DHVTSU-CEA-FORM-002

EFFECTIVITY DATE: SEPT. 2018, REV 0

Republic of the Philippines

DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Professional Ethics

Name: Analuz L. Lazatin Score:

Course, Yr. & Sec.: BSIE-4C Date: Nov.12, 2021

EXAMINATION CONTENTS AND BREAKDOWN

TYPE TOTAL ITEMS OBTAINED

I. ESSAY
Chapter 1 – Fundamental Concept on Values
● Values defined
● Hierarchy of Values
● Valuing and Character
Chapter 2 – Filipino Values and Character
● Bipolarity of Values: Strength and Weakness of the Filipino Character 4 items
● The Many Faces of the Filipino (25 points each)
● Agents of Character Formation: Family and Home Environment, Social
Environment Educational System, Economic Environment, Political
Environment, Mass Media, Leadership and Role Models
Total Marks: 100
Percentage: 100
Essay. Read the case study below and answer the following questions.

Emails Exposed
By Akshay Vyas

**DISCLAIMER: All characters and scenarios in this post are fictional.**

Robert is on the baseball team at a small college in Texas. He’s a high profile player on
the team, and as a result he has a lot of followers on Twitter and a large network on Facebook.
For this reason, the members of the athletic board at his college think it’s necessary to monitor
his social media accounts. In Texas, there is no law to prevent schools from requiring individuals
to give up their personal social media login and password information, so Robert is forced to
hand over his social media account information University officials say that the intent of
monitoring is to identify potential compliance and behavioral issues early on, enabling athletic
departments to educate athletes on how to present themselves online. They regularly check what
Robert posts and flag certain postings they have issues with.

One day Robert tweets “Skipping class to break bad #schoolsucks #bettercallsaul #breakingbad.”
Since Robert publicly admits to skipping class, school officials flag the post and decide to also
start monitoring Robert’s email account without informing him.

Since the school provides an email account as a service to its students and faculty, it reserves the
right to search its own system’s stored data. According to the college’s student handbook,
administrators may access student email accounts in order to safeguard the system or “to ensure
compliance with other University rules.” The policy does not mention whether or not account
owners have to be notified that their emails are searched.
 

When searching Robert’s email account, university officials find several questionable emails
between Robert and his tutor. It seems that Robert’s tutor has been sending him all answers to
homework assignments and quizzes. As a result of the investigation, Robert is placed on athletic
probation and his tutor is fired.

Questions

1. Should universities be allowed to monitor student email and social media accounts?
If so, under what circumstances?

In my opinion, there are two sides of this scenario. First,why should schools monitor the
social media accounts and emails of their students? Second, why do schools not monitor
their student’s emails and social media accounts? First and foremost, others would prefer
not to have their emails and social media accounts be monitored for they are afraid that
they can’t exercise their freedom of speech and that is an invasion of privacy. For others, it
may seem okay because it can potentially prevent dangerous situations that may arise from
careless clicking, sharing and posting on social media. Personally,I think it’s okay if schools
monitor their students’ email and social media accounts but the question is how and to
what extent do schools should do this? Maybe visiting and glancing at their student’s social
media accounts is acceptable especially if it has something to do with the safety of the
school but if they are intending to open their students' accounts and emails, I think that’s
not ok. Schools can reprimand students who may post or share harmful and malicious
contents on their social media accounts and ask them to delete that certain post and to
never do it again.

2. What crosses the line between campus safety and invasion of privacy?

If the school demands the login information of the student’s email and social media
accounts,that is crossing the line between campus safety and invasion of privacy because it
simply controls and manipulates their students rights to freedom of speech.
3. Are university rules regarding email and social media monitoring too vague? If so,
how can these rules be changed for more clarity?

Yes, for me it is vague for it is not clearly stated on what information on their students
socmed accounts can be collected and used for, or on what should be done if they found
some harmful or malicious content. The universities must set of rules starting from how
datas must be collected and to what extent the school has the right to use the collected infos
and to whether the students need to surrender their freedom of speech by limiting their
post.

4. Should Robert have been punished for cheating in class if he did not know his email
was being monitored? What about his tutor?

I am divided in this scenario. Yes, Robert must be punished because he cheated. Every
wrongdoings have their consequences and Robert and his tutor must face that regardless if
he doesn’t know that his email was being monitored. It is somewhat similar to “Ignorance
of the law, excuses no one.” On the other hand, I also think that Robert must not be
punished for he is not aware that his email was being monitored. Even in court, an evidence
such as a recording that has no consent from the one being recorded cannot be used as
evidence, same in this scenario.

Prepared by: Evaluated by: Approved:

JUDY ANN S. ALBORNOZ, IE JOANA L. RAMOS, MEnM JUN P. FLORES, PECE, MEP-EE
Instructor/Professor Chairperson, IE Department Dean, CEA