My favorite time of the year as a graduate advisor is
graduation. I get the opportunity to meet
my students face to face, many for the first time. Seldomly do I get to meet my students prior to graduation since we
are an online distance learning institution.
Graduation is held on the Daytona Beach campus. My office is located just off of the
campus. Several departments within the
Worldwide campus are located on the main campus while a few such as online
advising, financial aid, and veteran’s affairs are located off-site. We are all considered “one campus” however we
are not treated as such by our leadership.
Attendance at graduation is mandatory for the advising teams. All academic advisors are mandated to
volunteer graduation morning. Some
duties include handing out cap and gowns, manning information tables, or
assisting in the ceremony itself. As
advisors, we are exempt employees so there is no compensation for working on
our own personal time (graduation is held on a Saturday). This has caused a dilemma with employees
because some departments that reside on the Daytona Beach campus give their
employees a flex day (or extra personal leave day) for participating in the graduation
ceremony. This sends a mixed
message. Is it ethical or moral for one
group to be incentivized while another is not?
In this year’s ceremony there were a large number of advisors who did
not either have students graduating or had a specific task to perform. They basically came to graduation, sat
through the event, and left once it was over just because it was
mandatory.
It is unfair for one group to be treated differently from
another at a university that states “We accept responsibility for our actions.
When we see a problem, we do not pass it off, we do not complain, we act. We
involve others as appropriate to achieve our goals. We prize dedicated,
committed, caring, conscientious, and creative individuals who strive for
excellence in the performance of their duties and responsibilities” (“Culture”
2015). As staff members it is
unfortunate that there is not a system in place that rewards all of the
individuals that make graduation memorable.
When brought up to our leadership department we are told that “it’s only
one day out of the year” and “we cannot control how other departments operate”. To me, this seems to be a way to brush off
the fact that this practice is unfair. LaFollette
(2007) wrote “Considerable practical distance remains between those who think
more acts, in more circumstances, fall outside the purview of morality and
those who think there are few such actions.
Those who hold the latter position are more inclined to think morality
legitimately expects a great deal of us” (Location 3962). For an organization whose culture is based on
integrity, honesty, and trust, I would think that someone in a position of
leadership would look to right this wrong.
I take great pride in my organization and the work that I
accomplish. For me, there is no greater
reward than serving others. Aside from
the fact that we do not receive compensation for participating in the graduation
ceremonies, I enjoy graduation. It is
the day we honor and respect those who have sacrificed, dedicated themselves,
and persevered to accomplish a great feat.
However, not everyone who serves in my position espouses the same values. For example, there is one individual that has
not participated in any of the graduation ceremonies since I have worked at
ERAU. Since the day is so hectic, to be
honest I had not noticed until this year (when it was mentioned to me) that
this individual is exempt from having to attend graduation ceremonies. I was told this person (whom I am friends
with on FB) has a doctor’s note which excuses her from attending because she
has a medical condition which does not permit her to be around large
crowds. Sounds legit right? I mean if you cannot be around large groups
of people due to severe anxiety then that is understandable. Here is the kicker. This person is an annual ticket holder at
Disney. Not only does she attend Disney
World with no issue (several times a month), she constantly posts pictures of her and her family at
theme parks across central Florida on a regular basis. I wish I was that sick...
Knowing this has made me question this employee’s
morality. LaFollette (2007) wrote “Morality’s
aim is to guide people’s behavior. If
someone cannot guide her behavior by moral considerations, then it is senseless
to require her to do so” (Location 4033-4039).
It is frustrating to know that some people will take advantage of the
system. It is equally frustrating when
leadership will not hear what you have to say and fight for their employees. It diminishes the hard work being done by
others and fuels resentment. If our
culture truly intends to do what it says, this organization should take a hard
look at its processes for graduation. An
event that should be joyous and celebrated is causing its staff to become
bitter and unhappy.
Culture - Embry-Riddle Human Resources. (2015). Retrieved from
http://careers.erau.edu/culture/
LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice of Ethics. Malden, MA:
Blackwell Publishing.
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