The Oxford dictionary describes the word ethics as the “moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.” This week, Nov. 11-17, Valdosta State educates students on the meaning of ethics through activities and presentations.

From pizza parties to scavenger hunts, the opportunities to learn about ethics incorporate more serious topics into less serious activities.

Many students do not realize the importance of the ethics they use every day, such as social ethics and their work ethic. The activities are meant to bring about awareness and the importance of ethics on campus in a way that will stick in student’s minds.

When it comes to statistics, it’s obvious how much college students concern themselves with ethics. According to the Journal of College and Character, the older the college student, the more ethical behavior begins to develop. Most universities strive for common ideas.

 “Respect for others, honesty, self-discipline, hard work, love of learning, and appreciation of diversity” are all building blocks to college students developing their characters in the real world and professional world.

For example, many studies show that the college-age generations (Millennials and Generation Z), have less of a studious work ethic than past generations. According to an article in Psychology Today, 38% of millennials said that they simply did not want to work hard in their jobs, compared to only 26% of baby boomers who said the same.

This information leads to a question: Do college students care about work ethics, or ethics overall? Do current college-age students prefer to worry about other subjects?

Brenna Taylor, a freshman health science major, gives her input on college students and ethics. Taylor says that while she does not believe Generation Z people as a whole care about ethics as much, she does believe college students of that age do.

“I think furthering your education opens your mind to the work you have to do and the people you have to meet,” she said. “College forces you to acknowledge how you work and how you treat people.”

Taylor says that pursuing a higher education “can give students different skills that kids our age normally would not get, including morals and work ethics.”

Ethics week will not end with the ending of the week itself. The lessons of the week will bring awareness to skills concerning ethics that can be carried throughout the rest of student’s lives. Learning to work hard and connect with the community around them will be something that will become especially helpful to college students as communication skills become more and more valued.

Written by Logan Gullage, Staff Writer. Photo courtesy of Flickr.

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