You are a member of the academic admissions committee of Tod University, a private university that is one of the most highly selective colleges in the country. Every year, Tod receives approximately 15,000 applications for its incoming freshman class. For the most part each applicant can boast that they graduated in the top 5% of their high school graduating class. Tod only accepts 5% of the applicants from the pool of applications.

As a member of the admissions' committee, you and 4 other co-workers make the final decision on who is admitted into the freshman class. The decision to admit must be unanimous, i.e., all 5 members of the admissions committee must agree to admit the applicant.

The son of an influential Tod University Trustee has applied to the university and has passed all of the preliminary requirements for admission; his final hurdle is to gain your committee's unanimous approval.

Admittedly, the young man does not meet all of the criteria for admission. However, his father has pulled strings to get him through the initial phases of the application process and has applied considerable political pressure along the way. There is an expectation that your committee will unanimously vote to admit the son.

Three of your fellow committee members are prepared to vote in favor of the son's admission. Another member is afraid to deny his application because he fears reprisal. Therefore, he will vote in favor of admitting the young man.

You, on the other hand, are unsure on how you will vote. You have had no qualms in the past denying other applicants from being admitted when you believed that they did not meet Tod University standards. In fact, those rejected applicants were more qualified than the son. It's clear to you that the son is not qualified. But if you vote no, the son will be denied admission, and you could be subject to present or future adverse employment decisions. It appears that the committee has 4 affirmative votes and they are waiting for you to decide. What is your Vote?

For this assignment, you are to render your vote and identify and describe the ethical principle (e.g., Utilitarian; Deontological; Front Page Test) or other basis (e.g., Rationalization; Conformity; Following Orders; Lost in a Crowd; Blind Spots) you relied upon to reach your decision. Explain your decision.