the ethicist

Author: Amanda Greene

Last Saturday night I realized that very little of what I was wearing was actually my own clothing. I was wearing borrowed earrings and shoes, and a jacket that I had picked up along the way after I decided that my (seemingly) warm-enough sweater was not going to cut it. I glanced at my friends and noticed that they too were wearing clothing that had been acquired through exchange. Middlebury students, living on a campus that fosters an incredible sense of community and connectedness, have taken this same idea and applied it to personal belongings.

We live in a culture of sharing. Books, DVDs and jackets shuffle through the hands of many individuals, and our things are appreciated by far more people than they were originally intended for. It's all very environmentally friendly. I love sharing, but not when it's pouring and I can't find my raincoat because my friend has borrowed it, assuming that I would have no need for its protection on the day when I have class in the CFA and then BiHall.

In other words, Middlebury students have a tendency to take things without asking. Clothing has an owner. If you want to use something that doesn't belong to you, ask. Also, when you borrow something, it's essential that you return in a timely manner, and in pristine condition. Those jeans you borrowed last Saturday and spilled red wine all over cannot be returned after a simple washing. If you stain, tear or change the condition of an item in any way you are obligated to replace it. And don't ask if you should replace it because then you put the owner in an awkward position. When you borrow something you assume total responsibility for its condition. Sharing is caring, and it's important to borrow responsibly.

And now for this week's question:

Q: I have an enormous amount of work due during the end of the semester and finals period. For the last week of class I have four 10-page papers and I just don't think that it is possible to complete all of them. I have never asked for an extension on anything but I feel that, because I have so much to do, that I will not be able to write any of my papers well, and that all of my papers will suffer significantly in quality because of the convergence of work that I have. Is it ethical for me to ask for extra time when my peers might have equally as much work and when the due dates (assuming they do not talk to professors) will remain the unchanged for them?

-- Encumbered with Essays

A: Middlebury has a policy that says that any student who has three exams on the same day is allowed to take one at a different time. This policy exists to counter a situation just like yours, in which the students (sanity) and ability to do well is compromised because of overwhelming academic obligations. You are more than welcome to appeal to your professors' sense of decency in the hope that they will give you a little bit of a cushion. You are not giving yourself advantage over your classmates because the assumption is that if they had a situation similar to yours that they too would ask for more time. Middlebury professors know that everyone's situation in different, and if you thoroughly explain your situation they trust that any extra time is being asked for with good reason.

Want to consult The Ethicist? Send submissions to amgreene@middlebury.edu.