By Yvette Trancoso
Illustration: Carey Sookocheff
 It's safe to say that many in the accounting profession wish the recent spate of accounting scandals would just go away. But for those who teach ethics to the accountants of tomorrow, the spotlight on the scandals has illuminated the importance of their courses.
"In a way, it's good that this happened," says Sally Gunz, director of the Centre for Accounting Ethics at Ontario's University of Waterloo, "because it makes it obvious that this is important stuff. You can't believe any longer that this doesn't matter. It's not just an academic issue."
In the past, students didn't show much interest in ethics, perhaps because it was seen as an issue affecting those at senior levels, Gunz says. "Their preoccupation was on issues that directly affect them, like billing, expense account-type pressures, pressures one would expect at a very junior level." Larger issues, such as conflicts of interest, may not come into play until later in their careers, she adds.
However, as with many other facets of the accounting field, attitudes toward business ethics may begin to change in light of the recent fraud indictments.
"Students will be asking about the implications," says James Gaa, professor of accounting at the University of Alberta, but adds that we still don't know how the saga will end.
In the meantime, the accounting departments of some universities are re-evaluating their curricula to make them more relevant to the way accountants do business.
So far, however, one lesson the scandals have taught is that ethical behaviour can no longer be treated lightly, Gunz says. "I tell students that the only silver lining of all this is that when they're in a firm, when they see something that's obviously wrong, if they speak up, they have a much better chance of people taking them seriously now." | 
