Cyberbullying on College Campuses: Exploring the Ethical Response to a Case Study Between Staff and Students

1. Cyberbullying on College Campuses:Exploring the Ethical Response to a Case Study Between Staff and Students Kate Curley 4/24/13

2. Outline • Case study • Analysis • Legal Considerations • Ethic of Justice • Ethic of Critique • Decision making process • Reflection • Themes • Resolution • Limitations and concerns • Ethic of Care • Ethic of the Profession

3. Fictional Case Study • Student makes fake Facebook page of a staff member • Response to a disciplinary decision • Sexist and racist comments and pictures • Key Players • Staff member • Dr. Amy Winters • Student • Mark • “Your role” • Vice President of Student Affairs • Amy’s supervisor

4. Legal Considerations • J.S. v. Blue Mountain School District and Layshock ex. rel. Layshock v. Hermitage School District • Inconsistent rulings • “Substantive disruption” vs. First Amendment. • Goal: avoid a lawsuit (Davis, 2011; Hinduja & Patchin, 2011)

5. Ethic of Justice • Kant (2004): people as ends in themselves, not means to end • Mark using Winters as means • Winter using Mark as means • Goal: to get all parties to see people as ends

6. Ethic of Critique • vs. “banking system” of education (Freire, 2009) • Mark: feels powerless • Vs. “because I said so” • Education as practice of freedom (hooks, 1994) and learning partnerships (Baxter-Magolda, 2003) • Meaning-Making process (Baxter-Magolda, 2003, 2009; Kegan, 1982) • Winters: acknowledge ethical freedom and marginalization

7. Ethic of Care • “Step into another’s shoes” to encourage growth (Beck, 1994; Dalai Llama, 1999; Noddings, 1999) • In the scenario: • Mark: • understand the hurt and the disciplinary action • Winters • Understand Mark developmentally

8. Ethic of the Profession • The field of student affairs • Allegiance to the University • “Small:” want no blemishes or lawsuits • Intentionality (Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 2012) • Role of a supervisor • Incl. Winters • Have “contextual intelligence” (Terenzini, 1993)

9. Final Considerations • These types of dilemmas: “they reveal, they test, and they shape” (Badaracco, 1997, p.6-7) • Deliberation through reflection • Critical component of ethics (Aurelias, 1964) • Meaning-making process (Baxter-Magolda, 2003, 2009; Kegan, 1982, 1998)

10. Four patterns Respecting personhood Accountability vs. Free Speech Importance of Fostering Functional Relationships Centrality of Education

11. Recommended Solutions • Collect all information • Transparency regarding the disciplinary action • The educational moment: • Online citizenship • Diversity training • Student Development training for staff • Rebuild relationships • Between students and staff • Between students and Dr. Winters • Between staff and Mark

12. Limitations, Concerns, & Future Implications • Concerns: • Can you keep up with technology? • Idealistic • My personal lens • Future implications • Importance of problem • Generalizability of the framework

13. Any Questions? Thank you.

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