INSIDE IREM KNOW YOUR CODE
KNOW YOUR CODE OF PROFESSIONAL
ETHICS: The Pledge
caRl D. YoRk,
cpM® eMeRitus
(
york@sen-tinelcorp.
com), is a vice
pResiDent
with sentinel
Real estate
coRpoRation in
FisheRs, inD.,
anD is a MeMbeR oF the iReM
ethics inquiRY
boaRD. he pRe-viousl Y seRveD
on the ethics
anD Discipline
coMMittee as
chaiR anD vice
chaiR oF the
heaRing boaRD.
I pledge myself…the first three words of all five
paragraphs that make up the Pledge of our
IREM Code of Professional Ethics. These five
paragraphs are the foundation of our Code of
Professional Ethics. A pledge is a vow; a binding promise or agreement that we all agree to
make in our everyday dealings with others.
The legal definition of the word pledge in
Webster’s New World law Dictionary is: “An
item of property given as security for a debt or
performance.”
As IREM Candidates and Members, when
we deal with others, the property we give as
security is our reputation.
When we speak of ethics, we generally use or
think of the concept as a measure of conduct;
the conduct we expect from those we deal with
and the conduct that others expect from us
in return. Each of us makes our own decision
about our conduct in relation to every personal
and professional situation we encounter.
Charges of violation of the Code heard and
decided by the Board of Ethical Inquiry and the
Hearing and Discipline Board in recent years
include complaints such as: giving false information about IREM membership, plagiarizing
material submitted in a management plan,
changing the wording of legal documents without permission, falsifying expenses submitted
on an expense report, making false claims
about academic accomplishment, accounting
of funds outside of contract requirements…you
get the picture. In virtually every case, a violation of the pledge has been cited.
In a review of every case that our ethics
committees have deliberated on, it appears the
discipline could have been avoided if the viola-tor would have asked themselves the following
questions:
• Is it right?
• Is it fair?
• If I were the other party and had knowledge
of your actions, would I still want to participate with you?
• Have I taken the time to read and understand
the requirements of the contract in which I
am participating?
• If I am not sure of something or what action
to take, have I done all that I can do to seek
advice and counsel before I make a decision?
• Is this action in the best interest of the safety
and well being of ALL parties?
• Would I want my son or daughter to make
the same decision that I am about to make?
If the answer is no to any of the above, then
it is likely that you are in danger of violating
the Pledge. I pledge myself is just three words,
unless you make them part of your actions
every day. n
