PTK HOSTS DEBATE: ETHICS OF ONLINE SCREENING

Nov 30 –PTK hosted a debate asking the question, “Is it ethical for employers to screen social networking sites before hiring potential job candidates?” The purpose of the debate was to educate BMCC students about how posts on sites like Facebook can impact their eligibility for future hire.

Executive Board member Elena Matveeva opened the debate saying, “The power of social sites is to connect with others. The peril is that information is shared with everyone, and the promise is to use social networking sites to your benefit.” Matveeva pointed out that information published online is public and students should expect no right to privacy in their social profiles.

During the debate, students learned what types of online activity could diminish their chances of employment from a national survey conducted by Careerbuilder.com. The survey concluded that inappropriate pictures, derogatory comments, and poor communication skills were the leading causes for being disregarded.

The event focused around a debate where PTK students presented issues for and against online screening. Bibechana Basnet believes employers’ don’t have the right to screen. “The Constitution makes no distinction between professional and private life. This is turning out to be an ethical issue. People are losing jobs.” 

On the other side of the issue, Hyeon Kwang Choi related an incident when an Ohio Burger King manager found a video of an employee showering in the restaurant sink during the night shift. The employee was fired immediately. Choi pointed out “You are responsible for what you comment and post (on social networking sites).”

The debate concluded with a presentation on how students can improve their online profiles to make themselves more appealing to employers. Joining professional and leadership groups online, posting awards and accolades, and posting positive comments were suggested as the best ways to improve a person’s profile.

SHOULD EMPLOYERS HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR FACEBOOK PROFILE?

This question was asked in the Nov. 16, 2011 PTK issues in social networking awareness discussion. We hope that this discussion will fuel the upcoming debate on the topic open to BMCC students. PTK members Elena Matveeva, Alex Ellefson, Hyeon Kwang Choi and Susan Anton presented research and personal experiences to show the pros and cons of employers’ using social networking sites to hire or fire their current and potential employees. 

Our members gave us some insight on what employers look for when searching on Facebook, real-life stories, little-known facts that can help protect Facebook users and ways users can avoid being a victim of employer discrimination.

What do employers look for when searching on Facebook? Alex Ellefson shared his research based on a 2009 Career Builder Survey.  Out of 2,600 employers surveyed, 45% will used social networking sights to conduct their own background checks. The top reasons for candidate dismissal were: inappropriate or provocative photographs or posts, alcohol or drug use, poor references to employers and co-workers, poor communication skills (such as text language and emoticons), discriminatory language, and false qualifications. The top reasons for candidate hiring were:  professional presentation and a “good feel and personality fit.”

Real-life stories: Susan Anton told her real-life example of a friend who was fired from a job because she posted “Updating my resume” to her Facebook page. Elena Matveeva shared the experience of a friend who, on a job interview with the NYC Department of Education, was asked to pull up his Facebook account on demand. 

Facts: After asking Hyeon Kwang Choi what he learned from the discussion, he said, “So many people do not know how to use Facebook correctly. As a Facebook user, you must learn the responsibilities and rights that you have.” He made everyone aware that, once we create a Facebook page, we agree to the terms. He shared that Facebook has the right to remove pictures from your profile. If anyone is using your pictures inappropriately, you can fill out a copyright infringement form on Facebook.com.

How to protect yourself: Make your page more appealing. Post positive information, photos, awards (a big plus for employers), connect to leadership and professional grousps, pick online friends wisely and only display good references.

This discussion, in part, arises from the scarcity of employment. We are all products. We must advertise ourselves in the most marketable way. We are, after all, an investment to our employers.

On November 30, 2011 at 2:00PM in Room N-404 (BMCC main campus), there will be a debate discussing the constructive and damaging effects of using social networking sites to screen current and potential employees. Please join us.

WELCOME TO HISTORIC SENECA FALLS!

Nov. 11-13 – Phi Theta Kappans from all corners of New York State met in the Historic Region of Seneca Falls. The conference, hosted by members of Finger Lakes Community College’s Alpha Epsilon Chi chapter, further explained the honors topic to students through lectures and discussion-driven seminars.

“Seneca County is an historic area, especially for women’s rights,” said Alpha Epsilon Chi advisor, Doug Albert. During the conference many students elected to visit the Wesleyan Chapel, site of the first women’s rights convention in 1848. The Seneca Falls convention was the first time in recorded history that the issue of women’s rights was discussed in a public forum.

“I didn’t realize that the first women’s rights convention was here in New York,” said Erie Community College student Crystal Murno, who was astonished that it took over 70 years for women to earn the right to vote.

Speakers at the PTK conference talked about issues relating to the honors topic. Prof. Bruce Oldfield of Broome Community College said, “As members of an honor society it’s important to know both sides of an argument.”  His lecture pointed out that increasing access to information has resulted in a growing rift between science and religion.

“I hope students were inspired by each other,” said Alpha Epsilon Chi advisor Thomas Prieste, who thought the discussion seminars were a great way for students to analyze and process ideas presented by the lecturers.

Getting students connected and talking about current issues was the underlying theme of the Honors Institute. Erie Community College student Kayla Jemmott said the atmosphere of the conference “gave me ideas and inspiration to bring back to my chapter.”

ALPHA KAPPA ORIENTATION CEREMONY

Oct. 19-  PTK Alpha Kappa Chapter executives and faculty administrators hosted an orientation ceremony for new members. The goal of the orientation was to explain to inductees that PTK is a prestigious honor society that offers a wide range of benefits, not a sorority or a fraternity. 

Senior PTK members and administrators fielded all questions from new and prospective members and provided anecdotal accounts of how PTK has opened up new opportunities for them. Executive board member Euri Parios stressed the advantage of meeting “like-minded, intelligent, and ambitious people,” and then added “PTK will drive you to the top and make you a better person.”

Ajae Gonzalez, another executive board member, explained to students that PTK has a way of incorporating every member’s unique skill set into the organization. Gonzalez uses his training in photography to take pictures at PTK meetings and events for use on the Alpha Kappa blog.

The goal of the orientation was to get students excited about PTK membership. Present at the meeting was BMCC student Romina Moyano. “I thought I wouldn’t have time for [PTK],” said Moyano, “but the more I looked into the more excited I became. Today I realized it’s a great opportunity.”

HONORS IN ACTION AT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

OCT 9- BMCC hosted the Phi Theta Kappa Regional Leadership Conference over the weekend. The goal of the conference was to educate new members about PTK programs and to foster relationships between NY State chapters.

Regional Secretary Brianna Young hoped to share what she learned about the Honors in Action Program while attending the Honors Institute last summer. The theme of the program is the democratization of information, a topic that challenges students to explore how information is spread during the Twenty-First Century. This subject has been embraced by the members Alpha Gamma Nu from Tompkins Cortland Community College.

“We’re still in the brainstorming stage,” said PTK member Lili Van de Bogart. She and fellow Tompkins student, Deana LeBlanc, were attracted to the Regional Conference in NYC because they hoped to do their Honors Project on the Wall Street protest. Particularly, they wanted to explore how the Internet has attracted supporters and exposed questionable police activity. “When Information can be shared by everyone, then you have power,” added Van de Bogart.

Another PTK member from Tomkins Cortland, Sean Holbert, is interested in doing the Honors project on natural gas mining in his own backyard. “In rural towns it’s more useful to have face to face gatherings for discussion.” Said Holbert. As an environmental studies major, Holbert would like to investigate how energy companies mining the Marcellus Shale are releasing deadly toxins into the environment.

The conference succeeded in bringing the Tompkins Cortland students together with senior PTK members like Brianna Young, who said of the Honors in Action Program, “Democratization of information is how we learn, and as Honor Society members we love to learn.”

C4 TAKES FLIGHT AT REGIONAL CONFERENCE

OCT. 9- At the Phi Theta Kappa Regional Leadership Conference hosted by BMCC, speakers stressed the importance of the Community College Completion Corps, known as the C4 Initiative.

Senior VP of Academic Affairs at BMCC, Sadie Bragg, opened the conference by urging PTK members to focus on the C4 program. She pointed out that community college graduates usually earn more, have greater job security, and hold a competitive edge over non-graduates. After her speech she encouraged PTK members to act as guides for their peers. “A lot of students are walking around who don’t know what to do,” said Bragg, who plans to solicit students to come up with ideas for a completion agenda.

On April 10, 2010 PTK joined other organizations participating in the C4 project after President Obama pledged to increase graduation rates by 50% over ten years. PTK signed onto the program during the organization’s National Conference in Orlando.

Former PTK International President Edgar Romero, who was the only student representative present at the Board of Directors meeting when the program was enacted, hopes that school chapters will eventually form stronger connections with their administrators so that together they can reach out to struggling students. “The first step, though,” points out Romero, “is about creating the conversation and making noise.”

The objective of C4, expressed Romero, targets a complex problem “that will take many years and faces many obstacles and difficulties.” Chief among them are the wide range of reasons students fail to complete their degrees, which includes financial issues, family responsibilities, and personal problems.

Tackling these issues is the Alpha Theta Iota chapter at Monroe Community College. Over the summer members organized a scholarship for the winners of an essay contest for students, asking why college completion is important to them. The Scholarship involves two tiers of judges to select the winners. One is formed by PTK members and the other by administrators. The essay winner will be awarded $250 towards their education and runner up prizes include a free parking pass, $50 for the cafeteria, and a $25 gift card for the school bookstore. The winners will be announced at the C4 event at Monroe CC and afterwards Alpha Theta Iota has organized a scavenger hunt to introduce students to school resources like the math and writing labs. Western Vice President Tim Gaura, who constructed the essay’s grading rubric, reported that 3-4 students come into his office daily to inquire about the scholarship. “People are excited, mainly, because they see [the essay] as accessible. It has nothing to do with grades and what you’ve done or haven’t done.”

Bookending the conference was keynote speaker Phillip A. Berry, who after graduating from BMCC went on to get his M.B.A from Xavier University and now operates a consulting firm for business management. Berry touched on C4’s commitment to social responsibility, saying, “Each of you has chosen to embark on a road of excellence. That road has to be paved not only by your mind but by the minds of those you bring with you.”