Who would have thought one year ago that we would be where we are today?
We have seen the reckless dishonesty of corporate leaders destroy the lives of thousands of their employees, not to mention the millions of American investors who have endured the enduring economic impact of their transgressions. First, it was Enron and Arthur Andersen. Then, Global Crossing and Tyco. WorldCom came soon after.
We witnessed the disgrace of prominent members of the academic community when Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin faced charges of plagiarism earlier this year.
This past summer, we saw members of the Rigas family, founders of Adelphia Communications, hauled off to jail by federal law enforcement officials for looting the company they had worked a lifetime to build.
And if that were not enough, we have seen America's queen of domesticity, Martha Stewart, implicated in an insider trading scandal that has crippled her once mighty empire.
In the wake of this year of turmoil, even the most heralded American companies and respected American citizens are now under intense scrutiny.
And if anything is apparent from this parade of malfeasance, it is that ethics and honor have catapulted to the forefront of our national consciousness. It is imperative that we, the members of the Penn community, actively address these critical issues that will inevitably impact our futures.
To this end, the University Honor Council, as the student organization charged with promoting both academic and personal integrity on campus, will host its third annual Integrity Week. The UHC has planned a series of events that are designed to facilitate discussion about the challenging ethical issues facing students and professionals.
As part of Integrity Week, the UHC is sponsoring two panel discussions involving a number of professionals and University faculty members. Today at 5 p.m. in Huntsman Hall 270, the UHC will host "Ethics in the Media: Is Impartiality Just a Pipe Dream?," featuring professors from the Annenberg School for Communication, as well as local and national print journalists.
On Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Houston Hall's Hall of Flags, the UHC will offer "Corporate Ethics in 2002 and Beyond," co-sponsored by Career Services, featuring professors from the Wharton School and practitioners in government enforcement, law, accounting and consulting.
The highlight of Integrity Week will be famed Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward's keynote address, taking place on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium, co-sponsored by the Provost's Spotlight Series and the Social Planning and Event Committee's Connaissance branch. As part of the duo that uncovered the misdeeds in the White House that helped to bring down a president, there is no one better suited to explore "The State of Integrity 30 Years After Watergate."
Integrity Week will conclude with a screening of All the President's Men, the 1976 movie starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford that chronicles the unfolding story of the Watergate break-in and cover-up that captivated our nation, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Logan Hall 17, co-sponsored by SPEC Films and Kappa Sigma.
In his Convocation speech, Provost Robert Barchi articulated the essence of Integrity Week best when he stated that "the ethical conduct that should characterize your years at Penn is not something to be left behind at graduation. It should become a steadfast internal compass that helps you find the moral high ground throughout your career and your life. Consult it often and have confidence in the fidelity of its direction."
As this year of scandal has taught us, ethical behavior is by no means confined to the classroom. The UHC hopes that Integrity Week will encourage all members of the Penn community to heed the call of Provost Barchi and consider the connection between academic integrity and professional integrity in a thoughtful way.
The UHC hopes that Integrity Week will serve as the impetus for an ongoing campus dialogue about the many ethical issues that students, faculty, administrators and professionals continually face.
On behalf of the University Honor Council, we invite you to take part.
Kelly Lynch is a senior Economics and Political Science major from Hingham, Mass. Dennis Tupper is a senior Finance and Legal Studies concentrator from Springfield, N.J. They are co-chairmen of the University Honor Council.
