Officials at Brown University have ruled that the fraternities Phi Kappa Psi and Sigma Chi “created environments that facilitated sexual misconduct” at fraternity parties. Brown University isn’t the first college where stories of sexual assault at fraternity parties have made national news. There was the situation with the Rolling Stone University of Virgina incident which resulted in a … Continue reading "Decreasing Sexual Assault: Should Sororities Host Parties Too?"

An Australian man was arrested and stripped of his parental rights after treating his 2-year-old daughter with cannabis oil. Adam Koessler’s daughter has been diagnosed with stage-4 neuroblastoma, which develops from immature nerve cells. The cannabis oil was used in addition to diet changes, chemotherapy, and nautropathic medicine.  Although he says that his daughter’s quality of … Continue reading "Cannabis and Cancer"

Can you own an ancient practice? India has recently appointed a “Minister of Yoga” to the Cabinet, and begun compiling a library that demonstrates how to “properly” do yoga. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants yoga to be recognized as an Indian tradition. While nothing official has been released, the government appears to be moving in … Continue reading "Can You Own Yoga?"

Should refugees seeking asylum be housed in former concentration camp barracks? Schwerte, Germany, is planning to house 20 asylum seekers in a satellite post at former Buchewald concentration camp. While the barracks were used for guard’s quarters and not as housing for the camp’s slaves, some refugee groups have said that it is in poor … Continue reading "Repurposing Buchenwald: Housing Refugees"

If the government can’t see it, should you be allowed to communicate with it? British Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday that if he is reelected, his Parliament will draft a bill that bans messaging applications that encrypt data so that the government cannot view it. Certain messaging applications’ style of encryption makes it difficult … Continue reading "What the Government Can See and No More?"

In a typical criminal trial, the jury is shown pictures or videos of the crime scene as evidence. When photos or videos do not provide enough information for the jury to make their decision, a judge can grant a “jury view.” This allows juries to go to the scene of the crime and examine the … Continue reading "Field Trips for High-Profile Juries"

Should Facebook suggest posts about the dead on your News Feed? In her article for The Atlantic, Shirley Li wrote about her experience with Facebook suggesting she like a page that was a memorial to a woman who died in 2013. The woman had died in a tragic fire (in a house with a history of code … Continue reading "The Dead on Facebook"

Receiving employment after prison can be difficult for many who are released; in fact, unemployment can lead to multiple offenses in the long run. While rehabilitation is generally good for society, are there certain jobs that convicted felons should not be allowed to have? There are certainly restrictions on jobs, such as sex offenders cannot work … Continue reading "Convicted Felons in Professional Sports"

Although the American news coverage has dropped off significantly, the death toll in the Ebola epidemic in West Africa continues to rise. It is currently approaching 10,000 victims, and 6/10 of the people currently suffering from the disease will likely die. Over 8,000 people have died and over 20,000 have been infected. The news cycle … Continue reading "Ebola in the News"

After a year-long investigation in Tampa Bay, Florida, a news station has revealed that police have been using dating sites to arrest men as sex offenders who had no interest in underage trysts. Many of the men arrested had posted ads for women who were 18 and older – all legal adults – and police … Continue reading "Sex Stings and Property Seizure"

Should anyone be forced to receive medical treatment they do not want? In September, a 17-year-old in Connecticut was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The girl, Cassandra C., told her mother that she did not want to receive chemotherapy treatment because she does not believe in putting “poison into her body,” even if she has cancer. … Continue reading "Minors and Unwanted Medical Treatment"

This Guest Scholar post was written by Rebecca Schindler, professor of Classical Studies at DePauw University.  Seven thousand years of history in the Middle East is on the brink of being wiped out. The on-going civil war in Syria and the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have placed the region’s … Continue reading "Conflict Antiquities: Is there a Future for the Past?"

Death with dignity is increasingly becoming a prominent social issue. In November, 29-year-old Brittany Maynard decided to end her life after receiving a prognosis of six months to live after being diagnosed with aggressive terminal brain cancer. Maynard decided that instead of allowing her mind to detriorate while the rest of her body was reasonably … Continue reading "Dying with Dignity"

Across the country, schools are experiencing high numbers of school cancellations due to weather and illness outbreaks. While usually these events bring a couple of days off for students, many schools have shifted to virtual teaching instead. Students log on to discussion boards, social media, or school websites and are able to complete assignments, discuss … Continue reading "Ethics of the Virtual Snow Day"

In the news since 2010, the ethical dilemma of Jesse Shipley’s brain has reached headlines once again.  The Shipley family discovered their son’s missing organ after a high school field trip to the morgue resulted in students informing the family that Jesse’s brain was in a jar, labeled with his name.  Nearly a decade after … Continue reading "Buried Without A Brain: Should Shipley’s Family Have Been Informed?"

This post by Dr. Jeff McCall was originally published by The Indy Star on December 26, 2014.  Journalism enters dangerous territory when reporters look to tell “stories” that are more dramatic, more sensational and more confrontational than what is provided by real life. Rolling Stone magazine found this out with its recent, misguided story about sexual assault … Continue reading "The Rolling Stone UVA Rape Story Debacle"

For more than a year, students at North Putnam High School – not far from the Prindle Institute – have been attempting to form a Gay-Straight Alliance club. On November 20, the school board voted to not approve the club. The vote was 3-3, with one abstention. On December 23, the American Civil Liberties Union … Continue reading "All Clubs Are Created Equal"

The role of a Grand Jury is to secretly examine all evidence of a case and decide if there is reason to indict at individual. In the case of the August 9 Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, a Grand Jury decided not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer that fatally shot Brown. Grand … Continue reading "Freedom of Speech: The Ferguson Grand Jury"

In the wake of the lack of indictments of police in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, both black men killed by white police officers, tension is high. Recently, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio mentioned that he has taught his biracial son Dante on how to deal with the dangers that … Continue reading "The NYPD and Mayor de Blasio"

The trial of Dzhokar Tsarnaev, one of the alledged bombers from the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013, will begin today with jury selection. Tsarnev has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers attempted to reach a plea deal with federal prosecutors, but a deal was unable to be made. Tsarnaev could receive the death penalty, and his … Continue reading "Ethics in the Boston Marathon Bombing Trial"

This post originally appeared in the Indy Star on December 15, 2014. The nation struggles to explain why violence is so much a part of its daily experience. Senseless murders. Sports stars committing domestic violence. Perpetrators playing “knockout games” on public streets. School principals dealing with widespread bullying. The causes of violence are many, complex and difficult … Continue reading "Cultural implications of media violence norms"

The aftermath of the recent deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner is far from over. This time, however, the demonstration came from a more unexpected forum: the congressional staffers. Like many of the other protests, they gathered with hands held up and remained completely silent. The Senate chaplain offered a brief prayer, which pointedly mentioned … Continue reading "Solidarity’s Inspiring Effect"

Conner is a junior intern from Carmel, Indiana. He is an Honor Scholar and Political Science major at DePauw. 1. Tell us about an ethics/social justice issue that is particularly important to you. Most of my campus work/activism has focused on issues of race and privilege, both at DePauw and in the country as a … Continue reading "Prindle Intern Spotlight: Conner Gordon"

On December 9, the Senate released their assessment of CIA documents relating to “enhanced interrogation.” The question of course is whether “enhanced interrogation” was anything other than torture. The report includes multiple accounts of water boarding; one man was water-boarded 183 times. Other CIA detainees were subjected to freezing temperatures, kept in complete darkness with loud … Continue reading "“Enhanced Interrogation” versus Torture"