SAMPLE HOT SEAT QUESTIONS -- April 2, 2004

LIGHTNING ROUND (very brief answers)

• Is it OK to drive a gas-guzzling SUV? What if I buy it used and ride my bike most of the time?
  
• Under the college meal plan small eaters like me subsidize the HUGE meals consumed by lacrosse players and other athletes? Am I justified in sneaking food to my boyfriend because I eat so little myself?
  
• You are printing a paper in a lab and found an error, but don’t have time to reprint. Is it okay to take some paper out of the lab printer to print on your printer in your room?
  
• Would you tell a cashier if she made a mistake and undercharged you on your purchase? Does it matter how small the mistake is?
  
• At many college events food is offered. Is it ethical for us to take more drinks (cans of soda, bottled water, cookies) than we can consume at the event? We pay to be in college and sometimes I like to take a snack back to my dorm for later.
  
• Our Faculty fellow invited students to Sunday brunch at her home. I forgot to tell her I am Vegan. Is it rude to decline to eat the quiche she made?

ETHICAL DILEMMAS submitted by students to panelists

• You told your friend that you will go to hear her cousin’s a cappella group perform with her. Then a week later you find out that your favorite musician is going to be performing a benefit concert for an organization that is near and dear to your heart. Are you justified in canceling on your friend? You have already told your friend how much the concert means to you, and she says that you promised her first. She feels you have a moral obligation to go to the a cappella concert.
  
• Is writing a political statement or viewpoint onto a poster at the campus center wrong if I didn’t scratch out the original message? What if the poster advertises a speaker or lifestyle event which my religion opposes and I want an equal opportunity to speak my view?
  
• I feel bad buying sweatshop-made clothes, but I find that the clothes I look at that are not sweatshop-made are either poorly made, too expensive, or both. Is it ethical for me to continue buying sweatshop-made clothes to get the best prices and stay within my budget?
  
• Many egg donation firms pay significant amounts of money for college student (especially Ivy League/7 Sisters) donors and women of specific ethnic groups and religions. Is it wrong for companies to pay more for eggs from these women? Would I be wrong to use my SAT scores and religion to my advantage and take a bonus for donating my eggs?
  
• I was overcharged by an establishment by $200 several months ago. It took me 6 weeks to reach a real person to provide documentation of the charge, file a dispute with my credit card company and seek resolution. After denying the problem and refusing to correct it for weeks, I called their corporate headquarters and they acquiesced and credited my account for double the amount accidentally. Do I owe them another call?
  
• Are people’s bodies theirs to do with as they wish? Is there a distinction between tattooing, ear-piercing, nipple-piercing, tongue-slicing, and plastic surgical alterations? Apart from expense and aesthetic preferences, does your own religious or ethical code draw any line you wouldn’t want to cross?
  
• One of my friends is part white and part black. She often talks about how her white heritage isn’t as “cool” as her black heritage. Is this being disrespectful to me as a white person, and is it any of my business to say anything about it?
  

HOT SEAT QUESTIONS -- OCT. 23

• How is gossip ethical/unethical? Does it matter whether the gossip is about a professor or about another student?
  
• Is it ethical for a student to dominate class time? What about if this student cuts into the professor's lecture time and/or keeps other students from speaking? What should I do?
  
• As a member of Res life staff, I am required to report underage drinking. What if I go to a party at UMASS and see one of my underage first years drinking. Is this part of my job too?
  
• I bought 3 palm pilots for relatives abroad and took them on the airplane. Is it ethical not to pay export import taxes? The Circuit City store packed 4 in my box instead of 3--should I have alerted them as soon as I found out?
  
• I bought a textbook at Broadside books downtown for $50. Later I found it online for $35. I feel terrible about returning the text which they special ordered for me at Broadside. What should I do?
  
• I feel bad shopping at Walmart and other places where I buy sweatshop-made clothes, but I find that the clothes that are NOT sweatshop are too expensive. Is it unethical for me to continue to buy sweatshop clothes to avoid financial hardship for myself?
  
• Many egg donation firms pay lots of money for college student (especially Ivy League and 7 sister) eggs or women of certain ethnic groups and religions. Is it wrong for companies to pay more to these women? Would I be wrong to use my SAT scores and religion to my advantage and take a bonus for donating my eggs?
  
• I was overcharged $200 by a business several months ago. It took me 6 weeks to reach a real person, to provide documentation of the charge, file a dispute form and seek resolution. After they denied the problem and refused to correct it for weeks, I finally called their corporate headquarters. They acquiesced and accidentally credited my account for double the amount. Do I owe them another phone call?
  
• I was printing a paper in a lab and found an error, but there was no time to reprint. Is it okay to take some paper out of the lab printer to print in my room later?
  
• Is it ethical for a country that has committed genocide in the recent past to lead a crusade against another country for being engaged in genocide.

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