What whistleblowers in the tech industry mean for Elmhurst University

The tech industry has recently seen a rise in whistleblowers, or people who publicize information of corruptness or wrongdoings taking place in a company. Information exposing some of the most powerful forces in the world would otherwise be kept private from the public, or even to those within the same company. 

Although many are thankful for the share of information whistleblowers publicize, anyone wishing to speak against a company must tread lightly to protect their identity; otherwise, some of the consequences faced after speaking up about companies are irreversible.

The recent rise of whistleblowers almost always comes with a cry to protect those who are punished for speaking up about the corruption and exploitation taking place. 

The identities of whistleblowers are integral to protect, not only for the sake of that person risking losing everything that goes into a job (i.e., livelihood, insurance, etc.), but also because of public backlash. 

The most extreme cases involve getting blacklisted, which is a permanent stain on one’s reputation.

Protection for whistleblowers is exactly what should happen for those working in the tech industry and other related fields, as it can be hard to hold app developers responsible for mistreatment occurring on their apps, the trauma they may cause their creators, and for the sake of diversity online to reflect that in-person. 

Support for those who wish to speak up against tech companies has come in high volumes as the corporate world of the tech industry has become less and less tangible in a world wishing to be better.

Funnily enough, the same freedom being fought for in our courts is the same being fought for in our classrooms by students advocating here for our faculty and staff members at Elmhurst University.

As with many organizations, staff and faculty employees in higher education face the same pressure and potential backlash from the administration when uncovering issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

An unfortunate similarity to the cases we have seen online, speaking up against these social injustices has proven to be detrimental for continued employment at EU. 

Speaking out against administration results in two possible consequences, both of which lie on a spectrum created by the administration. On one end exists this pressure for the staff or faculty member to simply “fall back in place” and remain quiet, while the other end is forced resignation or immediate termination. 

Our employees’ reputations and livelihoods must be protected on campus. Due to this spectrum of severe consequences imposed by the administration, staff and faculty remain quiet on issues they feel go against their own morals and ethics. 

The status quo remains the same; even as the staff and faculty witness direct harm to colleagues and students. 

This is a dilemma an employee working for EU should not have to face. The unwillingness to allow members of the community to speak up against unfair behavior and policies is a stark contrast to the innovative, supportive liberal arts education EU prides itself on. 

The demand for change repeatedly rests on the student body, while EU pretends to be open to hearing recommendations without any proper action following. 

It is harder for students to hold EU responsible, especially when EU isolates campus advocates for more diversity and inclusion. Students who have witnessed these racial injustices on campus time and time again are coming from a place of wanting genuine, effective change, but are discouraged from doing so. 

Not only does this put an immense burden on the students themselves, whose primary focus is their education, but it also discourages students from speaking out against injustices, harm, or mistreatment in the future; a trend that could be harmful in their careers. 

The status quo needs to be disrupted, and to do so we must be able to speak up as students when there is wrongdoing, prejudice, ignorance, or hate taking place on campus.

The Leader will continue to disclose information EU would otherwise want to keep private. 

We lend our voice to the campus community to shine a light on any injustices that need attention, and stand with the whistleblowers on campus for calling out prior issues, such as the quarantine room situation and Title IX violations.   

EU sits on far too much wealth, claims to be far too wise, and holds too much power with the surrounding community to continue these trends. EU students, staff, and faculty deserve better. 

Current and future generations will benefit from the actions taken now, which will rid the community of these vices in the future, both online and in-person.

For years our legal system has protected our whistleblowers. Currently for tech, this legal battle has taken place on multiple occasions for those who have worked for popular applications such as Uber, Facebook, Pinterest and more. 

As a campus community, we need to be doing a better job protecting our own, because if we are unable to protect these whistleblowers at EU, we are failing to create the better future we claim we are collectively striving for on all levels.