GCSU joined the University System of Georgia in celebrating Ethics Awareness Week from Nov. 3 to 7, highlighting the importance of integrity, accountability, respect and excellence in campus life. Through educational activities, sustainability challenges and community discussions, the week encouraged students, faculty and staff to reflect on what it means to live and learn ethically.
According to the Georgia College website, “Ethics Awareness Week is sponsored by the USG each year to reinforce our collective commitment to an ethical culture and our shared values and expectations. GCSU, along with the other 25 USG institutions and the University System Office, hosts activities throughout the week to raise awareness of the importance of an ethical culture and our shared Core Values: Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect.”
At GCSU, those values came to life through hands-on events that connected ethical reflection to everyday choices. Rhonda Fowler, GCSU’s chief audit officer, coordinated the week’s activities for the third consecutive year, approaching each celebration from a new perspective.
“I have been the coordinator for GCSU’s Ethics Awareness Week activities for three years, and each year I try to approach ethical awareness from a different perspective,” Fowler said. “Ethics is a broad topic that touches many aspects of our lives, from personal to professional, and private to public. Our students continually face ethical choices in academic, social and civic settings.”
One of the week’s most talked-about events was the Food Waste Challenge, which asked students to think about sustainability and responsibility through a simple but eye-opening activity.
“For example, this week we are promoting sustainable actions through the Food Waste Challenge by raising awareness about the quantity of food collected in the dish return at the MAX in 24 hours,” Fowler said. “While students may have noticed leftovers on individual plates, they might not have considered the total amount or what happens to the waste. We are fortunate to have volunteers with the Office of Sustainability who process this organic material into valuable compost for our West Campus Garden.”
Faculty and staff were also invited to participate through a campus shred event and leadership presentations, which emphasized accountability and transparency in professional settings.
“For our faculty and staff, we encourage responsible accountability through essential practices, such as the campus shred event,” Fowler said. “Leadership and compliance presentations offer valuable learning opportunities to highlight the importance of integrity.”
Fowler explained that while Ethics Awareness Week highlights ethical living for a few days each November, its lessons are meant to last beyond the week itself.
“It is our goal, through Ethics Awareness Week, to empower students to embrace an ethical culture and create an environment at GCSU that embodies our values of integrity, excellence, accountability and respect,” Fowler said. “Our message this week is that every choice, every day, everywhere, is an opportunity to shape culture and continue to show why ‘It’s Different Here’ at GCSU.”
Jim Winchester, professor of philosophy and coordinator of the philosophy program, said the week also offered a chance to talk about ethics in a deeper sense, beyond compliance or policy and into personal conviction.
“Being ethical is often not easy,” Winchester said. “It can be challenging to do the right thing. Sometimes it seems that so many are merely pursuing their own interests. At these times, it is good to think about people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, who fought for a better world for everyone.”
From composting projects to community reflection, GCSU’s Ethics Awareness Week reminded the campus that ethical culture is not a single event. It is an ongoing practice that defines the university’s character and values.