Whistleblowing has become a major subject of national debate recently, and students should be prepared if they ever find themselves in a similar situation.

The American Whistleblower Tour is making a stop at the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium on March 26. The event will have a panel of five whistleblowers discussing how whistleblowers should be treated, what a person can expect as a whistleblower and what he or she should do to prepare if he or she is ever in a situation that calls for whistleblowing.

Much of the media coverage about whistleblowers displays the repercussions, like the highly-profiled incarceration of Chelsea Manning and U.S. government’s treatment of Edward Snowden. Students should be made aware of the potential benefits that come as a result of whistleblowing, especially with incidents where the information revealed has helped students.

Jon Oberg, a researcher for the U.S. Department of Education and one of the speakers on the tour, for example, alerted officials after he noticed student loan-lending companies were illegally collecting millions of taxpayer dollars.  The kinds of acts that are being revealed on have serious consequences and can affect students.

The tour is focused on college campuses, which is smart because the students on campus today are the future leaders of the workforce. Students may one day encounter a similar situation in their future careers, and the panel would help students prepare for that. Students should know what to expect and how to protect themselves, if they ever do become whistleblowers — a lesson that may not be taught in a classroom.

Students could have a lot to gain as a result of whistleblowing, and should see both sides of the coin for this widely-debated issue. Still, it is important for students to be able to know the pros and cons of the decision, so they can evaluate whistleblowing for themselves.

It is good that the tour features five different speakers from a variety of industries, to show all the different kinds of whistleblowing and circumstances surrounding each of the incidents.

There are many factors that contribute to whistleblowing, and this panel helps students to form their own opinions on the issue.

Published on March 18, 2014 at 1:00 am

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