Mr. Appiah's response to #1 shows how contemporary, process oriented, identity-based ethics has now evolved, if that's the word, to promote the outright and open embrace of evil. The professor unquestionably did the right thing (although he or she should have reported the assault, too, provided the student consented). Mr. Appiah is gravely mistaken.
19
OK. My post is too abrasive. My apologies to Mr. Appiah. I was just upset at the suggestion that somebody might have acted unethically because they took some action to relieve suffering, and the reason for questioning the ethics of the action was that the action itself presented risk to the one taking action and an institution. I went overboard in calling it the embrace of evil. But something about the analysis in the column seemed really novel and off-base.
20
The screaming-out-loud issue is whether the prof overreached by giving the student money. The answer is YES. Why? Because -- I'm sure-- there were at least 20 other students in his large lecture section whose academic performance had been sub-par and who could have benefitted from a high quality counseling session paid for by the prof. Some might have had sex assault stories; others, equally disturbing trauma that impaired their ability to be present in class. If every student were not afforded that benefit, none should have received it. That's the bottom line. It's not about the prof being a nice or compassionate person; it's also not about the potential risk the professor took in paying for counseling because of friend/mentor entanglements -- it is all about fairness and equality. The ethical breach is found in this student having received a direct financial benefit when another student wasn't; the poor, suffering student still caught in a hole has a legitimate right to cry FOUL. The right course of action? Same facts, except professor calls his/her friends at the HQ clinic and says: "I'm sending you a patient in trouble with financial need -- can you see your way clear to seeing her on a sliding scale basis?" Still walks a line, but in a different league from providing cash.
3
I'm sorry, but are you saying that it's wrong to help the person in front of you because there are others not before you who also need help? If that's the way you are thinking of it, the only justification I can imagine for your view is that, by helping the ailing student, the professor may have given her a competitive advantage over other ailing students who did not receive help. Is neutrality in competition that important in education? These are mere ideas, concepts, hypothetical in character. The ailing student was a human being, real flesh and blood in pain.
28
I am saying it is patently unethical to help this student with cash unless that benefit was offered to every similarly situated student. I can count 5 other nonmonetery, caring ways to help this student— one would have been to follow up with the student rather than throwing $250 at her only to navel gaze 10 years later about the impact of your conduct. So: yes please help, but not with a cash favor unless you are willing to offer that benefit to every other financially strapped student who might also really benefit from a boutique therapy session.
2
That is the best argument I've read against helping the student. However, I'm not sure I'm convinced. Did this advantage to the student put other students at a real disadvantage or just a relative disadvantage? If grading was on a curve, I'd agree with it being a real disadvantage.
Would the professor have helped any other student coming in with issues? If so, there's no special treatment going on.
4
Why was the university health care visit “a waste of time” ? I’ve needed help with similar issues & have experienced good competent mental health care at university & public health outlets. One must be willing to seek treatment for it to be effective. This situation ‘feels’ wrong - as if the prof was inappropriately intimate( & maybe the responsible party.
2
The responsible party? You do not think that people are just kind to others and expect nothing in return or only act because they, themselves, are guilty of the wrong the action is designed to ameliorate? Cynicism knows no bounds, I suppose...
Actually, if the professor were guilty, I doubt he would be writing to the Ethicist about having paid the counseling center. He would have merely been happy that by paying for counseling he escaped virtually unscathed, and would have wanted to leave the book closed on that chapter in his life.
The professor might have been unwise in some aspects of the situation but was certainly generous and empathetic. Instead of looking for the worst type of ulterior motive, perhaps you should express admiration for what he did and examine why your suspicion meter is so sensitively set.
21
I have tried to keep reading this column because ethics is important to me. Alas, I have reached the conclusion that this is more opinion than ethics. My conclusion- ‘if I have a question, just read what Dr Appiah says and do the opposite.’ I’m done
5
Once a professor of mine paid for a plane ticket to an academic convention that I couldn't afford to attend. I was embarrassed by the presumption and found a way to reimburse him for the ticket.
Is that different?
2
"At many universities, faculty members must report any disclosure of sexual assault or harassment to a specified office of the university, whether or not the incident took place on campus"
How utterly asinine
In the story if the article, the alleged sexual assault took place SOMEWHERE else during the summer break
It has zero to do with the college
It could easily have happened not only in a different town but a different STATE!
The Obama administration lost their minds on this
ANd the college will do what if the alleged assault took place in another town in another state and/or the perp was a stranger-attacker (unknown to victim) who used force or threats of force??????
That is a matter for the POLICE --- not the dean of students
Sexual assault is ALWAYS a matter for the police and way outside the province of a college which does not have law enforcement authority, detectives or anything else
5
Regarding the professor, you answer his question as to whether he was too involved and why. I think it is a reasonable response, particularly noting the risk to himself. But you call his actions humanitarian and generous. We all know the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but his truly altruistic actions actually followed the spirit of the law, ensuring capable professional help, if not the letter. Further he respected her desire for confidentiality. Each situation will be different. Attempts to help in issues where one lacks experience or expertise can in themselves be problematic. But what this professor did was laudable and ethical, regardless of the apparent outcome.
14
It was kind and generous of the professor to assist the student and it's great that the situation ended positively. However, the professor doing this was fraught with danger for the professor and the student. For example, if it hadn't worked out, there could have been legal actions brought by the student against the professor.
3
This column answers the question in #1 (that is, whether the professor acted ethically by taking action) by analyzing whether the professor would have been justified in failing to act or by taking different action. That seems to me the wrong way to look at the problem, particularly where, as here, the justifications for inaction appeal to mitigating the risk to the professor and the institution, rather than ameliorating the suffering of the victim.
5
Thirty years ago I was a low-income student at a fancy private liberal arts college. In my last year I got sick and I wasn't getting better. Campus health services was I all I had and it wasn't cutting it. Finally, after maybe months, two of my professors intervened and made an appointment for me. When I went to pay for the tests and diagnosis I was told that the bill was taken care of. Later they showed up at my door with food and prescriptions.
I wouldn't have graduated without their help. Maybe it's okay for professors, in some circumstances, to act humanely toward their students.
84
As a psychologist who has worked 20+ years in a university counseling center, I recommend that the professor suggest that the student contact her university services again and request a different therapist. I wouldn't be surprised if there would be someone who could be more helpful, especially if the student described why it had been "a waste of time" previously.
6
I've had several unfortunate experiences with "student" counseling centers. I'm not the only one, apparently, since I've heard stories from others with the same bad/mediocre experiences.
My feeling/experience is that seeing a school counselor is only meant to be a stop-gap measure until a student is out in the "real world."
Do most schools even have more than one counselor? In the bigger ones, I think they may have two at the most and the majority only have one counselor on staff. It's basically a fish bowl, in any case, with not much in terms of discretion and privacy.
8
Why do so many posters, and the artist of the graphic, assume the professor is a man? As a female professor, I have had far more of these revelations from students than male professors have ever seen. In fact, female students have sometimes asked male professors if they can talk to a female professor about a problem -- and it almost always involved sexual assault, when they do not want to talk to a man about the problem. I always refer to counseling services on campus, which seem to be better than the service described in the letter.
28
It is a sad commentary on our society, that we have to worry about rules and regulations, legal exposure, on and on, before reaching out to help someone who is in trouble.
Someone will say I am being naive, but that is exactly my point. We are regulating away compassion and empathy. When you put lawyers in charge, this is the kind of society you wind up with.
23
the other side will have lawyers, too, so it's not a bad place to start.
2
If you can work it out, I’d love to see Chidi Anagonye, from “The Good Place”, fill in as a guest Ethicist. Especially if it includes some very educated hemming and hawing before, as is likely, he decides that he can’t decide on an answer.
8
#2 is not an ethical issue.
15
#1 does not say whether he gave her the money to pay for counseling, or if he paid the counselor directly. The first, I can see might be a problem. But not the second.
It would have been an egregious failure on the professor's part to simply tell her to repeat counseling that did not connect with her. It's not a commentary on the counselors, it's just human nature and the reason therapists see patients rotate through colleagues until the person feels good about a relationship with a professional.
The professor would not be castigated (heaven help us if that's not true) if he paid for a meal for a student who hadn't eaten for days because he had no money. That student is not at imminent risk of starvation death. But the young woman who had demonstrated in class and by her confiding a horrible experience was gnawing at her life that could well have been at risk.
Instead of listing out the the "what ifs" and "what abouts," the professor should be celebrated for taking action when clearly there was a critical need that wasn't being dealt with.
#1, you did the right thing and the young woman is doing well as a result of your professional and empathetic approach. I hope that any other educator in a similar situation will take your experience as a guide, set up an appointment for a troubled and willing student, and THEN notify administration that you stepped up and took action in an emergency. The key word is emergency.
We need more people like you in life, not just academia.
38
If ever there was an issue that could be identified as self- indulgent navel gazing, it is LW2. She made a decision based on the information she had. Forget it and move on. What earthly difference would this hypothetical conversation with Dad have served? What a waste of column space.
28
I have been contacted by two previously unknown cousins since taking a DNA test in 2014. These tests are much more common these days, and this is unlikely to stop.
4
I agree with Appiah. As a college professor I have confronted this situation, both regarding students reporting sexual assault (on and off campus) and also for other emotional disturbances. I refer them to the two free facilities on campus. In several cases I have had the student in my office (sometimes suicidal) and called the offices to make an appointment. In other cases I've walked the student to the office. I do a lot of listening, but if the student has serious problems I fear I may do more harm than good. As to the student's view that the university counseling was inadequate, that is troubling, but it's very hard to tell if that is real or not. I cannot afford on my low salary to pay for private counseling for myself, much less all the students that come to me with life problems. Also, troubled students sometimes want attention and mercy when it comes to grading (which is not to diminish their real issues). That has backfired on me when I put a lot of time and energy into helping a student, including sending them to the counseling center, only to have them trash me later for not being "nice" when I didn't give them the grade they wanted. Ethics are essential. So are boundaries.
20
And one other point--isn't there the possibility of accusations of favoritism if I pay for one student for private counseling but not anyone else? Who am I to judge who is the most needy? And this could contribute to a sexual harassment accusation. As for all the other situations in which one does or doesn't give a ride to a student walking in the rain, perhaps one ought to ask if one would give that ride to anyone walking down the street? Do we give rides to students because we know them? Why should this give them special privileges? What if I decide that I will give a ride to the small, white female student, but not the towering, hyper-strong male student walking down the street (I'm female)? I think many of you are making unobserved assumptions here.
9
I don't think anyone is suggesting that a professor be required to make an appointment with an independent counseling center for a student and pay for it out of pocket. But this doesn't meant here is anything wrong with doing it (sure, with some CYA documentation that still manages to respect privacy).
It's hard to wrap my head around saying that the ethical thing to do is leave her to the ineffective (for whatever reason) counseling provided by the university, when there is a willing and able benefactor for private counseling. When doing that, the important thing is to ensure that the student does not become obligated to "repay" the professor somehow (probably not with money).
17
From my vantage point, the situation is more complex. We are under constant pressure to be lenient with students who have personal problems. I sympathize and I often make as many concessions as I can (late work, for example). But all of this makes it much harder for me to evaluate their academic work with anything coming close to some objectivity. I've had students that spent a lot of time with me, sharing their concerns and issues, and sometimes it's been great. The idea that some students receive special treatment, which often turns into special academic treatment, has always made me very uncomfortable. But it happens all the time. It isn't fair when often those affinities may be gender-based, racial, class-based, etc. Some students will open up to you and others will not even when they are experiencing just as much need and distress. No one ever offered to pay for my counseling when I certainly could have used it in college, but it would never have occurred to me to talk to my professors about my problems.
6
The professor did not hand money to the student. He paid for a much-needed professional service directly and had no further involvement in her treatment. It was the right thing to do. Once, when an African grad student arrived in Boston during a bitter January without socks or closed shoes, I bought her groceries so she would not have to go out in cold that weekend, then brought socks and coat in on Monday. It was the right thing to do. One professor bought air tickets for the family of a Fulbright student so his wife and children, previously believed dead in a civil war, could travel to the U.S. The State Department required he buy return tickets, though the airport in their country was closed for years. It was the right thing to do.
55
At my University : No. By law, I am not even allowed to report what troubles a students to her parents, let alone to pay for her counseling. Should I do so, it would be a violation of University regulations. In addition, it would be unwise: If interpreted as an attempt of sexual harassment it would terminate my career.
4
Yes, I learned this from a column in NYT recently about college students commuted suicide that colleges were not allowed to report anything (even severe declined) from students. It was really heartbreaking for parents that they would only learned about their child’ trouble after their death !
My son started cutting classes in college and a really caring prof called me to let me know. And my son was depressed for a while that I wasn’t aware of. I’m very very grateful of that professor. I hate to think of if she didn’t ...I could have been one those parents I mentioned above ! I am so grateful of that professor !
22
A professor, or other employee, at my university has no obligation to refuse to help a student unless there is a quid pro quo or an impropriety. I would be interested in hearing what reasoning is cited in your university's apparent ban on giving humane assistance, and the language cited in that stricture.
10
Are you sure there is a law in your country against a teacher paying for counseling? That is not the case in the United States.
4
The professor say the pain the system failed to heal, I would wish that I were as fine a human being as this person, if I saw the same pain.
17
You understand that the argument you are making to the professor is exactly the same argument that can be made to block illegal immigration: in an individual case, it could turn out well, but better to follow the rules and procedures in place that protect the majority.
Now, go make it on an illegal immigration letter where the person says how well it turned out, but feels guilty in retrospect for breaking the law.
2
What law was broken? The questionable policy of reporting something told to you in confidence (which should have already been reported anyway)?
8
The professor violated no rules. Nor is this in the least analogous with immigration of whatever kind.
10
The professor's quandary about providing access to psychological counseling for one of his student's who was the victim of a terrifying sexual assault, reminded me starkly, of an earlier NY Times article about Georgia State's efforts to maintain student enrollment. Entitled: "Georgia State Leading US in Black Graduates Is Engine of Social Mobility," it appeared in the May 20, 2018 issue of the Times. It was subtitled: "Georgia State, once seen as a night school for white businessmen, has reshaped itself amid a moral awakening and a raft of data driven experimentation."
The article states: advisors continuously monitor students' progress and conduct to "see if any of their undergraduates have tripped one of the 800 alerts that could signal potential academic trouble, based on reams of previous student data. It could be something as small as a single poor quiz grade." This overall context suggests the inherent difficulty of trying to weigh costs versus benefits in student privacy issues; which underlies Dr. Appiah's discussion.
And, many of these heart rending, contentious issues are discussed in another NY Times article from the May 13, 2018 issue entitled: "His College Knew of His Despair. His Parents Didn't, Until it Was Too Late." Again, the underlying theme is the costs versus benefits of student privacy; and, a college's potential dilemmas that such a challenge presents.
[JJL 6/19/2018 Tu 1:21p Greenville NC]
3
Why shouldn't a Professor pay to really help a student? As long as there is no possibility of an inappropriate relationship, it's a very generous and decent thing to do. Charity begins at home, and work. Best wishes.
30
Mr. Appiah did not address the first question as an ethical conundrum, but instead, as an advice column. This seems to, unfortunately, be a recurring problem with this column, which is more and more diverting rom discussions of ethics to discussions of advice. LW1 seems to have behaved quite ethically, if perhaps unwisely. Mr. Appiah never really addresses the ethical implications, just the real life risks and benefits. These can sometimes (often) be quite different. I am begging Mr. Appiah to return to addressing ethical questions rather than life advice.
62
Letter 1 - human kindness sure goes a long way. Thank you Professor.
Letter 2 - lies and secrets lead to misery and pain.
10
Yuck!
The implication that a sexual assault victim,who has been failed by yet another university reporting protocol , should have been shuttled off to some other bureaucratic system, to avoid liability, is repulsive.
47
I am reminded of an ethics discussion that came up in my student teaching seminar several years ago. The university professor supervising the student teachers cautioned us to never, EVER, give a student a ride in our car under any circumstances. Her caution prompted a lot of "what ifs," as in "what if you passed the student walking home and there was a tornado or she was being followed." Our professor was unwavering. I understand her extreme caution (because "you could get fired" or "a student could lie and say you did X to her in the car, and then it's your word against hers.") Maybe so, but at some point your role as human trumps your role as teacher, and you accept the risk to your teaching profession to do the obviously right thing as a human. In the case of this university professor, he did the right thing.
54
As a retired teacher I need to comment on the "you accept the risk", given that the risk could include exclusion from your profession, the scorn of the community, and possibly prison. The possible harm to yourself and/or your family is a valid and real ethical consideration of any action you take. I strove to never be alone with a student; turned to the professionals on campus to help a student through difficulties; I drove one student home after rehearsal (I didn't want to leave the student stranded, and in the dark). I worried for a number of years if that was a wise choice, given the above. I probably should have offered bus fair, but bus service in San Diego is spotty - I don't know what the correct action should have been.
7
In response to the "what ifs" posed, my professor advised to call 911 to get the student a ride. That seems appropriate in only a few extreme cases, and yet if something extreme happened -- like a catastrophic weather event or student in other serious danger of bodily harm -- you put the student in your car! I think about your questioning whether you did the right thing, but imagine the questioning and regret if something bad happened to that student, even if you put her on the bus or in a taxi. I agree with your caution 100% and exercise the same "never alone" policy with my own students, but there has to be some cases where common sense prevails and that policy goes out the window after alternatives have been ruled out or exhausted.
16
It should be noted that the "never alone" policy is mostly to protect the teacher (and school) from false accusations, the appearance of impropriety, and liability from a crash (when giving rides). I'm sure some of it is to protect the student from a crime of opportunity or protect the student from bad driving, but I feel it's mostly a CYA policy. It's a shame the world has come to the point where you can't offer honest help without being suspect. And I blame the bad apples among us for that.
15
I am very unhappy with the answer to this question. Certainly the professor took a risk - he may have broken a written or unwritten university rule; his action could also turn out badly for the student. And no, a student is not a friend. But then again a lot of ethical action involves the breaking of rules, most involves some kind of risk and not all of it is directed towards friends, some is even directed towards colleagues.
What, I ask, was the right thing for the professor to do? Refer the student to the counseling service she said was useless. That might have left him with a clean conscience, but it wouldn't have helped the student. He didn't offer himself as her psychiatrist or counsellor - he simply referred her to someone who could offer help - and paid for it. I can't see what is wrong with that. On the contrary I can see a lot that is right with it.
Maybe we need more kindly people, who break rules, take risks and help people who are not their friends...Sure some of it will turn out badly, but anyone who thinks that following official channels will work better is a tad too optimistic for me.
Maybe there's just one extra thing the professor could have done. Ask why the girl didn't want to use the university counseling service again. Was it inconvenient? Did they give her the time and attention she wanted? Was it a personal problem with the therapist. Later he could provide the service with feedback - without naming the student.
39
The professor did take a risk, but that doesn't mean he didn't do the right thing. I think what he did was generous and may have saved that young woman.
Now if I was advising someone in the a same situation, I would have advised calling the college's own service and trying to arrange a second and more fruitful meeting there.
Because - if this had not worked out - or if the young woman interpreted this as some sort of commitment to her - he could have been ( unfairly) accused of anything from failing to act appropriately in her behalf ( if there were official guidelines to follow) to inappropriate behavior which people could interpret as seduction.
But in referring her to a professional service, I think he was clearly doing something entirely ethical.
6
A student is not a friend or acquaintance, agreed. But, I would say that the educator/student relationship is at least something like a parent-child relationship (not in its entirety). A parent is responsible for the well-being of his/her children. You might notice that the student was seeking help from the professor as a child might of his/her parents.
As far as the second-guessing goes, the potential wrong from the action is not about the student's well-being, but about the rules of the university. Unless the professor was setting the student up with a bad counselor, or expecting favors in return, what risk of harm was there to the student (I'm going to ignore incidentals, like getting in an accident or mugged on the way there.)?
What should be second-guessed is the documentation/reporting of the assistance, but this is more about protecting the professor than the student. The situation probably should have been disclosed, without identifying the student except maybe to a confidant. This way, if there were any accusations after the fact, the professor and university might have a better chance of being cleared. It's as simple as "A student came to me with an issue. This student sought help at the university's counseling center but did not find it helpful. I suggested an unaffiliated counseling center and paid the charge for it. Details of the issue are disclosed in a confidential file with X, Y, or Z."
8
A professor-student relationship does not resemble a parent-child relationship in any way. In loco parentis is a dead item. The former is in a purely workplace setting, where business-like behavior is the only one that is appropriate.
One might argue that a regular-age student is not yet an adult, but then that goes against lots of other positions that say he or she is a grownup. You cannot have it both ways.
Apparently this particular outcome was good, but there was very thin ice surrounding the entire skate.
13
Not in any way? Give me a break. So parents are not responsible for teaching their children? Educators are not responsible for their students' well being?
I didn't say that educators were parents to their students; I said that there are some similarities. Parent/educator is the old(er)/strong/experienced/resourceful side of the relationship; student/child is the young(er)/weak/inexperienced/resourceless side of the relationship. Both as relevant to the specific situation. The educator/student relationship is obviously a very small part of the parent/child relationship, but that doesn't mean they don't have common ground. They're both built around the development of the student/child.
Is the issue with suggesting the student go to the counselor or paying for her to go? It's not like she showed up drunk and the professor told her to drive home and she got lucky and didn't get caught or worse; it's more like the professor paid for her cab home.
2
Agree with Leading Edge 100%.
I am a professor myself. It is a delicate situation. I think one ethical problem in the professor's situation that was not discussed is a potential conflict of interest involving evaluation (e.g. grading). I think I would not take action without discussing it with senior people in my dept; I'd want someone else I trusted to know what I was doing. Still, while the situation requires thoughtfulness and care, the bottom line is it is not wrong to help someone in need; it was a generous action.
47
Re LW#1, I cannot understand why or how a teacher would b e obligated to report to the university a sexual assault that happened in the workplace during the summer (unless the summer job was *at* the university). The university is in no way whatsoever connected with what happened, they are not entitled or empowered to investigate, and the student had already tried their counseling and found it wanting. (The correct folks to report it, I'd think, would be (a) regular law enforcement and possibly (b) upper level management wherever she was working.) The Ethicist's point that the professor could have let the university know that they had failed a student is a good one, but s/he could do that regardless (and I hope s/he did). The Ethicist's says that "there really is a case for handing over a student who is having such difficulties to people who are trained in dealing with them" -- but that is exactly what this professor did by getting the student in touch with qualified therapists rather than attempting to "counsel" her.
I see nothing wrong with what this professor did -- s/he didn't pay for the student's treatment for months and months, s/he didn't go into debt to do so, s/he didn't push further into the student's life, s/he didn't take advantage of the situation. S/he was simply a kind and generous adult trying to help a young person who needed it, and I can't imagine what possible bad repercussions there could have been.
I applaud this person 100% for what s/he did.
69
@michele: I think the Ethicist interpreted mandatory reporting laws a little too broadly, as you note. As far as the professor’s concerned, all this is hearsay, legally since it happen at the school. That said, if the student was struggling that much, I commend the professor for wanting to help in some way. Not many would in this day and age.
I think the professor’s dilemma stems from the widespread assumption of “no good deed goes unpunished” that has made us skeptical and cynical of anyone’s motives in seeking or giving assistance. Sad, actually.
7
You might be surprised as to how broad mandatory reporter rules are, at least in my district, and how severe the penalties are for non-compliance.
1
michele makes a good point with "The correct folks to report it, I'd think, would be (a) regular law enforcement and possibly (b) upper level management wherever she was working."
To which I would add c) The university counseling center. What further evidence do we need of their failure to be of service?
Re: LW#2, I don't see that there's any ethical question involved. The LW should not feel guilty or challenge herself as to whether she "should" or "shouldn't" have talked about it with her father. Children aren't responsible for their parents' actions, particularly things that occurred before they were born, and there isn't any right or wrong in terms of what children should do when they learn of events in their parents' lives that don't involve them and over which they have no control. It's the parents who should have talked to HER about the situation, which clearly impacts her life, and her curiosity about and desire for a possible relationship with her half-siblings are entirely normal.
15
Agreed. But I would go further and say that parents, by virtue of being parents, do not give up their own rights to privacy. We do not know from the info given what circumstances drove the LW's mother to decide to leave her 2 children behind in her home country. Clearly they were from a relationship prior to the one with LW2's father. Perhaps the father of these 2 half siblings wanted them to stay. We don't know. If her mother was unmarried at the time, there would have been a terrible stigma, which explains the decision to have them raised by her sister. But whatever the reason, her mother made a very painful choice based on her best assessment of her circumstances at the time. Her daughter is not entitled to pry into this or second guess her mother, opening old wounds and questioning things she doesn't understand. And I would also disagree that the existence of these half siblings is something that "clearly impacts her life". How so? Apparently she lived most of her life without knowing about it. How was she harmed by that or, indeed, affected at all? No one has the right to gratify their curiosity about someone else's private life unless they truly have a demonstrable stake in having that information.
2
Well, let's see. A professor took a risk to help out a student that the system was in the process of failing, and it all worked out well. Have we slipped so far that we fail to celebrate courage? Kudos to the prof and my very best to the student.
103
Paying for a needy student's serious need?
It may happen more than we know.
Because bad things can happen to good people, the
advice given ("better a live chicken than a dead duck" sort of counseling) seems akin to "Let no good deed go unpunished."
Campus policies are often designed to protect administrators and their "system."
Life is full of risks, and risks may have negative consequences. Therefore, it appears from the advice to our compassionate professor, that one should not take risks because they might backfire.
"Risk not, want not"?
I recall an incident at a major university where a student confessed to a newly-hired professor of being raped by a student athlete. The green new prof told her more experienced colleagues and asked their advice.
They counseled that the prof should drop the subject entirely if she cared a whit about her future career at the institution.
IF the student, sans the counseling she couldn't afford, had committed suicide (as some folks do), well . . . the generous professor and the school and the "system" would be in the clear. Conscience and cowardice?
Having had substantial adventures with cautious colleagues and corrupt campus administrators -- from my lifetime experience in education, I'm not comforted by Professor Appian's well-meaning advice.
Doug Giebel, Big Sandy, Montana
10
Reporting sexual harassment, or worse, is required not by campus policies, it is the law.
4
From my life-time experience in education, I see the risks as weighty, they include: loss of employment, loss of standing in community; legal proceedings; prison.
1
LW1 took a big chance with his career, and should have reported. The fact that everything turned out well is no excuse, because the outcome could have been awful and, as the Ethicist noted, he could have been held responsible.
It's difficult to think through on the spot, but a response such as "It is my duty to report this but, if you need some help in getting the counseling you need, let me know" may have been a better answer.
5
Unless the student was a minor, there was no obligation to report it. Off-campus crimes are not in a university's purview, and it has no right to require that victims are identified to it. It seems clear that student confidentiality requires teacher respect in this particular case; violation of that might have resulted in reprimand had the victim complained or suffered as a result. The money was given without quid pro quo or expectation of any kind, the end of involvement. The kindness was thoroughly justifiable in any case. So was confidential treatment of the student's trust. Even fewer victims would reach out if your advice were followed. Too bad that self-protection has become so rampant that justifiable and humane deeds are seen as wrong by some. Not by all, thank God, or we'd be living in an even worse place than we are.
22
I agree. If the student is of the age of majority. Then she has agency over her own actions. Her desire for confidentiality should be respected.
I don't see the 'risks' involved.
1
If the student already sought counseling from the university (presumably run by mandatory reporters), what new information was there for the professor to report, even if he/she was obligated to report it?
Also keep in mind that the professor might not have been a mandatory reporter (not all universities have the same policy or had that policy at the time).
What bad outcome would come from the professor paying for the student to go to counseling?
7
We know better than you do about whether we would help you, and we will choose for you. If your decision bothers us, you put at risk anyone you turn to.
That is deeply, deeply troubling.
5
L2: Has the letter writer shared her information with her brothers?
5
Doesn't matter, as the letter sounds as is the situation is completely imaginary.
5