Description
The Foxtrot Phone Scandal
While attending the United States Coast Guard Academy, you serve as a member of Foxtrot Company. Foxtrot Company comprises approximately one hundred cadets from all four classes and is one of eight such companies that make up the Corps of Cadets. Cadets in your class at the academy are indoctrinated in the values of honor and devotion to duty. The honor code of the academy explicitly states these values as worthy of your vigilant efforts.
During the fall semester of your sophomore year, you are having difficulty with your academic studies. Like many of your classmates, you are having trouble understanding physics and your lowering grade point average is reflecting your struggle. You and your friends seek refuge in weekly phone calls to friends and families across the country. Because telephones were not authorized in the barrack’s rooms, (this is before cell phones) your company area holds a bank of four public pay phones for your use. These telephones provided the only, albeit expensive, means of speaking to your loved ones.
After Thanksgiving Leave, one of your company area telephones began to operate differently. This telephone no longer accepted quarters or phone cards to place local and long-distance calls. The telephone was operating as a typical home phone line.
You learned of the phone’s free use about one week after it had begun to operate in this manner. After speaking to your friends regarding the phone, you learned that the majority of them had used the phone since it stopped accepting money. In addition, many of the first-year cadets had either used the now free “pay” phone or knew that members of the upper classes were using the telephone to place free calls. After another week passed, many cadets from other company areas had learned of this phone and were beginning to use this phone for their own benefit as well.
Your roommate is suffering, not only in his academic studies, but also is emotionally distraught because his mother is gravely ill and these phones allowed your roommate much needed contact with other family members for support during such a difficult time. Your roommate will certainly soon be hearing about the free “pay” phones.
What do you do?
Sample Solution