Santa Clara University

Best Student Comment Wins a $50 Amazon gift card. Responses must be received by midnight, September 12, 2011

Mike is new to the Bike Club on campus and the first meeting just finished. As members start shuffling out of the room, Mike notices no one picks up the trash. Mike starts to gather plates, cups, and napkins and throw them away.

The president of the Bike Club, Tom, says, “Oh, the cleaners will get that.” Do students have a responsibility to clean up after themselves? Or is it not that important since the University pays people to clean?

Here are some resources you may find useful:

 A Framework for Ethical Decision Making 

Staff Perspective on College Behavior 

Civility at Rutgers

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  Best student comment wins a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate. Responses must be received by midnight September 4, 2011

Katherine entered college with a very high standard for herself regarding sex. She is proud of her choice to remain a virgin until marriage. Now she has met the most amazing guy during the fall term of her freshman year. Max, her boyfriend, believes physical affection and even sex are important ways of showing how much two people care for each other. He has pressed Katherine to express their growing romance sexually, but so far she has said no.

Should Katherine revise her beliefs about sex because someone she respects and wants to have a deep relationship with believes differently? His views are probably the mainstream views among their friends, she realizes.

Should Max keep pressing her for sex? Is his bringing it up often a legitimate part of his wanting to express his love for her? Or do his frequent suggestions show a lack of respect for her beliefs?

Some resources you may find useful:

A Framework for Ethical Decision Making 

More College Hookups, but More Virgins Too

10 Truly Shocking Stats on STDs and College Students

Photo by AWKWORDrap available under Attribution- Non Commercial- No Derivs License.

 Best student comment wins a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate. Responses must be received by midnight August 29, 2011

With his acceptance to his first-choice school, a medium-sized private university far from his hometown, Mo gets a package of information about his options for dorm living. He’s heard a lot about the various Residential Learning Communities on campus, each of which focuses on a different theme. As an African American, Mo is interested in exploring his racial and cultural identity, so he’s drawn to the African American–themed dorm, United. But then he wonders whether living in United will limit his interactions with students from other communities. He doesn’t want to be defined entirely by being African American, but he also doesn’t want to feel isolated in a dorm where there may be no other African American students.

Should Mo choose the United dorm knowing it may allow him the best chance to explore his ethnic identity, or should he opt for another residence hall where the dorm’s theme may attract a wider variety of students?

Some resources you may find useful:

A Framework for Ethical Decision Making 

The Impact of Diversity on College Students

Why Does Diversity Matter in College Anyways?

Photo by Derek Severson available under Attribution- Non Commercial- No Derivs License.

Best student comment wins a $50 Amazon Gift Certificate.  Responses must be received by midnight August 21, 2011.

Paige, a college freshman, needed to put the finishing touches on a poli sci paper that was due at 11. After her 9 a.m. class, she returned to her room in the residence hall to check the footnotes, but when she unlocked the door, her roommate Cheyenne was in bed with the comforter pulled up above her head.

Paige flicked on the light. It wasn't her problem that Cheyenne was such a party girl. She hadn't come home the night before, and that was hardly the first time. She decided to ignore Cheyenne and opened her laptop to begin her work. But when she started typing, Cheyenne growled at her to go somewhere else.

Paige had told some friends to come by her room before class, and now she had to let them know she wouldn't be there. On her way out of the residence hall, she posted a new status to her Facebook: "Cheyenne (AKA the skank) is sleeping it off in the room. I'll be in the library."

By the time she reopened her laptop, her friend Ivy had commented on her status: "That girl is going to be pregnant before midterms." And Leanne followed with lol.

Paige was astonished when she got back from dinner that night to be approached by Tara, the Resident Fellow on her floor. Tara said she wanted to talk with Paige about cyberbullying Cheyenne.

Do you think Paige was engaged in cyberbullying? If so, do you think the university should get involved in the issue?

Some resources you may find useful:

A Framework for Ethical Decision Making 

 Destructive Bullying 

Facebook Crimes on Rise

Photo by Herbstkind available under Attribution- Non Commercial- No Derivs License.