DukeEthicist: The STINF Stint

When is it reasonably appropriate to use the STINF?

It’s the end of midterm week (part one). Presumably, it’s the end of STINF season. The STINF itself, of course, is not intrinsically bad. Rather, the abuse of it is. So where is the moral gray?

Well, it would be easy to say that there is a binary between using the STINF appropriately, and not. Use it when you are sick, and do not use it otherwise. But are there exceptions to this binary? That is, can we redefine “appropriately?” I think we can—I think we need to. The issue, however, is with whether we apply the STINF to those exceptions. Consider the following example: you are a work-study student who must complete a certain number of hours of work per week (outside of school work). You hold three jobs, and you are the president of an active student organization. Your random selection of classes placed you under inconvenient circumstances such that you have four midterms in two days. You are therefore tasked with balancing your work hours and extracurriculars with the necessary hours for studying. To STINF or not to STINF? You are not sick: do not STINF. But is your preparation for your midterms severely limited? Yes. Does this qualify as an exceptional case? In my book, yes it does. What to do about it cannot be answered by the STINF form, however. I think it can be answered by simple communication.

Professors at this school are among the most accommodating I have ever met. Never have I once been denied the opportunity to extend a deadline on an assignment when I have requested it (for a legitimate reason). Your responsibility rests in providing advance notice—in understanding your schedule beforehand and planning accordingly. To rely on the STINF would be the last-minute option for someone who was too irresponsible to care about the deadlines or requirements of the class. Be smart, plan ahead. Pick up a free student planner from the bookstore. And talk to your teachers—it makes you look bad to let the STINF do the talking.

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.