To what extent does the administration have the responsibility to uphold the community standard (i.e. with complete transparency/honesty of administrative expenditures), and would their violations of the community standard be more permissible?
The Duke Community Standard as we know it was implemented in 2003, though the university has boasted an honor system since 1924. Broken down into three bullet points, the community standard spells out the ethical code to which all undergraduates are held: in a nutshell, we are to conduct ourselves honorably in all areas of life, and act if standard is compromised.
Pause for a minute, and note the word undergraduates. Nowhere is administration explicitly mentioned in conjunction with the community standard. That said, they still have a responsibility to act ethically; they play a huge part in “promoting a climate of integrity” as the standard proposes to do.
Acting ethically and being totally transparent, however, are two totally different things. Let’s be real, these deans have a university to run and a prestigious reputation to uphold. Say a little bit of controversial behavior goes on – behavior that, if reported, would threaten the university at large. You won’t hear about it. And frankly, it might be better that way.
You see, Duke, a private institution of higher education, is a business. And though I personally am a staunch believer in corporate transparency, especially at the upper levels; the fact of the matter is that in a cutthroat capitalist society such as ours, it doesn’t work that way. Were Duke administrators to focus only on “acting ethically and transparently,” practical choices with the greatest benefit to the community might not be made. So I’m okay with the gray area.
The end justifies the means; and that end is this great university environment that we’re a part of.
If the means used to realize it weren’t quite up to ethical snuff, they still contributed to making Duke a place where a climate of integrity pervades. That’s a good enough rationalization for me.
The Duke Ethicist is a project of the Honor Council which responds to ethical questions posed by the Duke community. Our purpose is to provide a medium through which students may anonymously seek advice or spark dialogue. Got a question? Send it to dukeethicist@gmail.com, and look out for a response on our blog.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.