Ethical Issues for Resident Hall Directors With Foster Students
This paper examines the ethical considerations a resident hall director must weigh when a foster care student has nowhere to go over semester break. It explores three primary ethical dimensions: the student's welfare and whether temporary housing with the director serves that welfare better than no housing at all; the potential shift in the professional relationship between director and student; and concerns of propriety related to gender and shared living arrangements. Drawing on student services literature and institutional strategic direction documents, the paper concludes that while student welfare is paramount, the complexities of relationship dynamics and proprietary concerns make this a genuinely difficult ethical situation.
- Introduction: Overview of ethical issues in the scenario
- Student Welfare as the Primary Ethical Concern: Welfare obligations and housing dilemma
- Relationship Dynamics Between Director and Student: How cohabitation alters professional boundaries
- Propriety and Gender Considerations: Gender and shared-living propriety concerns
- Conclusion: Summary of ethical complexity and competing concerns
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper clearly identifies and separates distinct ethical dimensions—welfare, relationship dynamics, and propriety—rather than treating them as a single undifferentiated concern.
- It frames the central ethical tension as a genuine dilemma (street versus director's home), which gives the analysis weight and avoids false simplicity.
- The use of an institutional policy citation grounds the welfare argument in authoritative professional standards rather than opinion alone.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied ethical reasoning by mapping abstract professional principles (welfare, propriety, professional boundaries) onto a concrete scenario. Each paragraph takes one ethical variable, states the concern, and then works through competing considerations—a structure common in applied ethics writing in student affairs and higher education contexts.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a framing paragraph that names the ethical landscape. It then moves through three substantive ethical issues in sequence: student welfare, the director-student relationship, and gender-related propriety. Each section poses the ethical question explicitly before analyzing it. The paper closes with a references list citing a standard student services handbook and an institutional strategic directions document, reflecting undergraduate-level sourcing in an applied professional context.
Introduction
There are numerous ethical issues to consider when a resident hall director contemplates taking a foster care student home over semester break because that student has nowhere else to go. The vast majority of these ethical issues pertain to concepts of propriety and the fair, equitable treatment of the student. Additionally, these ethical issues touch on the resident hall director's ability to maintain his or her professional standing and employment.
References
Schuh, J. H., Jones, S. R., Harper, S. R., & Associates. (2011). Student services: A handbook for the profession. Jossey-Bass.
University. (2015). Strategic directions. Retrieved from http://blog.hawaii.edu/strategicdirections/files/2015/01/StrategicDirectionsFINAL-013015.pdf
Already a member? Log in
Unlock the rest of this paper
135,000+ research papers · AI writing tools · Plagiarism & AI detection
7-Day Pass
Does not renew
Get 7-Day PassMonthly
Renews at $12.99/month until canceled
Start MonthlyAnnual
Renews at $99/year until canceled
Start Annual- Unlimited AI writing tools
- Plagiarism and AI text detection tool
Plan details
Unlimited AI writing tools are for individual, non-automated use and are subject to our Terms of Service and abuse-prevention measures.
TextChecker scans: 3 during the 7-Day Pass, or 5 per month with Monthly and Annual.
Prices exclude applicable tax.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.