by Ethics Department Assistant Professor Joann Vaughan

This past Veterans Day, I and my students from the Seminole campus and online classes of St. Petersburg College visited the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg. The visit was sponsored by the St. Petersburg College Applied Ethics Department. When we arrived, we were given the opportunity to listen to a presentation by Mr. Art Sheridan. Mr. Sheridan is a veteran of World War II. He discussed his experience in the Army, starting in 1943. He talked with students about what it was like to be put into the situation of the war in Europe at the age of 17 or 18. Mr. Sheridan was part of an armored division which was sent to Germany during the latter part of the war. His unit fought in Germany, and he and the others in his unit were some of the first Americans to discover and liberate the concentration camp of Dachau, in southern Germany.  He explained that he and his fellow soldiers had not known anything about Dachau, and that when his unit found Dachau, it was completely unexpected. He spoke eloquently about how he and the other men in his unit stayed at Dachau for several days to help the survivors, and the impact this experience had on him.

It was a unique privilege to have the opportunity to listen to Mr. Sheridan share his story and his feelings about his experiences there.

After Mr. Sheridan’s presentation, the museum docent, Bob Barancik, spoke to us about his father, who was one of the Monuments Men who found and recovered artwork stolen by the Nazis. Mr. Barancik then led the students on a tour of the museum. We were also joined by museum docent Mr. Irwin Zweigbaum. Mr. Barancik was extremely knowledgeable, and he shared numerous facts and insights. He explained that Germany was a highly progressive society before the war, and challenged students to try to comprehend how something such as the Holocaust could happen in what was such a progressive society of that time. He spoke of the concepts of good and evil. Along with recognizing the horrors of the time, we were also reminded that there were those people who showed great acts of courage and compassion. There were those people who helped others survive, often at great risk to themselves. Students discussed their thoughts on the value of human life and what they believe a person’s ethical obligation to help others should be.

There were many museum exhibits, each of which were informative and moving. One in particular that stood out to a number of students was the Matzevot. The Matzevot are Jewish tombstones which carry information about people, their families, and their towns. The exhibit related to the Matzevot which were in Poland. Before World War II, there were 1,200 Jewish cemeteries in Poland, in which there were several hundred thousand to up to a few million tombstones. Over 400 Jewish cemeteries were lost during the war. Now, only 150 cemeteries have more than 100 tombstones remaining.  What happened to the tombstones? After the Nazis occupied Poland, they removed tombstones from the Jewish cemeteries and used them in the construction of roads, walls, and to build furnaces, curbs, etc. Several hundred were even used as grindstones. This practice of removing Jewish tombstones to use for such purposes continued in Poland even after the war as well.

 
Here are some thoughts the students shared regarding the impact of trip to the museum:

My experience at the Florida Holocaust Museum was a much more impactful experience than I would have imagined. With it being Veteran’s Day and having an opportunity to listen to Mr. Sheridan a WWII veteran speak about his experience overseas was especially emotional for me. I am an Army combat veteran myself and I know how much courage it takes to share an experience like Mr. Sheridan’s with strangers. Listening to our older generations veterans share their stories are becoming rare and I am grateful to have had that opportunity. The museum experience was very interesting, engaging and thought-provoking. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and did a good job of keeping us engaged by asking questions. When he was describing the social climate of Germany prior to the war, I never knew how progressive Germany was before WWII. The photograph exhibit Matzevot for Everyday Use was an impactful exhibit and demonstrated the lengths that people have gone through to wipe out the Jewish culture. I left the museum thoroughly impressed by the exhibits and emotionally moved by the overall experience. Hopefully, I will be able to return to the museum with my kids in the future.”  (Robert Kelley)

I was 8 years old when I first heard the history of Nazi’s. At that age, I naively correlated it to a tale of good vs. evil. Walking through the museum wiped the fairy tale semblance to the true horror of history. Fortunately, Hitler’s venom did not manage to touch any of my blood relations, but you cannot help but feel an immeasurable sense of kinship with those poor souls subjected to one man’s evil whims. Seeing the quote saying, “For the Dead and the Living We Must Bear Witness” validated my sense of kinship; also, reminding me, that I cannot forget the extent of power held by one man. The first exhibit that impacted me, made me feel a sense of outrage. I was truly struck when I saw the lists that numbered how many Jews were to be massacred by country. Then, we managed to find ourselves on the second floor where we were shown the audacity of the German’s. They used the tombstones from Jewish cemeteries to construct buildings or worst yet, as a grinding stone to sharpen knifes. While these two exhibits stood out the most to me, the museum as a whole, is a mire [sic] glimpse of all of the horrors endured by these individuals. Needless to say, this experience is one that I will not quickly forget. Thank you for allowing me to attend, I am sure that it will have a lifelong impact.  (Haydee Davis)

“I enjoyed the visit to the Holocaust Museum very much, I was surprised to hear we had a guest speaker and that he was a veteran from World War Two. Not only was Arthur Sheridan a veteran he and his unit was one of the first to find a Concentration Camp at Dachau, in southeast Germany. I also know they were not looking for them, that was one of the biggest shocks of the war.

The Holocaust Museum is a memorial and a reminder that this can never happen again. I noticed that the museum focus is not on the war, or political agendas. It has a brief description of Hitler and the Nazi part and their part in WWII. But the main focus is on the Jewish People and what they had to endure….

The gravity of the situation could be quite overwhelming when you realize that this really happened, that people were taken from their home, robbed of their freedom and millions lost their lives, simply because of who they called God. I have much respect for Art, for his contribution to history, humanity, and the cross he must bear. I can only imagine the atrocities his eyes have seen, the battles he’s fought and the resolve a young man from Chicago had to do what was right in the presence of evil.”  (Allen Rogers)

The visit to the Holocaust museum was an interesting experience. I cannot single out any event of the day that was more significant than the other. The presentation from Mr. Art, a war veteran was moving. As he recalled his experience in the war, the PowerPoint enforced the mental pictures he drew in my mind. I couldn’t help but sympathize with him as he was brought to tears after recalling being contacted by the daughter of someone he saved. I must admit my mind wondered at that moment over the questions: Is it possible to leave a war unscarred, whether good or bad? Are we more at war with ourselves or others?…

There is an adage that says “there is power in the tongue,” and Hitler was one to prove that. His influence gave him the power to wipe out the past, present and future of many generations. There were only a few who retained ethical and moral stance, and these persons allowed a small portion of the victims to escape. The more important reality is history does repeat itself, for injustice and discrimination has evolved and revealed itself differently.  (LaShonda Clarke)

Dr. Tan’s Story
I attended Dr. Tan’s forum on October 19, 2016. I listened to him tell his story, and I left Clearwater with a new perspective on life. Dr. Tan grew up in poverty in China where he didn’t even have shoes to wear to school. His mother was alcoholic and abusive, and he was always hungry. He failed and repeated grade levels, and at one point he dropped out of school and was homeless because his mother kicked him out. He felt lost, but he returned to school and eventually graduated from high school, then medical school, then law school, and then Harvard. His story gave me genuine courage and I have a newfound appreciation for the things I have and wish to someday have. Dr. Tan’s speech reinforced my belief that dedication, ambition and effort can bring success despite your situation. A wonderful forum, indeed.

By Dr. Laurie King, Professor of Applied Ethics

Every fall and spring semester, the Applied Ethics Institute awards scholarships to students enrolled in our PHI 1600 Applied Ethics course. We have been awarding these scholarships for years, giving out $1000.00 divided between five different students each semester. We also try to make sure students from each campus are awarded at least one scholarship each semester.

A few years ago I was “voluntold” to be in charge of this endeavor. Our participation was down, and we wanted to generate some more enthusiasm for our scholarships. By streamlining the application process, and by really trying to make sure all of our students are aware of the opportunities, we did indeed greatly increase the number of students applying. That is a credit, I think, to the awesome group of full time and adjunct ethics professors here at SPC.

On the one hand, I was delighted we were getting so many applications. Other the other hand, it is now primarily up to me to sort through all of these applications. Every semester, I go through a progression of anticipation about the scholarships. At first I just hope we can continue the level of participation we have worked to get in the program. Then, as the deadline approaches, I begin to dread the very long task of reading dozens of applications.

But, that isn’t the end of the story. Actually, it is usually just the beginning. Every semester as I start to go through the applications, I am just amazed at how many really talented, smart and grateful students we have. I read their short essays, and invariably I get sad that we don’t have more money to give out. There are always many deserving students, and we can only award five scholarships.

After letting all of the students know the outcome of their application, I then usually get very nice thank you e-mails back from the winners. I received one last year from a woman who just was so happy because she had never been awarded anything like that ever in her life. She came back to college late in life, and was as happy about just being recognized as she was about the monetary award. I even get e-mails back from a few students who didn’t win the scholarship, but thank me just for the opportunity. I truly think that speaks volumes about someone’s character.

My take away from being the “scholarship” person in our department is:

(a) If you apply for something and don’t get it, keep trying. You never know just how close you were in what was probably a competitive arena.
(b) Regardless if you win or lose, a thank you note means more than you will ever know, but a “thank you” from someone who isn’t the winner is rare, and you will most certainly be remembered.
(c) If you ever are asked to help administer a scholarship program, there will be a few headaches along the way, but in the end, the experience is a positive one that will renew your belief in our future leaders.

On Wednesday, September 21, The St. Petersburg College Foundation hosted its second annual distinguished speaker event featuring political and social analyst and best-selling author David Brooks.

Brooks is a New York Times columnist and a commentator on PBS NewsHour. His newest book is The Road to Character.

Two kinds of virtue

As an ethics professor, I am always interested in new ways of approaching the moral issues of our daily lives. The most impactful comments that Mr. Brooks made were with regard to what kinds of virtues are valued in our society. He broke them down into two main categories: The first kind of virtue is our “resume self,” and the second is our “eulogy self.”

Our resume self is that side of us that is ambitious and wants to achieve certain accomplishments. Just think of the items we routinely put on our resumes. The eulogy self is the side of us that is more about those things for which we will all be remembered. He very accurately, I think, pointed out that often these two sets of virtues are very different. He proposed that instead of us being consumed with only our resume self, we should actually be spending more time on our eulogy self. I found myself thinking what would people actually say about me, and I think more importantly, I was considering what I would actually like people to say about me when I am gone. For me, this becomes an interesting motivator to act in a manner to change and impact others around me in a more meaningful way.

The second idea that I found very interesting was Mr. Brooks’ description of those very rare, magical moments where time seems to stop, the world spins in slow motion, and everything is just peaceful and perfect. He described a couple of those moments in his own life. With his descriptions, he placed the audience in those moments with him, and allowed us to feel how special those occasions were. Again, I found myself contemplating the last time I actually had one of those perfect moments. Mr. Brooks explained that he felt the ability to experience intimacy and commitment set up these moments in our lives. We have to make ourselves a bit vulnerable and take a few risks to get there. We cannot live a life being cut off from others. This actually brought me back full circle.

Perhaps the more we work on our eulogy self, the more often we are going to set ourselves up for one of those peaceful moments in life, where our purpose is apparent and blissful.

by Ethics Department Assistant Professor Melissa Coakley.

On Wednesday June 22^nd Applied Ethics students from the Clearwater campus spent the afternoon at the Pinellas County Waste Department.  The students are part of a special topic course in environmental ethics and had been looking forward to the trip for several weeks.

Upon arrival at the facility students gathered into a classroom for a presentation about the land use and the history of the Pinellas County Waste Department.  Students were shown an aerial view of the property and told that the department sits on over 700 acres.  The presentation also included information about the many projects the department is involved with including free mulch (for Pinellas residents) and beach recycle buckets.

After the classroom presentation students walked over to the HEC3 building.  This building houses the Swap Shop.  Pinellas residents can visit the Swap Shop to pick up used household products like paint or cleaning products for free.  Residents can also drop off hazardous household waste – such as televisions and florescent bulbs – at the HEC3 building for no charge.

Once the HEC3 section of the tour was finished students were asked to board the bus for a driving tour around the property.  On the tour students learned that the entire landfill area of the Pinellas County Waste Department can only rise up to 150ft in height.  Once that height is attained the landfall will permanently close.  Right now there are parts of the landfill that have reached a height of 90ft.  Once the landfill closes – this is currently projected to happen in the year 2100 – the county will have to sell its garbage.  This will be very expensive since many other places will be trying to do the same.

During the tour students were also shown the garbage that had come in that day.  The mounds of garbage contained, according to Sarah the impressive and knowledgeable tour guide, more than 70% recyclable material.  Students were shocked to learn that so much of our waste could be recycled instead of added to the already burgeoning landfills.

After the tour students talked about the experience and agreed that we need to spread the word and educate people about the impact our choices have on ourselves, our community, and future generations.  The mood was a bit somber as students were deep in thought having addressed the ethical implications of our trash production and disposal.  Here are some statements from students regarding the impact of the field trip to the Pinellas County Waste Department:

“As a student of Sustainability Management I endeavor to hold a leadership position in the conversation of sustainability. As part of my commitment to the planet in which we live, my objective is to find ways to educate the general public on recycling and conserving the environment. Specifically, the way we consume products and discard them after minimal use. The Pinellas County Waste Department is an opportunity to educate the people of the community on the city’s recycling programs. This field trip confirms the fact that we need to recycle more today than we have ever had to before because of the growing amount of recyclable waste we continuously produced each year. According to the guide at the facility roughly 77% of all waste that comes through the waste department is recyclable material. Another interesting fact about the waste facility is that $4 million dollars’ worth of electricity per month is produced by this plant from burning the city’s garbage, and sold to DUKE electric and then the energy is resold to us at market value.” (Jerry Calhoun)

“The field trip that we took to Pinellas County Waste Department was eye-opening, to say the least. I believe most of the students didn’t know what to expect going there, but we all left with a deeper understanding of how waste impacts our county. One highlight of the trip was the staggering statistics that were being explained. According to the very nice tour guide, two million pounds of electronic devices are handled by the Household Electronics Chemical Collection Center (HEC3) every year. Another highlight was the hidden gem of the Swap Shop. This little general store on the premises had all different kinds of paints and chemicals available free of charge to the public. These were chemicals that the people of Pinellas county had thrown away instead of recycled. All in all, this field trip was very informative and very fun. Speaking for my fellow Ethics students, field trips like this are a great addition to any course schedule.” (Jason McCullough)

“For me, the trip to the Waste Dept. was terrifying. It’s chilling to think that we are slowly running out of space for waste, we as a community aren’t aware of it, and we aren’t doing much to slow down. There’s also an element of helplessness, when even the industry itself shrugs, says it doesn’t have a permanent solution, and puts the stress of solving the problem on future generations. It’s horrible to abuse these kinds of things over and over with reckless abandon only to turn around and say, “Let the kids handle it.” It doesn’t inspire much confidence in those in charge, and it doesn’t say much about our future.” (Caitlin Bly)

“The trip to the Pinellas County Waste Dept. had a very positive impact on me. I am much more aware of how important it is to recycle, and how the waste we accumulate as a county can be significantly decreased if we all do our part!” (Christopher Bell)

“I never knew Pinellas County had 948,946 people living in it. Also, I did not know that we make 2 billion pounds of garbage each year.  Most of our garbage can be recycled but it does not get recycled either because of laziness, or because people are just unaware of the impact it is making in our communities, our world and our planet. We need to become accountable for our waste. We need to know that they are running out of space and that they need to compost, recycle, and help out to save our community and make a better way for the future to come.” (Diana Perez)

#spcethics