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[major_energy]

Recently, the integrity of a large State University faculty has been called into question, (University of Wisconsin - Madison).

If you haven't heard, many Public Union Teachers left work, (illegal strike - forcing school districts to close), and University doctors were at the capitol signing sick slips to excuse the teachers. Public Workers, including Public School teachers, and Faculty at the Public Universities were protesting controversial legislation limiting funds and rights of Public Unions.

A short clip, (among many) can be seen here: http://www.wikio.com/video/doctor-helping-people-lie-5064994

I chose this one in particular, as you can see the expression on the faculty's face as she is confronted on why is she doing something she knows is wrong.


All politics aside, does your department teach students in ethics, and how would you approach something like this?

[aandsdean]

I'd discuss with them why their tuition was going to triple next year and ask them to contemplate the unintended consequence of their votes.

[lottie]

troll?

[antiphon1]

troll?

Yes.  Or a very under skilled pollster. 

[voxprincipalis]

If you haven't heard, many Public Union Teachers left work, (illegal strike - forcing school districts to close), and University doctors were at the capitol signing sick slips to excuse the teachers. Public Workers, including Public School teachers, and Faculty at the Public Universities were protesting controversial legislation limiting funds and rights of Public Unions.

I would like to propose legislation limiting your use of Capital Letters.

I chose this one in particular, as you can see the expression on the faculty's face as she is confronted on why is she doing something she knows is wrong.

As a rider to the above legislation, I would like to propose that you also undergo remediation in the grammar of collective nouns.

VP

[major_energy]

Mmk I guess that answers some questions.

[mouseman]

Yep, that's it - I guess that it is ethically questionable for teacher, faculty, etc. to expect decent wages, and for a state to support it's educational system. 



PS.  I think that Fox News is missing one of their political pundits.  Oh, sorry, that should be Political Pundits.

[dellaroux]

To quote Balanchine, answering a stage-mother who asked if her daughter "would dance" after an audition for NYCB...

<<La danse, c'est une question morale, n'est-ce pas?>>

(Dance, it's a moral question (or--'question of one's morale'), isn't it?)

Ethics, like the sacraments, have to do with an inner motivation for an outward action.

So, in the case of the teacher you'd like to vilify, perhaps there is an inward motivation--human anxiety, concern for her family, hunger?--that might be working itself out in this external manner.

Posing theoretical ethics questions when people are scared, threatened, or hungry is probably the most despicable form of ethical grandstanding there is.

It makes a poseur of you.

[higheredguy]

The ethical code a doctor (MD) is under was certainly broken here. I am not here to argue the Wisconsin issue, but I will answer your question. The doctor in the video broke several ethics codes/laws.

[mended_drum]

The ethical code a doctor (MD) is under was certainly broken here. I am not here to argue the Wisconsin issue, but I will answer your question. The doctor in the video broke several ethics codes/laws.

Did he?  Hmmm...well, if the legislation threatens the ability of public employees to feed their kids or threatens to turn them into the destitute elderly in the future, then it directly threatens public health, and the doctor is choosing to privilege that above certain ethical "codes/laws."

That's the problem with ethics:  sometimes every option is a bad one.

[higheredguy]

The MD has no right to pass out "sick slips" when the person is not sick. This is a gross misuse of authority to help some political agenda and I would not be surprised to see some of these doctors given some kind of penalty.

You can argue that side all you want, but the truth is the truth. Any MD signing those slips that say was way out of line. I find it ridiculous that you would not see that.

[zharkov]

The MD has no right to pass out "sick slips" when the person is not sick. This is a gross misuse of authority to help some political agenda and I would not be surprised to see some of these doctors given some kind of penalty.

You can argue that side all you want, but the truth is the truth. Any MD signing those slips that say was way out of line. I find it ridiculous that you would not see that.

And not signing slips also supports a political agenda.  It is a case of which agenda one supports.

[pigou]

The MD has no right to pass out "sick slips" when the person is not sick. This is a gross misuse of authority to help some political agenda and I would not be surprised to see some of these doctors given some kind of penalty.

You can argue that side all you want, but the truth is the truth. Any MD signing those slips that say was way out of line. I find it ridiculous that you would not see that.

And not signing slips also supports a political agenda.  It is a case of which agenda one supports.

But signing slips isn't a question of politics... it's a question of whether the person actually is ill. That is as objective as it's going to get. This seems no different to me than cops not giving tickets to the children of other cops. The system applies to everyone except your buddies. If it were a group of coal miners striking, I doubt they'd have doctors handing out slips.

[major_energy]

Thank you all for the replies. I am a graduate student and was studying various case studies for ethics at the time this occurred, so I thought the question:

 “does your department teach students in ethics, and how would you approach something like this?”

was appropriate since the doctor in the video clip was a medical resident at a public university.

I posted here because I figured there might be some faculty from other universities out there who would respond to the question. It is apparent from the responses that its not really talked about or discussed beyond a management curriculum.

I truly am sorry for my grammar and punctuation, as I am not a professional academic and have well-paid high school graduates that do most of those trivial things for me.

Higheredguy pretty much nails it on the head-that the ethical issue is one of public trust. That’s probably why they are currently being investigated and punished by the university and the state medical board. I guess I thought this was obvious.

So again, thank you for your time, the responses answered the question - indirectly.

[mouseman]

Thank you all for the replies. I am a graduate student

<snip>

I truly am sorry for my grammar and punctuation, as I am not a professional academic and have well-paid high school graduates that do most of those trivial things for me.

Yep, you are a grad student and you think that academia is full of academics with well-paid high-school graduates fulfilling our every need.  Uh huh.

What grad school are you in, buddy?  I'd love to work there!  Unless it happens to be under a bridge.