Personal and Ethical Foundations

Personal and ethical foundations

Competency Level: Foundational

Competency Description: Involves the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to develop and maintain integrity in one’s life and work; this includes thoughtful development, critique, and adherence to a holistic and comprehensive standard of ethics and commitment to one’s own wellness and growth. Personal and ethical foundations are aligned because integrity has an internal locus informed by a combination of external ethical guidelines, an internal voice of care, and our own lived experiences. Our personal and ethical foundations grow through a process of curiosity, reflection, and self-authorship.

Outcomes:

Articulate key elements of one’s set of personal beliefs and commitments (e.g., values, morals, goals, desires, self-definitions), as well as the source of each (e.g., self, peers, family, or one or more larger communities).
Appropriately question institutional actions which are not consistent with ethical standards.
Articulate awareness and understanding of one’s attitudes, values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and identity how they affect one’s integrity and work with others.
Take responsibility to broaden perspectives by participating in activities that challenge one’s beliefs.
Recognize and articulate healthy habits for better living.
Identify positive and negative impacts on wellness and, as appropriate, seek assistance from available resources.

Education:

EAF 461 - Student Development Theory In Higher Education
EAF 462 - Organization & Administration Student Affairs Functions in Higher Education
EAF 463 - College Students & Their Cultures
EAF 464 - Practicum in Student Personnel Administration
EAF 466 - College Students and the Law

Experience Documentation:

I am forever a work in progress and have learned that there is no gold star at the finish line. All that matters is that I continue to work on the person I am and shape who I want to be as a positive, socially just, empathetic, caring, brave, and informed member of society.

Over the past five years, I have grown leaps and bounds personally and professionally. It has not, and is not, always easy to maintain integrity in all that I do, but now I am responsible for teaching others to live out their values.

My documentation is a series of photos below with descriptions of moving from a self-centered young adult, to a mother and wife, to a budding Student Affairs professional, to a happy and sober (less young) adult, continuing to work on myself and practice the values I hold closest:

honesty, time with loved ones, open-mindedness, learning, service, and security

I had been working as an Admission Advisor for only a few months when I was, all of a sudden, the most senior advisor on staff! The three of us traveled to Green Bay, WI for a New Counselor Institute where I won "Most Professional" after a mock Admissions Fair... however, I was struggling severely with creating a life as a professional while still holding on to damaging old college habits and friendships.

We worked hard and played hard, too.

I enjoyed the relationships I made with my coworkers, but my values did not lie in my work. They lied in faking it through the day to get to a point where I could do what I wanted to do. I had a history of defiance, rebellion, and egocentrism.

Working with a small team in UW-Platteville Admissions, we became close, yet I was very reserved because I always felt like I wasn't good enough or had the "right" answers. Looking back on my time in Admissions, I am sorry that I took for granted the mentoring and friendship opportunities that I was too blind to see because I was too scared to be the real me.

The day that I started living for others instead of myself was the day my daughter was born. My whole world was changed. What was previously important to me was not so pressing anymore. Whenever I am faced with a challenge and feel like giving up, I can think of my daughter and hope is restored. Wanting a better tomorrow for her helps me create better today's for me.

Exercise and keeping up with my fitness routine provides me way to expel energy and think about issues that I'm working through in a positive way. In additional to physical exercise, I regularly meet with my therapist.

During my ACUI New Professionals Conference in June 2019, I connected with other young professionals trying to navigate the world while still trying to figure out who we are and who we want to be for the students we assist. It was a great lesson in understanding that I was not alone on this journey. Now, I have a cohort of supportive and encouraging colleagues.

Merging my life with another human's was...

interesting! I had to learn that life cannot be lived just one way. My way is not the "right" way and each of us bring our own beliefs and values to the table. Learning to respect other's values has helped me reflect and fine-tune my own.

Personal and ethical foundations

Competency Level: Foundational

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Outcomes:

Articulate key elements of one’s set of personal beliefs and commitments (e.g., values, morals, goals, desires, self-definitions), as well as the source of each (e.g., self, peers, family, or one or more larger communities).

Appropriately question institutional actions which are not consistent with ethical standards.

Articulate awareness and understanding of one’s attitudes, values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and identity how they affect one’s integrity and work with others.

Take responsibility to broaden perspectives by participating in activities that challenge one’s beliefs.

Recognize and articulate healthy habits for better living.

Identify positive and negative impacts on wellness and, as appropriate, seek assistance from available resources.

​

Education:

EAF 461 - Student Development Theory In Higher Education

EAF 462 - Organization & Administration Student Affairs Functions in Higher Education

EAF 463 - College Students & Their Cultures

EAF 464 - Practicum in Student Personnel Administration

EAF 466 - College Students and the Law

​

Experience Documentation:

I am forever a work in progress and have learned that there is no gold star at the finish line. All that matters is that I continue to work on the person I am and shape who I want to be as a positive, socially just, empathetic, caring, brave, and informed member of society.

​

Over the past five years, I have grown leaps and bounds personally and professionally. It has not, and is not, always easy to maintain integrity in all that I do, but now I am responsible for teaching others to live out their values.

​

My documentation is a series of photos below with descriptions of moving from a self-centered young adult, to a mother and wife, to a budding Student Affairs professional, to a happy and sober (less young) adult, continuing to work on myself and practice the values I hold closest:

honesty, time with loved ones, open-mindedness, learning, service, and security

​

We worked hard and played hard, too.

I enjoyed the relationships I made with my coworkers, but my values did not lie in my work. They lied in faking it through the day to get to a point where I could do what I wanted to do. I had a history of defiance, rebellion, and egocentrism.

Exercise and keeping up with my fitness routine provides me way to expel energy and think about issues that I'm working through in a positive way. In additional to physical exercise, I regularly meet with my therapist.

Merging my life with another human's was...

interesting! I had to learn that life cannot be lived just one way. My way is not the "right" way and each of us bring our own beliefs and values to the table. Learning to respect other's values has helped me reflect and fine-tune my own.