Personal and Ethical Foundations (PEF)
The Personal and Ethical Foundations (PEF) competency area targets the possible innate biases and influences people carry with them throughout all aspects of life. Throughout one’s life, they are bound to go through holistically shaping events that are bound to have an impact and inform their decision making (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). This competency area is aimed towards recognizing our work’s need to have integrity, staying in line with work policies and laws while allowing the voice of care and wellness also inform the work being done (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). To master the art of staying true to what one believes is right while being aware of the external influences that may guide decisions is a process of growth and self-discovery at its core. It is important for a student affairs professional to have a comprehensive understanding of this competency to navigate their roles in higher education, especially when one’s perspective and understanding of their department’s well being conflicts with what the institution believes it to be. There are a multitude of things going on in the world, some may regard them as external, but any effect on society contributes to the world that our students exist in and it’s important to ensure the work we do as professionals to further student success be informed and appropriately recognized.
I would describe my level of proficiency in this competency to be at the foundational level. Working in Residence Life in both a student employee and professional staff capacity has resulted in me having to understand and carry-out the necessary policies and procedures required of staff contractually. I know that at times a certain policy can feel inconsistent with one’s personal values or beliefs, this feeling can be frustrating in a role where you have certain obligations. In my second semester as a Resident Assistant I had created a presentation that went in depth on how to implement your authentic self while carrying out contractual policy to present at student staff training for my peers. This presentation requires participants to gain perspective on their identities and then place their values and beliefs into different aspects of their job, after the foundations were set, participants were asked to roleplay certain scenarios to recreate common uncomfortable realities that resident assistants have to face when interacting with students. I believe this training session that I held aligns with the outcome, “Identify and manage areas of incongruence between personal, institutional, and professional ethical standards” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). In order to effectively present this to my peers, it was imperative that I also go through the same process to gain a deeper understanding of myself, my biases, and my values.
During the Spring 2026 semester, I was able to take the course HEA622: Inclusive Advising and Supporting and within this course we were given interview questions to answer at the beginning of the semester and at the end to discover what kind of perspective on advising we were able to gain through the course. After answer the questions a second time, we were tasked to write a reflective paper on how our answers changed, what specific class content helped to develop our perspective, and how this impacts our future when interacting with students. I believe this academic assignment to align with the outcome, “Analyze personal experiences for potential deeper learning and growth, and engage with others in reflective discussions” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). This is because along with reflecting on our values and beliefs of effective advising, we reflected on how we changed our thinking process which inherently implies that internal personal reflections were had to engage with that reflective piece. Advising is also an area where a student-advisor relationship can grow and thrive when PEF practices align with best practices, these relationships can also suffer if PEF practices go unchecked.
To continue my development within this competency, it will be vital for me to conscientiously navigate the choices being made around and by me to connect the different levels of ethical practices being done. A tangible resource for me to utilize would be to regularly reflect on the competency rubrics to have an on-going reflection of my ethical practices. I have several thoughts on the Residence Life practices and policies we have in place and believe that my input can assist the department in adhering more closely to the PEF competency for the betterment of our students. I aim to get to know my position and job duties closer than what has been written on paper, rather I would like to reflect more on what methods I am implementing into my role when advising students, collaborating with coworkers, and facilitating programs.
Artifact
HEA622: Inclusive Advising and Supporting Interview Questions Reflection Essay
This assignment goes along with the referenced interview questions assignment in my reflection of the PEF competency. It provides a more in-depth analysis of my application of different advising methods in accordance with the development of my personal ethics and praxis.
References
American College Personnel Association & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. (2015). ACPA/NASPA professional competency areas for student affairs educators. Washington, DC: Authors. Retrieved from: https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencies_FINAL.pdf