Shannon Kelly
News Editor
The Pepperdine University Code of Ethics has been finalized as an official university document that can now be viewed on Pepperdine’s Web site and will eventually appear in various University publications including faculty and student handbooks.
The preliminary draft of the statement was open for public review from September to November according to Provost Darryl Tippens who said he and the committee involved with the document’s implementation accepted feedback from members of the Pepperdine faculty, staff, administration and students.
“The truth is, the feedback from different university constituents was overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “People liked it because the spirit of the document reflects the character of this university. They liked that the opening and closing statements tied ethical standards in to our core mission and were rooted in scripture.”
Tippens said he received very little negative response except from a couple of students who thought the document was redundant in light of similar statements in the student handbook.
“This is a fair argument except that they might not understand that this isn’t just about students since it involves all constituencies — the Board of Regents, faculty and staff,” he said. “It is such an overarching policy.”
“Few, if any, University policies have gone through as thorough a consideration as the University Code of Ethics.” President Andrew K. Benton said Tuesday in a letter to faculty announcing the document’s finalization.
“In a culture like ours, in which faith and integrity are highly valued, such a statement may seem superfluous,” he said in the letter. But he emphasized the value of a “foundational document” that can serve “as a strong reminder to all members of the community of the lofty ideals to which we have committed ourselves.”
The official version was almost identical to the original except for some re-ordering of the sections, which Tippens said came from advice headed from a student’s recommendation.
An addition that said “Information about reporting violations of this code may be found in the University policy “How to Report a Violation of the Code of Ethics,” is also new and resulted from inquiries about what people should do if they suspect an infraction.
A committee headed by Associate Provost Tim Perrin is in the process of writing a separate policy that will be posted online within several weeks. It will spell out specific scenarios for violations of the ethics code.
Tippens said a lot of care and planning will go into the supplemental statement because of legal issues. “There will also be a way for people to raise concerns anonymously,” he added.
The document’s subsections include “Acting With Integrity, Treating Others with Respect and Dignity, Stewarding the University’s Resources, Avoiding Conflicts of Interest and Commitment and Maintaing Confidentiality, Complying with Legal and Professional Obligations, and Reporting Violations of the Code.”
It also document reaffirms Pepperdine’s Christian mission and adds “Holy Scripture provides the ultimate source for our ethical standards, including the two great commands taught by Jesus: the duty to love God and love one’s neighbor as one’s self (Mathew 22: 37-40).”
“In an age of moral ambiguity, it is good and proper to be explicit about our promises to one another,” Benton added in his letter.
01-18-2007
