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Well, people who are deaf generally can't use hearing aides. Those are for people who have *some* hearing.
Did she also cross out any organizations that do cochlear implants?
I do think it is unethical to require students to give money to any organization for a grade.
She also crossed out any cochlear implant organizations. But I know deaf people with CI's and hearing aids and FM systems and all kinds of other devices like phone amplification systems and so on and so forth. That doesn't make you any less Deaf from the cultural sense.
Most people on campus have some residual hearing. I had some residual hearing. Only something like 10% of deaf people are totally deaf. But pretty much everyone on campus who has some degree of hearing loss identifies themselves as culturally Deaf.
What is the dollar amount of this "donation"? If we are talking about one dollar, perhaps it is worth it to get the lesson point proven (although I don't have a clue what exactly that lesson could be). And it would definitely matter to me if this was a suggestion as opposed to a demand.
It's $5. I know that's not a lot, which is why it's not really the money part that bothers me. It's the fact I don't get a full say in where my money goes.
Without knowing the entire situation, I'd say you should probably contact the right authority or simply bypass the "correct" authority figure and simply go to the President of the University.
True story: When I was in college I had a professor who espoused his political beliefs every class period and blatantly criticized any student who disagreed with him. I went to the "correct" authority figure, the department chair but he did nothing except tell me what an *excellent* professor so-and-so was. What did I do? Requested a meeting with the President of the University to which I was denied repeatedly (basically it was not worth his time to meet with me).
Just so happened, I was very good friends with the editor of the school newspaper and had him publish a little letter to the editor I had written about my professor to which I attached my name in big BOLD letters. In my letter, I compared my professor to Joseph Goebbels (Hitler's Minister of Propaganda). Well this QUICKLY made it to the desk of the President and I was phoned at 8 a.m. after the paper had been distributed across campus and the President DEMANDED to see me. Of course I happily went to his office and he was absolutely red in the face and even threatened my expulsion (hmm...freedom of the press?). In the course of our meeting, I told him about the professor but he simply gave me the same story about how professor so-and-so had been with the University X number of years and was a well respected member of the faculty. Blah blah blah. At the end, he DEMANDED I write an apology letter for all the student body to see.
Next week the paper came out and it had my apology letter on the FRONT page. It was one line with my name attached at the bottom:
"I would like to deeply and sincerely apologize to Joseph Goebbels for befouling and disgracing his good name by comparing him to Professor X"
I never heard from the President of the University again in the rest of my years there. He understood me.
Moral of my story: Don't EVER be afraid to challenge a professor. Never back down from your beliefs, if you see something funny about a situation, call them on it! Go to a higher authority and if they don't listen...take matters into your own hands (nothing illegal though).
Wow, thanks for sharing your story. That was really inspiring to read.
I don't know if I can push it that far. The reason I say this is because I'm a minority student--part of the majority in a minority school. It's a school for the deaf and I'm hearing. So I don't know if they will see me as audist (the equivalent of racist in the deaf world--prejudiced against deaf people) if I take any sort of action. I happen to be pro-Deaf culture and sign language for Deaf people and so on, but I don't know if my attempt to talk to someone will be seen as trying to push a hearing agenda. I used to be deaf myself but I also grew up hearing. Some people see me as culturally hearing and some people see me as having "deafness inside me" since I've experienced deafness, so it's hard to predict how people perceive my actions and opinions. Again, I don't want to donate to a hearing aid foundation and I definitely don't want to donate to some foundation that forces cochlear implants and speech therapy on children. The only thing I am opposed to is being guided on where my money goes, both by the professor and the class vote.
So far most people have mentioned the aspect of being required to donate for a grade as being unethical. IN this case I don't mind that so much cause it's $5. How do people feel about being guided where their money will go?
Absolutely, without a doubt unethical, regardless of the cause.
Would there be any doubt if the class required working on a specific political campaign instead of a donation? Or serving holiday meals at a soup kitchen? Or becoming a pen pal with a prisoner sentenced to LWOP (which I could maybe make a case for in a criminal justice class)?
Last edited by North Beach Person; 09-27-2011 at 04:34 PM..
Reason: needed to add a word
It's $5. I know that's not a lot, which is why it's not really the money part that bothers me. It's the fact I don't get a full say in where my money goes.
I agree with you. Many of the big organizations are ones that I cannot morally support due to some things they support with their money. They one you guys choose will probably be one of those just because of how big they are. No teacher should force a student to donate any amount of money.
4) The entire class will watch each student's presentation and vote on which organization is the most worthy of donating to and that organization will be the organization everyone will donate to.
Who is anyone to decide what a worthy charity is?
That is completely in the hands of the voluntary donor.
I don't know if I can push it that far. The reason I say this is because I'm a minority student--part of the majority in a minority school. It's a school for the deaf and I'm hearing. So I don't know if they will see me as audist (the equivalent of racist in the deaf world--prejudiced against deaf people) if I take any sort of action. I happen to be pro-Deaf culture and sign language for Deaf people and so on, but I don't know if my attempt to talk to someone will be seen as trying to push a hearing agenda.
People who attach "-ist" onto everything annoy the heck out of me.
(I don't mean you, I mean whomever would call you..."audist," is it? )
It's unethical, period.
You don't owe anyone an explanation.
I was wondering if you thought that donating money as part of a required school assignment is ethical. I am taking a class and one of our assignments is to donate money. I don't really feel comfortable with this, and on our class evaluation, I (anonymously) mentioned my unease.
1) We selected 20 organizations to research and handed in the research.
Our professor handed back the research. Almost everyone had organizations crossed out that she didn't approve of.
2) We then narrowed it down to three organizations and handed it in again.
I am not sure if she is going to eliminate more organizations or not at this point.
3) Then we will give a presentation on one organization of our choice.
4) The entire class will watch each student's presentation and vote on which organization is the most worthy of donating to and that organization will be the organization everyone will donate to.
Do you think it's ethical to have students donate money as part of a school assignment? The first 20 organizations each student came up with was their own choice, but she crossed out many of the ones she didn't like and lectured us about how we were "missing the point". Then we will be voting, and whoever votes majority is going to be the organization that wins. What if 12 out of 20 students vote for one organization and 8 out of 20 vote for another? Aren't 8 students going to be stuck giving their money to an organization they don't care for?
Also, does the amount of money required make a difference to you? If you think this is okay up until a certain amount, what about of money do you think is okay? How much would be too much?
Thanks for your input. I just want to know if I'm the only one that thinks this is kind of unethical, particularly because we only have some control over where our money goes.
Typical educationspeak. It's right up there with the school requirement that you volunteer for charitable causes.
Let's just start out with the educator's definition of "Donate." Among 99.999% of English speaking people, the word means that one does it of one's own free will, not with a figurative gun to one's head.
Then let's move on to the notion that you can only "Donate" to charities that she apparently approves of. So not only is she forcing you to give your money, but she's also steering the money to causes/charities she likes. And I'm fairly certain that, during conversation, she will steer the class to select a lucky winner who happens to be -- What a coincidence -- her favorite charity.
This is seriously unethical behavior on the part of your professor. I would hie myself to the dean's office forthwith with everything documented.
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