Case Study 1
Marlene, the 25-point per game, three-time All American for South-eastern University
(SU) was in serious academic difficulty. Facing final exams in her summer school courses, she
knew there was no hope of making the two Bs she needed to remain eligible for her senior year.
She realized that, as in most other courses she had taken as a speech communication major, she
had put forth little effort. Even though she had been a special admit at SU, she had thus far
managed to make minimal progress toward her degree and to achieve the required GPA. But, she
had to have Bs in these two classes in her major or she could not play her senior year.
Coach Harris, who was anticipating his first conference title and NCAA tournament bid,
was really upset when he learned that if Marlene was not eligible, it would probably put these
two dreams in serious jeopardy. How could she, he asked himself, seemingly have ruined
everything? After all, he had managed to get her admitted even though her high school GPA and
SAT scores had been significantly below SU’s standards. Through a friend, he had helped
Marlene’s mother get a higher-paying job and qualify for a new home loan. Three times Coach
Harris had convinced faculty members to give Marlene special exams or assignments in order to
help her raise her grades and stay eligible.
Knowing that no one in the Department of Speech Communications would help Marlene
to raise her summer grades after they were recorded, Coach Harris decided to talk with Charlie
Stafford, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Since Dean Stafford’s daughter was a
member of the basketball team, Coach Harris thought that maybe he could get Marlene’s grades
changed by the Dean.
Your approach to this scenario is through the lens of Dean Stafford. This information is being
reported to you by Coach Harris. Please adhere to the rubric provided for this assignment and
render an ethical judgment which you are going to communicate to Coach Harris. Please
provide detailed reasons to support your position. Also, please advise Coach Harris on what he
could / should do or should not have done in a situation like this and why.
