Panel examines academic integrity after graduation

Ethics and integrity. Truth and honesty. What exactly do these words mean, and how are they applicable in both the classroom and the workplace? Seeking the answers to these very questions, approximately 60 curious undergraduates attended a panel discussion yesterday entitled "Integrity After Graduation." The discussion, sponsored by the University Honor Council, was part of the University-wide Academic Integrity Week. Participants in this panel ranged from members of Penn's standing faculty to practicing physicians to prominent businesspeople. The speakers emphasized the importance and value of integrity in various professional fields -- particularly in politics, medicine and business. Political Science Professor Marissa Golden discussed the "unique ethical dilemma" faced by civil servants who work for government agencies after graduation. Government employees often become deeply involved in the "mission of agency" of their respective political party, according to Golden. What happens, however, when a new political administration with a different political agenda takes power? Studies have found, Golden told the audience, that civil servants are imbued with a "highly developed code of conduct" –– a code that strongly encourages them to remain dedicated servants to their employers, regardless of any differing viewpoints. In the realm of politics, therefore, ethical behavior generally means being responsive and loyal to the current political administration, Golden concluded. Following Golden, Rocky Schears, a physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, spoke. Schears focused on the issue of ethics in medicine, especially on the debates over cardiac resuscitation. In the emergency room, Schears said, there is often a disparity between the emotional desires of an ailing patient's family and the practical desires of the doctors. It is the difficult responsibility of the doctor, Schears said, to reconcile these conflicting views and, hopefully, make as ethical of a decision as possible. Jackie Reses, a University alumnus now working for the Goldman Sachs investment banking firms, discussed the overall importance of confidentiality when conducting business. Reses told the audience that as an investment banker, she is frequently given absolutely confidential information. It would be a breach of trust, she reminded the students, to ever leak this information to anyone. "Just make sure everything that you do in school is the right thing to do because it could come back to haunt you," Reses joked. During his speech, Legal Studies Professor Nicholas Constan shared examples from his own experience as a teacher. Stressing trust and integrity, he told the audience that he serves as a father figure to many of his students, not because of his teaching style, but because he guarantees them complete confidentiality. Constan also discussed the importance of honesty in resumes and credentials, as he reminded the students that "there is nothing to be gained over the long run by unethical behavior." This event marked the highlight of the first annual Academic Integrity Week. This week-long program is the brainchild of the University Honor Council, chaired by Wharton sophomore Kevin Hodges. According to Hodges, the purpose of the week is to "present the efforts of the Council to the intellectual community of Penn and to promote recognition of the Code of Academic Integrity." The Honor Council was founded in the spring of 1995 by then-Provost Stanley Chodorow. The council works closely with both the Office of Vice-Provost of University Life as well as the Office of Student Conduct to "raise awareness about academic integrity at Penn," Hodges said.