Axample2:

Bradley was delighted to be placed in the Student Services Office at a local community college for his internship. His field supervisor was the director of student activities. Bradley was responsible for planning and organizing special events. On one particular occasion, Bradley, under the direction of his supervisor, planned a trip to a nearby town for a concert. Students responded well to the idea, and 25 students signed up for the event within just a few days. On the day of the concert, Bradley, a student worker, and the 25 students loaded into vans and attended the concert. As the group drove back, they stopped at a restaurant near the campus for a late dinner. Bradley was of legal drinking age, and he decided to have a beer with his meal.

The policy of the Student Services Office and of the college was that no alcohol was allowed at functions sponsored by Student Services. Also, Student Services staff members were expected to respect and enforce the state laws regarding the legal drinking age and to encourage students to respect and obey these laws as well. The philosophy of the Student Services Office also strongly emphasized a clear commitment to providing forms of entertainment and recreation that did not involve alcohol. In addition, Bradley and all of the other human service interns had signed a contract with the academic department that confirmed an understanding and agreement that neither alcohol nor drugs were to be consumed during the internship.

As Bradley and the group enjoyed their meal, a Student Services staff member happened to walk into the restaurant and saw Bradley drinking. The next morning she informed his field supervisor of what she had observed. After discussing the situation with Bradley and establishing the facts as previously described, the field supervisor and faculty liaison agreed that Bradley would be terminated from the internship.

EXERCISE 1.6 Analysis

Imagine that you are Bradley's supervisor or faculty liaison explaining to him the grounds for his termination. What specific grounds for termination would you cite? What risks, if any, might the Student Services Office and the Human Services Department have incurred if they had allowed Bradley to continue in his internship following the incident described? What lessons can he learn from this situation?