Is a one-credit course on ethics in the surveying and
mapping profession sufficient to provide a solid foundation for real-life
practice? How can surveying and mapping professionals raise ethical standards
to ensure the public trust? What are you doing to promote ethical behavior?
These were just a few of the questions John Clyatt,
president of Pickett & Associates Inc. in Bartow, Fla., asked the audience
to consider at the
MAPPS
Winter Conference.
A third-generation surveyor, Clyatt gave what he called a
“sermon from the pulpit” on the history and current practices of ethics in
professional applications on Jan. 30 at Trump International Resort in Sunny
Isles Beach, Fla.
Although Clyatt humbly noted that he was in no better
position to speak on ethics than anyone else in the room, he takes ethics very
seriously within his own firm. The firm’s mission embraces “a corporate culture
and long-term vision for the company that is built on honesty and integrity,”
two pillars of ethics. In addition, situational examples of ethics are
discussed during weekly safety meetings with his team.
Clyatt said professionals are bound, “in light of their
specialized skills,” to follow codes of ethics established by state laws and
the associations to which they belong. He said professionals have a duty to
raise their vocation to a higher level, which is a key to maintaining the
public’s trust. A strong moral compass allows the public to continue to seek
out specialized services. A professional’s ethics should be “a way of life
rather than passive observance,” he said.
In order to make it a way of life, Clyatt said, professional
ethics needs to be taught at a younger age and constantly reinforced. A member
of the University of Florida’s Geomatics Advisory Committee since 1998, he said
that while the program at Florida has done a good job of incorporating ethical
instruction, he also has heard the debates on whether it is necessary to teach
ethics at all.
He provided an example that showed a university with a
one-credit elective course on ethics in the geospatial profession. It allows
the school to “check the box” for ethics on its petition for accreditation,
Clyatt said. Instead of a one-credit course, ethics needs to be included into
the curriculum of many other classes, he said. This would allow professors to
instill everyday ethical situations into the minds of budding practitioners and
reinforce the message over and over.
“University programs are too focused on teaching the
technical and not real-world situations that arise. … Ethics needs to be
elevated to the point where our ethical responsibility is on par with our
technical responsibility,” Clyatt said.
Great strides can be made regarding future educational
requirements. Clyatt suggested that ethics education should be required in
continuing education courses and in license renewal – in the same manner that
technical standards must be mastered.
He also suggested that professional societies should be more
stringent in enforcing ethical standards by censuring members for breaches of
bylaws. A member and past president of the Florida Surveying and Mapping
Society as well as a member of ACSM, ASPRS, NSPS and MAPPS, Clyatt said it is
incumbent on individuals to turn in their colleagues for violations of ethical
standards.
Clyatt said Alabama and Ohio have sent a strong message to
practitioners by codifying ethical standards into state law. The Alabama law
states that professionals cannot passively sit by and allow a fellow
practitioner to breach professional ethics. Instead, they are obligated to say
something; otherwise, they, too, are guilty of a violation.
“We need to closely follow, we need to closely follow up on,
we need to monitor, and we need to continue our pursuit of elevating the
profession,” Clyatt said.
Finally, he advised incorporating discussions on real-world
ethical situations into regular meetings and the everyday practice of each
firm. Companies should “mentor young professionals and set stellar examples of
ethical business practices,” he said.
What do you think? Are today’s universities,
associations, and surveying and mapping firms doing enough to promote ethics?
What changes are needed? Share your comments below.
