Our scenario:
The executive board of a sorority on Ohio State’s campus is collecting their members’ dues to pay for their own membership dues and for extemporaneous things, such as alcohol, expensive dinners, and designer clothes. A newly elected member of the exec board learns of this and doesn’t want it to continue. What does she do? She knows that by exposing this it would ruin everyone’s reputation.
Our Answer:
First, the new executive board member should address her fellow board members and express how she feels. It may be the situation that her fellow leaders feel similarly but are afraid to speak up, and by taking initiative she could solve the problem within the chapter and not make it a public scene. If this does not work, the member should write a letter to the national headquarters of her chapter explaining the issue. It is the responsibility of an executive board member to report her own chapter if she feels that they are not adhering to their values, and it is the responsibility of the headquarters to appropriately deal with issues that arise in their chapters. The national association should be able to step in and respectfully and tactfully deal with the issue, bringing the least possible public attention to the negligence of their chapter.
What's your answer?
I think your group did a great job at answering this ethical dilemma. I would agree that the new executive member should try her best to keep this situation out of the public eye, as this could only worsen the situation. If I was in this situation, although it would be difficult, I would address this issue with the rest of the executive board as well as our advisors. I, personally, just do not think I could bite my tongue and let this one slide because this is a serious issue within that chapter.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that your group did a good job responding to this ethical dilemma. I think the new member of the executive board should speak up for herself and for what she believes in. I also agree that it is important for the new member of the executive board to minimize the amount of information that is shared or leaked to the general public, because, if this situation were to be become public knowledge, it could be blasted all over the media and have many far-reaching consequences. I think it would be most appropriate for the member to start at the bottom of the communication chain and work her way up. That is, I think she should first address her concerns with her fellow executive board members. If that does not resolve the issue, then she could go to her chapter's advisor(s). If that still does not resolve the problem, then she could contact her colleagues at the sorority's national office. I agree with Hannah that I could not let this go because it is a serious issue, and, personally, I do not think it is right to use members' money on frivolous and inappropriate purchases or in ways that they do not even know it is being used.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tough situation! I agree with your response. The major question is how to not alienate the board and chapter as well as not getting in trouble your self. I feel like in these types of situations not just one person or group gets punished the group as a whole gets punished. The way that you have gone about answering this in terms of personal values says something about your core beliefs and what you stand for. I applaud you for this effort. Great to see that other minds think alike.
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a well thought out response, Amit. When we wrote this scenario, we had a similar answer in mind. If I was a member of this sorority, I would definitely be questioning the values and morals of the Greek organization as a whole. Is this a group that I'm proud to be a part of? I agree with you on settling things with the exec board first. If they're on the same page, great. If not, reevaluate and bring it to the advisor's attention. This is no easy situation, but I would hope that it could get handled without involving nationals. That would be such a dramatic and drastic measure, but I understand why it would be necessary. Thank you for handling this with such professionalism. I would've responded the same way.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite element of this response to a difficult situation is the balance that your group provided. First, I agree with many of the previous comments, that attempting to handle it yourself is a proper first step. I think that it shows a congruence with your values to take the initiative and try to bring about positive change. However, I also appreciated that you provided another step in the case that that did not solve the problem. By having a realistic contingency plan of involving the national organization, I think your group did a great job preparing for all possible outcomes.
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