Renee/Chris- Anjour Harris

Conflict at Pierce College

Casting:

Renee/Chris- Anjour Harris

Virginia- Carrie Connolly

Kate- LeliaBrinegar

Frank- RobTench

Steve/Personnel- Jay White

Scene 1- Kate and Virginia having a phone conversation

Materials Needed:

Cell phones

2 Desks and chairs

Office items for the desk (calendar, laptop, paper, pens)

Renee: Hello Kate. This is Renee. As you know, youwere hired for my old position, Director of Student Activities. Do you remember Steve, the Chaplain? He was on the interview panel – well - he was opposed to hiring you. And since the two of you will be sharing an assistant, Virginia, I wanted you to know that she never works a 40 hour week. I think she and Steve have some type of an agreement. However if I were you, I would keep track of her time. Oh –and make sure you sign her timecard too.

Kate: Thank you Renee. My supervisor, Chris, told me that Steve was lazy, temperamental and bossy. And I also spoke with Frank, the Dean of Students, and he told me that they were trying to eliminate Steve’s job.

Renee: Yes. Steve’s been the Chaplain for over ten years, but he is just a figurehead. Well, let me know if you need anything – okay.

Kate: Will do. Good bye

Renee: Bye

Scene 1 Act 2

Kate calls Renee and leaves a message on the answering machine

Kate: Hello Renee. It’s Kate. I just had to talk to somebody. You were right. Virginia is rarely at work, and Steve works from 10:00 AM in the morning until noon on most days, while I’ve been working late and on most weekends. Oh and did you know that she does not type! Call me when you get this message. Good bye.

Scene 2

Kate/VA/Steve - office interactions, close scene with VA finding the card

Materials Needed: Desk, chair, papers, interoffice envelope, time card.

Scene: Kate is alone in her office after attending the grim budget meeting. Steve and Virginia have gone for the day and Kate is working at her desk when the campus mail arrives. She opens an envelope and pulls out Virginia’s time card.

Kate (speaking out loud). Ah, Virginia’s time card. Renee told me that I should be on the lookout for something like this. The numbers just don’t add up with what I have logged! (as Kate compares the time card to the log on her desk). Virginia has been paid for 20 hours of work that she has not completed…and ALL of this at a time when the College is so short on funds! We have a student whose parents have taken out a second mortgage to pay tuition…and at the same time as we are paying someone not to work. This is ridiculous!

Kate makes a call to the payroll office.

Kate (phone to her ear): This is Kate Green over in Student Activities. I need to audit the time cards submitted by my administrative assistant, Virginia. Can you help me with that? Uh huh. Uh huh. Yes. Let me verify that. Ok, so it appears to me that over the last three months Virginia has reported 100 additional hours over and above what I have logged. Thanks so much for your time and information.

Kate hangs up the phone, shaking her head and puts the time card back in the envelope and puts in Steve’s box, exiting the scene.

Kate (to herself): Wow. I really need to call Chris.

SCENE 3

PART A: KATE AND FRANK (PARAGRAPH 8)

PLOT: In reaction to discovering Virginia’s time card falsifications, Kate seeks out Chris for advice. But, Chris is out sick. Kate then looks for Frank and finds him in his office. Kate shares her information with Frank. Kate and Frank agree that Virginia needs to be reported. Frank encourages Kate to contact Personnel about it and offers his support. However, Frank is clear that he expects Kate to handle the situation on her own. Kate and Frank agree that there is no point in trying to prove Steve knew about the falsifications.

SCENE: Kate is walking to Chris’s office, can’t find her, and then goes to Frank’s office. Kate and Frank discuss the situation in Frank’s office.

Materials Needed: Office desk/table, stuff you would find on someone’s office desk (files, folders, pens, computer, etc.)

DIALOGUE:

Kate (knocking on Chris’s office door – no answer; she then knocks on Frank’s door): Hello, Frank are you there?

Frank: Hi Kate. Please come in. How are you?

Kate: Not so well. I’m very upset. I just found out Virginia has been falsifying her time card. I reviewed here time record for the last four weeks and guess what? She was paid for over 20 hours she did not work.

Frank: You’re kidding!

Kate (emphatically): And it gets worse. I compared hours recorded on her card with her log, and there’s a difference of over 100 hours in the last three months!

Frank (visibly upset): That’s outrageous (in a loud voice). That’s unacceptable (in a loud voice). Something has to be done.

Kate: I agree! (emphatically). Shouldn’t you contact Personnel about it?

Frank: You’re right. Personnel should probably know. But it’s probably better coming from you. I really believe in empowering employees to deal with their own difficulties. So I’m going to leave the next step up to you.

Kate: Well, at the very least, Virginia should have to make up those hours. Unpaid – of course!

Frank (shaking Kate’s hand or some other gesture of support): Whatever you decide to do – you will have my full support!

Kate: What should we do about Steve? I mean he signed her card. Shouldn’t he be reprimanded too?

Frank (dejectedly): Because he’s gone so much, I doubt we could prove he knew what was going on.

Kate (getting up to leave): You’re probably right. Well, thanks for your support. It means a lot. I’ll let you know what Personnel tells me.

PART B: KATE, STEVE, AND VIRGINIA (PARAGRAPH 9)

PLOT: Kate is in Lloyd Commons with Steve and Virginia. She is angry with them but does not have the courage to confront them. As a result, she is silently fuming. Kate desperately wants to talk to Chris, but Chris has not returned to work.

SCENE: Kate, Steve, and Virginia are sitting in chairs at a table. Kate is a slight distance away from Steve and Virginia. Steve and Virginia are talking to each other. Kate is talking to herself.

PROPS: Chairs, table, food

DIALOGUE:

Kate (talking to herself in a low voice while she glares at Steve and Virginia)): I am so angry and upset with those two for what they have done to our students. It’s not fair. It’s not right. There should be major consequences for their actions. I should say something to them, but I’m just not comfortable with that. Who knows what they would do. Plus, I don’t want to tip my hand. Well, their time will come. Frank’s in my corner. Once I hear back from Personnel, things will be different.

Scene 4- Virginia writing letter and Steve having discussion with

Materials Needed: Letters from personnel in Virginia and Steve’s mailbox

Paper and pen for Virginia

Desk and chair for Virginia

Bag/briefcase for Steve to slam on the table

Virginia at desk writing a note

Virginia: Dear Kate…. I think you are an awful person. I will not allow you to ruin my career, so I am resigning from my profession. I enjoyed my job up until the day you came here. You ruined everything. Steve and I had a nice working relationship. We had an agreement that worked well for us before you got here. I am sorry that you struggled to do your own job and took it out on me. I can’t believe you went sneaking behind my back and accused me of fraud. I have already gathered all of my personal belongings from my desk.

Virginia exists and leaves the note on desk

Enter Kate

Kate: Picks up the letter and has a shocked expression on her face. She begins to think out loud.

Kate: How did she know about this?! Her letter and Steve’s letter from Personnel are still in their mailboxes. Who could have told her that I went to personnel?

Enter Steve

Steve: Steve storms in slamming his bag on the table. He is breathing heavy and has an angered face.

Steve: How could you do this Kate? What were you thinking? You storm in here thinking you are better than everyone and have no consideration for anyone but yourself.

Kate has an alarmed expression on her face and does a quick jump back.

Steve: I knew from the moment you came in here you were nothing but trouble. Little Miss Perfect at everyone else’s expense. What exactly did you think was going to happen? If Personnel accuses me of anything, I will just deny it. You can’t prove anything. Virginia and I had an excellent work arrangement, and you had no respect for me or her. You just don’t understand! You have no idea what you have done, do you?

Steve now begins to laugh a bit.

Steve: Well, just so you know…… I am personal friends with the President, Kate. Yes, the President of the University. In fact, I spoke with him all weekend gathering his support for this awful situation. The awful situation that you created, not me, you. You created this mess. You know the mess of me losing my personal assistant and now being beyond stressed about how I will get my work done without her. I have lost my friend because you just don’t understand how things are done, do you?

Kate begins to tear up a bit. She starts to speak and say her side, but Steve interrupts.

Steve: Even though I don’t know how I will get all of my work done now, there is one thing I will make sure to do…. As long as you stay at this university, I will assure you that you will be miserable. Miserable!

Exit Steve

Scene 5

No props necessary.

Chris should be seated at desk on one side of the room while Frank is on the other in their “offices.”

Kate (thinking to herself): Why is everyone looking at me so strangely?

Chris: Ah, Kate, would you please step into my office? Steve was just here and he had some interesting tales to share. I understand that you are new and trying not only establish yourself as young professional but also learn the ropes here. And Kate, I just have to wonder after our conversation a few months back, why would you take on Steve? He and the President are close, personal friends.

Kate: I don’t understand. Virginia created false time cards and Steve signed off on them. She was paid for hours that she didn’t work and that is stealing, both from the University AND the students. They should have to answer for their crimes.

Chris: Oh, Kate. With some experience, you will learn to walk though the mine field. But it is going to take a lot of hard work and relationship building to clean up this political mess that you have created.

Kate: Frank, do you have a second? I just had a rather heated run in with Steve and …

Frank: Yes, he was here. In fact, he demanded that I fire you for your actions.

Kate: Me? What have I done wrong? Shouldn’t Steve be the one fired and reprimanded?

Frank: No. And I so wish you had handled things differently. Steve plays golf with the President, has dinner at his house. Your actions are going to result in serious ramifications for the entire Student Affairs division.

Kate: Frank, I am sorry but I just don’t understand. We just learned about the serious budget problems so why would the Payroll Office not be pleased to have learned of this situation and have it resolved? Shouldn’t we be truthful?

Frank: The amount of money involved in this situation is hardly worth the problems and political mess that this has created.

Kate (big sigh): Steve is furious and I know he hates me. Am I going to be able to continue to share a space with him without any further repercussions?

Frank: You’ve created the problem with Steve and now you need to figure out how to resolve it.

Kate leaves Frank’s Office.

Scene six

Enter into discussion

Kate: (Talking out loud as she walks back to her office) Where did it all go wrong? I can’t believe this is how things turned out! I know I should have talked directly to Steve, but my heart was in the right place. Virginia was cheating the college out of money! And I thought Frank was in my corner. I can’t believe he turned on my so quickly. It just seems like I was darned if I did and darned if I didn’t. I guess I just didn’t play the game. Now I will never fit in here at Pierce.

Discussion

Conflict at Pierce College

Skit and Discussion Plan Outline

Skit and Discussion Plan (30 minutes)

I. Skit 10 minutes

Scenes 1-6

PowerPoint to play in background to help set the stage

II.Question One (Jay) 3 minutes (clicker questions)

Clicker results and discuss

Have a student state why they selected each of the areas as applicable
Did anyone else something they thought was her biggest mistake that was not listed here?

III. Question Two (Anjour) 3 minutes (clicker questions)

Clicker results and discuss

Have a student from each response explain why they chose that response.
Did anyone else consider a reason that was not listed as an option?

IV.Introduce Kidder’s Checkpoints (Carrie – 3 min)

What do you see as the Ethical dilemma?

a.Kate working with Steve and Virginia and had concerns about work ethic

Who is responsible for addressing the problem?

a.Have class take clicker question
b.Decide on Kate

V.Gather the relevant facts (Lelia) 3 minute

What are some of the key facts that need to be considered before Kate makes a decision.

Test for Right Vs. Wrong Test (Lelia)

Stench test
mom test
front page test

Test for Right Vs Right (Lelia)

Kate’s opinion vs. Frank’s opinion

VI. Apply the ethical standards and perspectives (Rob) 3 minutes

Kant’s Categorical Imperative
Do what is right no matter what the cost

Look for a third way (Rob)

Make the decision (Rob) – Clicker question

VII. Revisit and reflect the decision (Jay) 2 minutes

Show HR video giving professional perspective