Abstract
Purpose. The three purposes of this study were to: (1) determine to what degree student services professionals in the Offices of Student Life and Development in California State Universities, when faced with an ethical dilemma at work, use a framework of ethical principles, which includes but is not limited to the ethic of care, critique, justice, and profession, (2) determine whether or not there was a significant difference in the use of the framework of ethical principles to resolve ethical dilemmas based on gender, age, years of experience on the job, and level of education, (3) determine what additional frameworks or sources of information student services professionals use to make decisions when faced with an ethical dilemma at work. Methodology. The sample included one hundred seventeen student services professionals at twenty-one California State University campuses. A total of 87 percent of the surveys were returned. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data. An independent samples t-test was used to test the mean difference based on gender, age, and highest level of education. An analysis of variance was used to test differences based on years of experience on the job. Qualitative data were generated through face-to-face interviews with selected participants. Key Findings. Student services professionals: (1) consistently used an ethical framework at work that includes the ethics of care, critique, justice, and profession, (2) used care as their preferred ethical principle, (3) relied on more than one of these principles to make decisions, (4) who were women considered more sources of information than men before making ethical decisions, and (5) lacked knowledge about a professional ethical code and how to apply such a code. Conclusions. Student services professionals: (1) rely on the ethic of care as the primary lens for solving ethical dilemmas at work, and (2) use a multidimensional ethical framework to respond appropriately to the complex nature of ethical dilemmas, and (3) did not consciously and systematically apply professional ethical codes. Recommendations. Replicate this study with a larger sample of student services professionals in private universities and community colleges.