Student Government Association

        When I joined the Student Government Association at IU Kokomo, I did not realize how much ethics would play an important role in my service. Anytime money is involved, especially student money, it is essential to ensure fair and equal options are explored in decision making. The Student Government Association has bylaws and a constitution, as well as a faculty advisor and roles in place to ensure the decisions we make are based on equal ethics. After being elected Student Body President, a lot of responsibility naturally fell on my shoulders. Making sure I was ethical in my time, interactions, and role were essential to my success and the group’s success.

            One of the biggest ways I had to be ethical during my time as Student Body President included my interactions with others. A lot of students approached me about issues they were experiencing, or with concerns they had about other students or something in the university. It was my responsibility to ensure I listened to them, respected them, and then moved forward accordingly with whatever they discussed. I had to navigate confidentiality and arrange meetings with the Dean of Students to address their concerns. Lastly, I had to follow-up with each person in a timely manner and ensure I was available for students by posting office hours and ways for them to contact me.

            Another way I had to be ethical as Student Body President included budgets for student organizations. Our treasurer worked diligently with the Finance committee to ensure appropriate funds were distributed in ways that were allowed. Ultimately, it was my responsibility to serve a figure-head role throughout the budget process each semester. Additionally, I sometimes had to explain why funds were or were not distributed to certain organizations or for certain events, and all the reasons were ethical ones. We cannot allocate student funds to cover faculty expenses, and we must have enough time to process their contingency request. Additionally, the Student Government Association must ensure equal amounts of funds are distributed for similar activities across student organizations. The financial role taught me the importance of using ethics to make decisions.

            Lastly, it was important for me to be ethical in the election process for the incoming group of candidates. I could not publicly endorse candidates, and I had to talk with prospective candidates to share the responsibilities of various roles. Additionally, I established an “election taskforce” to work with the Dean of Students to approve candidates who applied to run in the spring election. All these experiences allowed me to practice being an ethical professional, which has translated to all other aspects of my life as well.

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