Student Advisory Committee

The members of this committee were selected by the Chairs of the Faculty Advisory Committee and Student Advisory Committee, from applications submitted in response to an open invitation to all students, all years. These members were chosen to provide multiple perspectives as they advise on the work of the Institute, with a specific focus on student involvement. Please contact any of these committee members if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Members of Student Advisory Committee:

Chair, Paddy McShane*

Seniors:
Tiffany Briery
Barrett Elsworth
Kelly Gagnon
Emily McGill

Juniors:
Mike Beeman
Jessica Howard
Lauren Lefebvre
Todd Schmid

Sophomores:
Brandon Monson
Elizabeth Stannard

First Year Students:
Tyler Archer

*Paddy McShane is a fifth-year student who is serving as an intern and student assistant at the Prindle Institute for Ethics for the academic year 2007-08. Paddy is a 2007 graduate of DePauw with a double major in Philosophy and Economics. She had a minor in Spanish and served as a Management Fellow. Paddy was a summa cum laude graduate who was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She is an outstanding woman with strong credentials and an equally strong commitment to the work of the Ethics Institute. She will continue to provide leadership as the student programming moves forward.

Statements of interest, submitted by students, as part of the nomination process:
First-Year
Tyler Archer
My interest in the Ethics Institute comes significantly from my academic pursuits. In the humanities, like all fields of study, it is impossible to avoid ethics on some level. Whether we are studying history, political science or philosophy, ethical issues confront us regularly. We cannot hope to adequately study if we do not consider the importance of ethics. Not only do ethics help us distinguish from right and wrong, they provide us with guideposts with which to live our lives. If not for ethics, how would we make even daily decisions? Because of their omnipresence, ethics are something to be taken seriously, and studied thoughtfully. Another aspect of my interest in the Ethics Institute comes from my position as both a member of the DePauw and Greencastle communities. As a resident of Greencastle for many years and now as a DePauw student, I have had the opportunity to experience the lack of a positive, complementary relationship between the city and university. I think by demonstrating the university’s concern for ethics, and engaging both communities, great strides can be made to improve the relationship between these two entities.

Sophomores
Brandon Monson, Political Science
Graduating high school with an International Baccalaureate degree as well as my regular degree forced me into rigorous epistemic classes such as Theory of Knowledge where we would discuss, at great lengths, ethics, public policy, and other questions of humanity. Working as a Public Relations Advisor for United DePauw and Equality Utah has also forced me to work with the public in many different realms. I have had much experience working with and addressing government bodies such as the Utah State House of Representatives, Senate, and various House and Senate committees. Working closely with the Manager of Programs & Administration for Equality Utah, Keri Jones, and the Manager of Public Policy, Will Carlson, has enabled me to study programs and institutions that serve the public welfare as well as gauge public opinion.

My position with United DePauw has transcended not just the present academic year, but last year as well. With the newly created position of Public Relations Advisor, I was charged with the duties of bring United DePauw to DePauw, the greater Greencastle area, and Indiana as a whole. I have accomplished such tasks by instituting a four year plan to achieve our major goals. Among the goals I have already achieved are issuing regular situation briefs, press releases, and I also have reached out to local government and high schools to inform them of the resources that United DePauw has readily available for the communities needs.

Elizabeth Stannard, Biology and Economics
Though I underestimated the course, The Philosophy of Sex and Gender was by far the most challenging but also the most rewarding and enlightening class I’ve taken at DePauw. The focus was on the ethical treatment of women but the philosophical groundwork has allowed me to perceive a multitude of ethical questions in a new light. As a Management Fellow, I am further interested in the ethics of business. Every student at DePauw will spend the rest of their lives dealing with business. I find it imperative that these future business owners, employees, and customers learn how to conduct their practices in an ethical manner. My goal for the Institute would be to bring these two ethical concerns, the societal role of women and business ethics, to light to provide students with information and ideas which they could apply in their lives.

I am a Student Representative to the Management Fellows Student Council and this opportunity has given me the experience necessary to organize and plan events which appeal and are useful to a diverse audience. Furthermore, my training as a Speech Center Consultant in the Academic Resource Center has strengthened my ability as a clear and concise public speaker. Finally, I consider myself a personable leader. I enjoy working with people and teams to achieve common goals. As a leader, I am proactive and determined but open-minded and friendly. These strengths make me a strong candidate to serve on the Institute for Ethics Student Advisory Committee.

Juniors
Mike Beeman, Political Science and French, Rhetoric and Interpersonal Communication Minor
Over the course of the past two years at DePauw, I have experienced a multitude of challenges to my character. It would be ignorant of me to suggest that I need to start anew this year because I have, thankfully, been a part of a larger life lesson. It is a developed consideration of my personal ethics (i.e. leadership, academic, religious). The development can be attributed to my experience in Delta Upsilon on which is founded four principles: Advancement of Justice, Development of Character, Diffusion of Liberal Culture, and Promotion of Friendship. For the third consecutive semester I will be VP of External Affairs, working on philanthropy, social development, and community relations. Moreover, I have one year of experience as a member of the Community Relations Task Force, and now work on The Coalition as the co-chair of the task force. Finally, I have developed a commitment to the Greencastle community through volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Student Friend at Central & Fillmore Elementary Schools. These are the three most significant factors in my development my first two years at DePauw.

The Ethics Student Advisory Committee is a great complement to my experience thus far. Having learned so much about Greencastle and DePauw, I have committed myself to the two’s relationship, which demands a change in values—an ethical challenge to students and Greencastle residents. I am interested in seeing the Ethics Institute as a hub for this development and, furthermore, for academic engagement between fields of study.

It is a developed consideration of my personal ethics (i.e. leadership, academic, religious) in relation to the community’s that can be attributed to my interest in the Institute. My experience in my fraternity, Delta Upsilon and campus groups, like the Coalition for Building a Responsible Community, furthers my interest in addressing the tough questions that center on societal differences. I do not see myself as an expert of ethical studies, but I hope to complement the work of the institute and my own work by supporting and promoting the programs/discussions at the Institute for Ethics. There is clear potential for the facility to be the hub for discussions regarding campus politics, personal dilemmas, and, not to mention, national dilemmas.

Jessica Howard, Religious Studies (Political Science bridge)
My personal interest in the Prindle Institute for Ethics grew out of a ‘professional’ assignment – last fall I covered a number of issues surrounding the construction of the center as staff writer (and later assistant news editor) of The DePauw student newspaper. I interviewed a number of students, faculty, and staff for the series and was both impressed and inspired by the depth of interest in DePauw’s ethics initiative. Also, as a Civic Fellow, Compton Center Intern, and volunteer in the Greencastle community, I recognize the incredible potential in the kinds of discussions that will be coming out of the Institute.

The idea of creating an institute in which to examine our belief systems appeals to me as a religious studies major with social and political interests – much of my academic coursework concerns religious difference and the competing social values that both inform faith, comprise identity and govern action. I very much want to be a part of these conversations from the very beginning and am eager to work with students and faculty who are interested in examining (and perhaps redefining?) our school in a context of ethical thought and mindful action.

Lauren Lefebvre, English Literature and Philosophy (Anthropology bridge)
At DePauw, I have been lucky enough to be involved with various activities that involve ethics and hope to continue that involvement with the Institute. My first introduction was through my philosophy major and through Philosophy Club, where I currently hold and executive position. Although I think the work I have done for my major and for Club is important, I truly believe that the most valuable training I have in ethics comes from being involved with the Ethics Bowl team. By working through cases I have gained a better understanding of applied ethics. Being involved with Ethics Bowl has been the most educational experience that I have had here at DePauw and has given me a love of the subject.

I am very interested in seeing the Institute succeed and be a great resource for everyone on campus. I hope that this becomes a place where students can come together with faculty to hear lectures, see movies or presentations and generally discuss ethics locally and around the world. I think having a hub for this kind of debate will spark interest in ethics and spread that interest across the campus. I also hope that by having one place on campus focused specifically on ethics, it will lead other groups at DePauw to be more ethically minded.

Todd Schmid, Philosophy and Spanish, Latin American & Caribbean Studies Minor
Integrating an active, ethical backdrop in the context of a liberal arts education demonstrates a novel initiative on behalf of the DePauw community. Indeed, the Prindle Institute manifests a genuine concern for critical reflection on the moral component of higher education and the ethical responsibility of its community members post-DePauw. Being a philosophy and ethics student, I am particularly drawn toward related ethical claims in the business world, law, and academia. During the spring 2007 semester, I studied bioethics at the University of Buenos Aires, where I was able to contextualize globally the unique relationship between ethical decisions and advancement in medical and scientific technology.

My particular academic interest in ethics is applied ethics, that is, ethics in light of biomedical, legal, and business problems. Reading the newspaper is a veritable kaleidoscope of the important ethical dilemmas of our time, testifying to the relevance of our work at Prindle.

Competing on the DePauw Ethics Bowl team, I have been forced to wrestle with these issues and to see their relevance in our complex reality. My related experience includes a ministerial internship with Gobin Memorial United Methodist Church, membership on the Pre-Law Advisory Board, and continuing leadership for the Social Programming Task Force, a branch of the Coalition for Building a Responsible Community. I am excited to advise the work of the Prindle Institute throughout this academic year.

Seniors
Tiffany Briery, English Writing and Philosophy, Studio Art Minor
I am very interested in being involved in these formative stages of the Institute and would love to aid in the process of insuring that the Institute is utilized by DePauw students and campus programs in creative and resourceful ways. I would love to see the Institute help students expand their thinking as far as where ethics “belongs” on campus. Rather then compartmentalizing ethical issues within the classroom, I believe the Institute could bring new perspectives to issues students deal with daily in an immediate way. I am pursuing Philosophy and English Writing degrees at DePauw, as well as a minor in Studio Art. Though my main focus is Philosophy, my interests involve seeing how the Prindle Institute will help integrate ethics into all fields of study at DePauw. I would also like to help insure that the practical features of the Institute-- transportation, marketing, education, and programming-- are in place so that the Institute is as accessible as possible for students and professors. The ethics symposium sounds like an amazing opportunity to bring ethics to DePauw in a very large and sustainable way and I would be thrilled with being involved with its programming.

Barrett Ellsworth, Economics and Philosophy
I am a senior economics major and philosophy minor from Tulsa, Oklahoma. My primary interest in the Prindle Ethics Institute lies in its mission to become an intellectual haven at DePauw for current issues concerning the environment and other important concerns. One of the most influential courses I’ve taken at DePauw was Dr. Michelle Villinski’s Environmental Economics, which opened my mind to the problem of global climate change and the unique and challenging ideas which highlight the necessity of a structural change in U.S. consumption patterns. I believe that as a small liberal arts university, DePauw is in a unique position to utilize its intellectual and financial resources to promote more sustainable practices, and ultimately to achieve real results within the Greencastle region and beyond.

As a Management Fellows intern and for the previous three summers, I have gained significant experience in oil and gas exploration and production, as well as in a midstream capacity. Working in this field, coupled with my education and attention to public concern, has very much intensified my interest in the relationship between business and environmental concerns. As a member of the student advisory committee for the Institute, I feel that I can bring a unique level of interest and expertise which will help the Institute move forward and achieve its goals. As a member of Jen Everett’s environmental ethics course, I’m currently exploring ways to engage in a civics project which will promote sustainability at DePauw. I would very much like to be involved in the issue of transportation to the Institute, and feel that the use of renewable energies is very feasible and exciting. Additionally, I have the foundations in classical ethics and political philosophy, which I feel would provide a useful asset to the committee and beyond.

Kelly Gagnon, English Writing and Philosophy
As a sophomore in Dr. David H. Smith’s Morality and Killing course, I heard abstractions of what the Institute might possibly develop into, and I became interested in how the idea of the “ethics institute” would become a reality. I am excited about the progressive intellectual engagement the Institute will bring to our campus. As an active member of a variety of activities and clubs on this campus, Ethics Bowl, Alpha Psi Omega theatre honorary, and All-arts Marketing Associate, I am especially looking forward to the opportunity to create an open venue on our campus, a place for discourse that will not be censored or stifled by political correctness or majority opinion. In order to create a conducive atmosphere for ethical debate and interdisciplinary discourse, I am especially interested in the daily functioning logistics of the ethics institute and establishing a strong foundation for the Prindle Institute.

Emily McGill, Latin and Philosophy
My interests in ethics are many and varied. As a graduating senior, I have had time to develop my interests in coursework over the past four years. I have also had the opportunity to work with the Poynter Center of Indiana University exploring biomedical ethics, including questions surrounding end of life and prenatal care. Last semester I was engaged in a tutorial at Oxford University in England where I focused on modern debates in meta-ethics. This semester I am working with Dr. John Roth to compile projects relating to human rights during and surrounding the Holocaust, and religious dialogue between the worlds’ three major religions. In addition, I am particularly interested in Feminist philosophy, reproductive rights and the ethics of gender, and hope to pursue these topics in future graduate studies. I am looking forward to representing the DePauw student body as a member of the student advisory committee for the Prindle Institute for Ethics.