the ethicist

Author: Amanda Greene

Dorm life, placing students in close proximity 24/7, creates an environment in which constant social interaction is unavoidable and confrontation is an unspoken rite of passage. Late night dance parties, the mailroom rendezvous with the cute-but-slightly-awkward boy from French class and the daily 10:23 AM passing of the professor-you-vaguely-recognize-but-definitely-should-say-hello-to usher in a multitude of ethically confounding, and socially hazardous situations. Middlebury students pride themselves on their integrity, but when do our actions end up unintentionally offending our peers?

"College! No Parents," the resounding social mantra of my first year inevitably leads to a number of less than kosher situations. My friends and I spent the majority of our Sunday brunches discussing the escapades of the previous night, and more often than not our conversations strayed away from "who was wearing what," and focused instead on ethical dilemmas and the awkward situations we had unintentionally created for ourselves. We wonderedÖis it ok to tell your hall mate to turn down his music at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday? What about 12 a.m. on a Friday? Are the ethics affected by circumstances, such as tomorrow's 8 AM cross-country meet? How do you tactfully confront the girl who leaves all her books unattended at the most coveted desk in the library for hours on end?

Middlebury students, you don't need to wonder anymore! Below is the inaugural question of The Campus' Ethics Column. You can know exactly what Middkids are always gossiping about.



Q: I have a tendency to frequent dining halls during the most popular hours. As such, the food lines are often extremely long, and the majority of the time the dish that I want is located at the end of serving rotation, and is not an item with much demand. Is it ok for me to "cut" into the line to grab the item I want?

- Hungry and Perplexed



A: It is not okay for you to circumvent a line to obtain an item that others have been waiting for. Lines exist to make sure that everyone has equal access to a particular service, and it is important that their formation is respected. That said, if the dish you want is unpopular, and if it is located in a spot that allows you to acquire the food without disturbing the regular flow of the serving line, then it is permissible to "cut" in. In this situation, it is only ethical to skip ahead of the line if your actions do not affect the movement, or wait time of everyone else in line.

Have any more questions? Send your submissions to amgreen@middlebury.edu. All inquiries will be answered anonymously so that your Proctor crush doesn't know that you spent last Saturday night outside her dorm throwing rocks at her (or possibly her suitemates) window. You're going to be talking about your social encounters anyway, so you might as well get a second opinion. Perhaps you'll realize that your 2 a.m, drunk dial was not as sketchy as you thought.