Exploration of Legal and Ethical Principles faced by Academic Advisors by Christina Hernandez https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg 18SUM1:Legal and Ethical Principles en-us 2018-06-04 18:20:05 UTC 2026-02-04 01:03:04 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Shakinghands.png My professional perspective chernandez791 https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/265718616 After completing my Master's degree in Student Development and Leadership in Higher Education, I hope to become an academic advisor. As a student affairs professional, I believe a successful academic advising appointment is crucial to student success.  ]]> 2018-06-05 18:45:13 UTC https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/265718616 Exploration Option 1: Discussion with an Academic Advising and Counseling Community College Director chernandez791 https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266511136 During the interview I had with Dr. Deidra Turner, director of advising and counseling, we discussed the various legal and ethical issues that occur within her position as well as the department of advising and counseling. The top five things I learned during our discussion are, house bill 2223 proposed from the state impacted how the department implements change. For example, developmental classes integrated with accredited classes. The key benefit of the integrated course allows for students to be able to complete their courses quicker. The second thing I learned, along with this initiative that stems from house bill 2223, a change that came with the bill revised TSI (Texas Success Initiative) testing scores. The placement of scores were changed to accommodate if students placed in college ready courses or developmental courses. Another thing we discussed were the legal requirements/compliance issues she is responsible to communicate to her team to then notify students. For example, should a student have a criminal record, it is up to advisors to notify the student that the career path they have chosen may not be possible because of their record. We then discussed student rights to keep in mind in relation to her work. Dr. Turner believes FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) is highly important. FERPA protects the privacy of a student’s personal information kept by the school as well as their educational records. Often times, we have parents come to campus for their child and inquiring about certain information. Unless the student is present with a state issued ID or signed a waiver form, we are not allowed to give out any of their information. Lastly, Dr. Turner specified that she stays current on legal issues through educational web journals as well as anything that comes down from the government or state to the district offices down to the institution to stay up to date on policies and procedures, as well as, changes that need to be implemented.        

(personal communication, D. Turner, June 7, 2018)

]]> 2018-06-10 23:41:54 UTC https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266511136 Option 3: The struggle to find to the balance between privacy issues and mental health involvements chernandez791 https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266518499 With recent suicide reports in the headlines, and with statistics showing 18 to 25-year old's have the highest occurrence of experiencing a form of mental illness, industry leaders are recognizing that students' mental health needs greater attention, particularly as more instances of suicide and tragedy on campus come into the spotlight (Carter, 2018). In this article, the topic of discussion is whether academic advisors should intervene in a student’s personal life if they know they are struggling academically and should they be held accountable. To combat the statistics, it is suggested the academic advisors who are not trained as mental health professionals should take a training to spot the warning signs and refer them to an on-campus counselor for further assistance. The legal issue behind this debate is that colleges are limited to the amount of information they are at liberty to share about students with non-students as delegated by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. But there is a fine line between prohibiting dangerous behavior and maintaining student privacy; outside of an imminent threat to self and others, schools can mandate very little for students who show even clear signs of distress, and who are able to turn down offers for therapy, counseling, and other resources (Carter, 2018).     

]]> 2018-06-11 01:20:10 UTC https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266518499 Option 3 Continued: Ethical issue of students having their scholarships revoked chernandez791 https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266522382 In this article, the University of Texas at Tyler found their calculations to be off for a full ride, four-year fellowships it offers to the institution. In response to their error, between 50 to 60 students had their scholarships revoked even though students abandoned their backup colleges to attend the institution because of the scholarship. As word about what has happened has spread in recent days, many admissions leaders say they view UT Tyler's actions as unethical (Jaschik, 2018). Of course, the students that had their dreams taken away from them have negative feelings towards the school, as well, as admission officials are dumbfounded by the institutions decision. Vice president for marketing and chief communications Lucas Roebuck was questioned if it were legal for the school to take such action because of their mistake, Roebuck said, "We would not do anything that was illegal (Jaschik, 2018)”. ]]> 2018-06-11 02:01:34 UTC https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266522382 Legal and Ethical issues: FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) chernandez791 https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266524209 The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act FERPA, 2018). I chose this topic because as a student affairs professional, I run across this issue quiet often with parents trying to get information about the student without their consent. ]]> 2018-06-11 02:21:13 UTC https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266524209 Researching Special Issue: Legal and Ethical Issues in School Counseling chernandez791 https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266526373 Trust is an important element in the development of forming relationships. Counselors in any placement in education uphold the promise of confidentiality to be critical for the development of their student’s trust. Counseling students who show signs of harming themselves or others poses the most difficult legal and ethical predicaments for the counselor and institution. Counselors must make professional decisions that may result in serious consequences for their students. School counselors must continually take professional development to update themselves on legal and ethical practices in their profession. Applying moral philosophies to situations involved in in respect of the rights of students in school settings is not always easy. To be effective advocates for student’s rights, all student affairs professionals must have a thorough grasp of issues related the legality and ethics of privacy, privileged communication, confidentiality and informed consent (Special Issue: Legal and Ethical Issues in School Counseling, 2002). 

]]> 2018-06-11 02:42:59 UTC https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266526373 Researching the Role of Ethic in Academic Advising chernandez791 https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266529720 Academic advisors are faced with situations in which they have dealt with ethical dilemmas. For example, allowing if the students career path is right for them or the number of classes they are wanting to take in a semester is the best option for them. The harm of these situations is that there is for the advisor to take quick action. Certain decisions must be made in a short period of time, and it is at this point that the practice and theory behind advising merge with the values (Church & Robinson, 2018). Academic advising is a crucial part of higher education and a student’s educational journey. As the importance of academic advising only increases, so does the importance of their decisions. Legal and ethics issues in advising will continue to become more important as advising develops. Advisors must be able to adjust to do their jobs effectively.

]]> 2018-06-11 03:24:47 UTC https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266529720 References chernandez791 https://padlet.com/chernandez791/nsloianhl7tg/wish/266531086 Carter, J. (2018). Institutions struggle to find the line between mental health intervention and privacy issues. Retrieved 2018, from https://www.educationdive.com/news/institutions-struggle-to-find-the-line-between-mental-health-intervention-a/523503/ 

Church, M. & Robinson, A. (2018). Ethics in academic advising. Retrieved from https://dus.psu.edu/mentor/old/articles/060523mc.htm

Family educational rights and privacy act (FERPA). (2018). Retrieved 2018, from https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.htm

Jaschik, S. (2018). University gives away more scholarships than it budgeted for, and revokes them inside higher ed. Retrieved 2018, from https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2018/04/30/university-gives-away-more-scholarships-it-budgeted-and-revokes-them

Special Issue: Legal and ethical issues in school counseling. (2002). Professional School Counseling, 6(1), 1-60.


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