What is Ethical Behavior for an Academic Adviser?
Joyce Buck, John Moore, Marion Schwartz, and Stan Supon, Penn State University Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from the second edition of The Penn State Adviser, published this month. There is a moral contract that each of us subscribes to when we become academic advisers. We are in a position of responsibility to students and to the institution; therefore, we are obliged to behave morally. Moreover, there is no way we can ignore this responsibility, for there is no ethically neutral place from which to advise. So how do we fulfill the contract to which we have subscribed? There is no list of moral principles that can cover all situations in a foolproof way. Instead, we offer the following discussion of areas or of ideas where the issue of right conduct is especially crucial or pertinent. Legal responsibilities/moral responsibilities When you started as an academic adviser, you took on certain legal obligations. You became part of a larger legal entity: you are the University, and yo
