Although the rumor mill said the vote was not unanimous, Gil was pleased that the university tenure committee had approved his application for tenure and promotion. After six years of teaching the athletic training curriculum, he felt that he was finally being recognized for all his hard work.

Gil was proud of his record of accomplishment. He had published several articles and conducted a few research studies. Most of his students had passed the certification exam, although most took at least two attempts. Several of his students had attended graduate schools. Although not earthshaking, Gil felt that his career prospects were well established.

Gil did have one major concern, however. Alonso was a senior majoring in athletic training. Alonso had transferred into Gil's program during his sophomore year from another university that he felt was not providing him with the quality education he demanded. Gil had regretted admitting Alonso into the program from nearly the first day the new student had arrived on campus. In Gil's opinion, Alonso was loud and argumentative. An average student, Alonso was always the first one to challenge Gil in front of the other students on some minor point. He was also quick to complain about the fairness of the exams Gil prepared for the classes he taught.

Alonso was scheduled to take his athletic training certification examination in two weeks. Gil had scheduled several practice oral and practical exams and study sessions for Alonso and the other three students who would be taking the exam, but Alonso's attendance had been inconsistent. Not only did Alonso not seem to be preparing very hard for the exam, but he also had made several sarcastic remarks to Gil in the past few weeks suggesting that Gil wasn't doing a very good job of preparing either Alonso or his classmates.

When Gil phoned Alonso at his apartment to ask him how he felt about his performance on the certification exam, Alonso seemed cool and withdrawn. "How did it go?" asked Gil.

"You better hope it went better than I think it did," Alonso shot back.

"What do you mean by that?" Gil responded, his anger rising.

"What I mean is that I don't think I was prepared very well. I think I did everything I could to get ready, but to be honest with you, I don't think you helped me very much. It was clear to me in talking to several of the candidates from other schools that we just weren't provided with all the information we needed. If I passed this test, it will be a miracle." Gil was so mad he hung up the phone without responding to Alonso's allegations.

Two weeks later, Gil received a telephone call from Alonso's father, who informed Gil that Alonso had not passed his certification examination. In fact, he had failed all three sections of the test. Alonso's father went on to criticize Gil for not doing a better job of preparing his son. "You promised us," Alonso's father said, "that if our son took all the courses and worked hard in the athletic training room, he would be ready to be certified and marketable after graduation. Now all he has is a meaningless diploma with no chance of getting the kind of work he wanted. I'm going to call the university president, but if I don't get any satisfaction, you will definitely be hearing from my lawyer."

Gil didn't know whether to feel sorry for Alonso and his parents or be furious with them. He did know that he was beginning to feel very nervous, however.

Questions for Analysis

2. Is there any way that this situation could have been avoided? What would you have done if you had been in Gil's position?
4. Alonso is just one type of dissatisfied customer. Regardless of employment setting, athletic trainers will have to deal with unhappy customers from time to time. Outline the general principles you would adhere to when dealing with dissatisfied clients. How would those principles be applied in this setting?
6. Might Alonso have a legal basis for his claims, especially if Gil had promised him he would become certified?
8. How can Gil protect himself from a charge of educational malpractice?
10. If you were in Gil's position, what actions, if any, would you take after hanging up from the phone call with Alonso's father?