Case Study: Issuing A Blanket Statement

At 11:00 pm on a cold Saturday in February, fire engines screamed toward campus as frightened students fled, some clad only in nightclothes, from Thompson Hall. Gathering in the parking lot, the shocked students watched in horror and amazement as flames shot out of the third-floor windows.

The commotion drew students from all over the small mid-western college campus, and soon the residence hall staff, comprised mostly of doctoral students, had all they could do to keep the growing numbers of students calm and away from the burning building.

Thats my room, thats my stuff! Mark, a senior hockey player bellowed. I have to get my stuff!

As he ran toward the building, Mark was intercepted by the residence director of Thompson Hall, Rob Martin.

You cant go in there, Rob told Mark, as he grabbed him by the arm. Look at it - my stuffs in there, too. Come on.

The entire staff of resident directors (RDs) worked quickly and efficiently throughout the night to ensure that the distressed students were safe. They escorted some to temporary quarters at a nearby hotel; others went to join friends in other dorms.

By 5:00 am, the weary staff was able to get a glimpse of the extent of the damage - the roof on the east side of the building was gone, three rooms on the third floor were destroyed by the fire, and many others throughout the building had been badly damaged by the smoke and water. Firemen threw charred bed frames and water soaked mattresses out of the windows.

By midmorning, word had come from the fire chief that the fire, which had started in a third-floor room, had been caused by a faulty electric blanket that had been left turned on and crumpled at the end of a students bed. The chief ordered the lower floors of the building closed until renovations and safety inspections, expected to take about a week, were complete. The upper floors were to be closed for much longer. That afternoon, residents of Thompson Hall, escorted by an RD, were allowed to enter the building, one at a time, to collect what remained of their clothes and other necessary belongings. Some students were relieved to find only very minimal damage to their belongings; others werent so lucky.

My shirt, wheres my hockey shirt? It was right there, on the wall..., whispered Mark, as he stared into the black hole that had been his room.

Its gone, Mark, Rob told him. Im sorry, but everything is gone.

But it cant be gone - it, it was my dads - he played for the Northstars - he wore it in his last game. I have to find my shirt.

At 8:00 am Monday morning, four exhausted RDs gathered for their weekly staff meeting with their supervisor, Susan Howell, Director of residence life.

Wheres Susan? asked Lisa, the RD of Drake Hall, the only all-female residence hall on campus. Shes late. How are you doing this morning, Rob? Have you been able to get any sleep?

Not much, thanks, and you?

Sorry Im late, guys, Susan said, as she entered the conference room. Hows everybody surviving? The first thing I want to say is that you all did an incredible job handling the crisis this weekend. I couldnt have asked for anything more - from any of you! None of us has gotten much, if any, sleep these past two days. I hope youre all holding up. You guys are great!

I was just in a meeting with President Dickerson. He was not happy. It seems that he heard from the fire chief; according to the chief, that building was a fire waiting to happen. When the firemen investigated the building, they found candles stuck in beer bottles and tapestries hung on the ceilings to cover bare light bulbs. Not only that, but they also found microwaves, toaster ovens, mini-refrigerators, and coffeepots. The building isnt under code to allow appliances in students rooms.

President Dickerson, she continued, is furious. He asked why we dont have a rule banning appliances. I explained that we do have one - its in the student handbook - but it hasnt been enforced. I tried to tell him how hard it is to enforce the rule without turning the residence hall into police states, but hes insistent. He wants all appliances removed from every room in every residence hall within one week.

Youre kidding.

But I thought we had agreed not to go looking for that stuff or even enforce the policy when we came across something. Its a privacy issue.

Yeah, the students already feel that were on their backs because theyre not allowed to drink in their rooms - we cant go and tell them that they cant eat either. They already think we treat them like kids.

Its not that they cant eat; they just cant cook.

But the cafeteria is only open until 7:00 at night, and most of the athletes dont finish practice until 7:30 or 8:00. I have a lot of athletes in my building. How can they eat?

Besides, it was a blanket that caused the problem - not a microwave.

Susan listened intently to the discussion. I know, she said, you have some good points, but President Dickerson gave the order - all appliances have to be out of the rooms in one week - they can either ship them home or take them home, but we have to do inspections in one week, and anything we find we have to confiscate.

One week? This is incredible. The students dont like us much as it is. I can hardly wait to see what happens when we start taking away their toasters.

Rob had been sitting quietly throughout most of the discussion.

You know, he said at last, I agree with what youre all saying. But maybe it wont be as bad as we think. Most of the students were on campus to actually see the fire - and those who didnt actually see it burning can see the damage. We were really lucky that it happened when it did. Someone might have gotten hurt if it had been 4:00 am on a weekday. I think we need to give the students some credit; seeing the damage, they just might understand why we have to do this.

Maybe Robs right, Lisa responded. I guess they would be crazy not to agree with the policy. Its for their own safety.

And ours, added Rob. I dont want to be in a situation like that again, or lose everything like Mark.

Speaking of Mark, how is he doing?

Hes still very upset. He lost some pretty important things in the fire. But, Ive been talking with him about it. Hell be all right.

I think well need to meet again this week, Susan told the group, just to check in to see how everyone is holding up. If you can all meet with your students before Wednesday, well have another staff meeting that day to talk about what we need to do next. Thanks.

By the looks on your faces, Susan began, Im not sure I want to know how things went with the students. Lisa, why dont you start?

Yeah, sure. My floor meeting was awful - all they did was complain. They brought up everything, What do you mean we cant even make coffee in the morning? Were not two year olds. Why did you ever let us have the appliances in our rooms in the first place? How can we eat? The cafeteria food is lousy! Shall I go on? asked Lisa, exasperated.

My floor meeting wasnt much different, said Pat. The athletes, in particular, are really upset. Even the snack bar is only open until 10:00. They cant afford to order pizza or take-out every night after practice. They want to know why they were being punished for someone elses stupidity.

I thought the snack bar closed at one in the morning, Susan said.

It used to, but the students responsible for the late shift hardly ever showed up, so the manager just decided to cut out that shift altogether and close at 10:00.

Susan, I tried to reason with them, Lisa insisted, I really did. I told them that the fire could have been in Drake Hall just as easily as Thompson, but they wouldnt listen. I told them that the rule hadnt changed; it was always there in the student handbook, but now it was going to have to be enforced.

Ditto, said Eric, I had the same reactions in my hall.

Rob, youve been pretty quiet. What happened in your meeting? asked Susan.

Im kind of surprised that you all had such a rough time, Rob told the group. My meeting went pretty well in comparison. I got all the guys together at the hotel and told everyone about the change. A few people started to complain, but then Mark spoke up. He said that he agreed with the policy and that it might prevent something like this from happening again. I think a lot of the guys look up to Mark, and theyre pretty sympathetic toward him, too - his father having died and all - and to some of the others who lost so much. They seemed to agree with him. At least no one said much after that.

After spending a week trying to explain the reasons for the no-appliance mandate to the students, the RDs were thoroughly frustrated. On inspection day, they found themselves confiscating truckloads of toaster ovens, hot pots, and other appliances.

Even Rob, whose students had initially agreed to removing their appliances, found that they seemed to have changed their minds once they moved back to Thompson Hall. He, too, had to confiscate his share of microwaves and mini-refrigerators.

1) Why are the students resisting the change to enforcement of the no-appliance rule, despite the clear dangers of keeping appliances in their rooms?

2) What other fire hazards were present during the inspection process that are not being addressed by the school?

3) Propose an alternative solution for addressing the fire hazards in the residence halls.

4) List five fire hazards which may be present in a residential setting.

Writing the Case Analysis

Begin the paper with an overview of the situation as described in the reading. Provide sufficient detail such that someone who has not read the case could understand what is going on.

A thorough written analysis should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:

1) A clear statement of the problem(s).

2) A thorough analysis of the pertinent stakeholders and of the issues and the ways these combine to create the problem(s). Address the issues in the questions that follow the case if included.

3) One or more suggested solutions, with clear explanations of the strengths and weaknesses of each solution and with each solution supported.

4) An explanation of how the solution(s) can be implemented (by whom, etc.) and the problems that might be encountered with the implementation.

Avoid might be scenarios. Unless such material can be solidly and logically derived from the existing case material, it has no place in the written case analysis.

The quality of the written analysis will be judged not only on the solutions provided but also on how well the analyzer has supported his or her arguments with the use of case material, theory, and solid critical thinking. No statement should be included in a case analysis that is not thoroughly supported.