Code of Ethics for a Design Student

AIA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Canon IV: E.S. 4.2
Dignity and Integrity: Members should strive, through their actions, to promote the dignity and integrity of the profession, and to ensure that their representatives and employees conform their conduct to this code.

What is dignity? the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed
What is integrity? firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values

As a student, it is our responsibility actively pursue a high standard of excellence, to be studious with regard to the current standards of practice, and to analyze, respect, and dissect the architecture of the past, present and future.
We are, foremost, obligated to ourselves. This is imperative because the educational process of architecture occurs in tandem with the human developmental stage of personal identity and intimacy. It is during these years of our lives that people are faced with finding out who they are, what they are all about, where they are going in life, and how they are effected by the relationships they form. The student owes it to themselves to pay homage to the synthesis of these two dimensions.
Subsequently, the student is then able to evaluate and begin practicing their obligations to the profession, their colleagues, and the environment. Once the student evolves further, they will be prepared to face their obligations to their clients and the public.

As Architecture students, we have:
Obligations to Ourselves
Students should continually evaluate their personal growth. One should strive to increase their knowledge of the influential factors which mold their character. One should learn to identify all influences. In doing so, one can learn what is important to them as an individual and so that they are able to avoid the effects which exemplify poor moral character.

Obligations to Other Students
Students should actively be involved in the development of our classmates. It is important that we encourage, support, and constructively criticize our fellow architecture students. This will help our classmates' development, as well as assist us in learning to be self-critical. After all, they say one good way to learn something is to try and teach someone else.

Obligations to Our Education
It is very important that we strive to gain all that we can from our opportunities in education. Someone once told me to learn one thing very well everyday. That means after one year, I should be an expert at 365 things. Our education is what will lead us into our futures, and it will set us apart from others. What we gain, from the opportunities we are provided, will be evident to prospective employers. Moreover, it is the foundation from which our careers develop.

Obligations to Professors
We are obligated to respect our professors and those who are experienced in the fields in which we study. They have a plethora of knowledge to offer, and we have much to gain from their experiences. They have chosen to teach because they have taken pledge to help guide the profession by dedicating themselves to students' advancement and education. However, they will only give what a student is willing to work for, as it should be. They are here to help guide you in the right direction on the paths you chose.

Obligations to Our Institution
We are obligated to the institutions in which we learn. As we step into our future careers and jobs, we will represent the institution from which we came. As we develop in our careers, we are obligated to pay respect to those institutions, because they are the foundation for so many other students striving toward an architecture career. To represent those institutions in a negative manner will hinder future aspiring architects in attendance at those institutions. You should strive to be a source of pride for those institutions, because in doing so, you are also a positive influence to younger students and future generations.