on (Fowler, 1981). I also understood college as a time for these students to explore their faiths (Parks, 2000) and that this exploration often involves difficulty and struggle (Bryant & Astin, 2008). I accepted students and the stage they were at. If they were apprehensive about the course because it challenged them academically or spiritually, I would encourage them to simply experience the content. If they were indifferent, I would advise they take the course and hope they would gain something from it. If they were opposed to bible classes, I would help them explore their hesitations. Instead of lecturing this type of student, I empathized with their experience at a campus where Christian privilege prevails (Seifert, 2007) and did not try to sway them in any particular direction. |
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Professional Code of Ethics
In my roles as an academic advisor and as a career counselor, I developed an understanding of the codes of ethics guiding those fields. Through office policies and the CAS Professional Standards for Higher Education (2006), I learned what was necessary to properly and ethically handle sensitive student data. In my role as an academic advisor I interacted with student records, including their grade point averages and holds on their accounts. I also met with students at the beginning of each semester to discuss policies surrounding their admittance to APU on academic probation. As a career counselor, I handled student files, read past counselor notes, and recorded notes of my own after each appointment with a student. Through all of these experiences I acted with care and respect for all of the individuals involved, exemplifying the codes of ethics surrounding the student affairs fields. |
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