Being a Notre Dame student is truly valuable because we are treated like growing adults and are expected to act the same way. Notre Dame standards have brought together ideas that we refer to as ethical responsibilities. These ethical responsibilities are really important for the future of all students. We go out into the real world not knowing what should be expected and how to act when we were confronted with things we might not like. As a community we value each other work and respect the privacy and ownership. We are here to not only learn but share what we have learned with others so that we grow as one. In the real world there are many things we have no experience in, therefore, we must join together and practice.
Our Code of Ethics for Computer Science and Engineering, like any other, provides a guideline of what is expected of you or anyone around you at Notre Dame. At Notre Dame we all know community is our main foundation, whether its within the classroom or outside the classroom. Our goal was to divide our code of ethics so that it would discuss the following points: General Guidelines to guide our daily lives, Professional and Group ethics and ethical questions in the CSE/CPEG fields.
As students and beings at Notre Dame we should treat each other with respect and care. Our neighbors are our brothers and sisters so we should value their advice and hospitality. Notre Dame students are expected to follow this tradition when they are on campus but most importantly take it with them for the rest of their lives. We hope that all Notre Dame students can share their experience at Notre Dame as a safe, progressive, and valuable experience.
As I already mentioned, Notre Dame is founded on community. Within our community we are expected to act in a professional manner with our peers. This is especially important when we look at working on a group project or discussing anything with our group member/teammate/teacher. We must maintain the respect for other students work to allow the cultivation of a more academically thriving environment where all are successful. We must communicate and elaborate our ideas with diligence.
In the CSE/CPEG fields this topic is really important and much more specific. Since this market is growing really fast we see a lot of vulnerable areas where ego and self preservation can cause destruction. Most applications people use obtain personal data of each user but rarely provides the user with the security and/or encryption of their data. If we obtain other peoples data and preform with it without consent of the user, we are not acting ethical and essentially not acting as a part of the Notre Dame community.
The important thing to understand is that this field introduces new cases all the time. Since everything is not as clear as we would like it to be we must act in a logical way and remember how we can apply ourselves as a person who values their ethical responsibilities. Sometimes there are grey areas where you never expect an issue but it arises and you have to decide how to deal with it.
This Code of Ethics is useful because it gives us the fundamental understanding of what a Notre Dame community resembles. It is our resource to decide how we can make our decisions in the future. Each section is split to show you that ethical responsibilities don’t come in one simple form. Ethical responsibility must be part of our character and guide our futures.
Ethical and Professional Issues 