PEACH STATE
UNIVERSITY
Tim Donovan, Chelsea Holmes, Amy-Leah Joaquim, Tori Perri, & Lorraine Taylor
The Pennsylvania State University
HIED552
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Table of Contents
Case Study: Basic Overview ......................................................................................................................... 2
Timeline of Events ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Questions to Consider .................................................................................................................................. 5
Appendix A: Organizational Information .................................................................................................... 6
Appendix B: Email to Students .................................................................................................................... 7
Appendix C: Other Resources ...................................................................................................................... 8
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Case Study: Basic Overview
Institution: Peach State University
Location: Collegetown, Georgia (A city that has been developed around the presence of the State
University)
Type: 4-Year, Public
Carnegie Classification: Research University (Very High Research Activity)
Student Population: ~39,000
Other Pertinent Information:
● It is a requirement for all first-year students to live on campus.
● In 2014, approximately 7,600 first-year students enrolled at Peach State University.
● Football games are a favorite pastime at this University, and the stadium holds upwards of of
85,000 people.
● There is small local hospital in the area.
Scenario:
Peach State University is a large, public research institution in Collegetown, Georgia.
Collegetown is a small town revolving around the institution itself. Peach State enrolls about 39,000
students each year, with about 7,600 of those being first year students, and all first year students are
required to live on campus.
At the beginning of the school year, Peach State began to see an outbreak of bacterial
meningitis. The particular strain of meningitis, serogroup B, is not covered by the meningitis vaccine
most of Peach State’s students are immunized with. The disease is transmitted by exchanging
respiratory/throat fluids, like saliva, during close or lengthy contact, making students who live in
dormitories especially susceptible to contracting the illness. Early symptoms present like a typical flu
including fatigue, fever, and body aches, but can progress quickly. Most who contract the disease will
develop symptoms between one and ten days after exposure. The disease progresses rapidly, and can
be fatal in as little as a few hours after symptoms appear. Those who contract the illness and receive
treatment have about an 85% chance of survival, and 10 - 20% of those who survive will do so with
permanent complications, which can include limb amputation, brain damage, and hearing loss.
A first-year Peach State student went to health services and was treated for the flu. Two days
later, he passed away not long after being admitted to the local hospital. The university president sends
out an email to the student body informing them that the student’s death was caused by bacterial
meningitis. He reminds students of the resources available to them, including counseling services and
health services, and lists some of the symptoms students should be aware of. Student #1’s roommate
and his roommate’s girlfriend also contract the illness. At this point in time, two students have died and
there have been seven confirmed cases at Peach State, most of them occurring within the first-year
residential complex where the outbreak began. Students are concerned, and many have gone home
temporarily until the outbreak appears to be contained.
PSU has a large health services center on campus, which administratively falls within the
Student Affairs unit. The staff consists of physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. The
staff is typically large enough that on any normal day they are not overwhelmed by the student demand
for services, however, the recent meningitis outbreak has been taxing. Similarly, Counseling Services
tends to see an increase in appointments following a student death, and with two students passing from
the disease and several others in serious condition, the counseling staff is reporting that they cannot
handle the demand. The local hospital’s emergency room has been filled with both students and local
residents concerned about symptoms.
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At PSU, students who contract a severe illness that require an extended absence from work are
expected to provide documentation to the university’s health services. Students or a party on their
behalf are required to meet with the head of University Health Services, who will then issue a formal
document for the student to give to their course instructors explaining and documenting their illness
and absence from the course. Providing documentation with the university’s health services the student
can also request a medical incomplete from their courses for the semester, the number of incompletes
issued by health services is dependent upon the severity of the illness. The student will then have to
arrange with the instructor a deadline in which they must complete the required course work. Students
have up to one year to complete the requirements for each course that they received a medical
incomplete for. However, instructors have the right to deny the medical incomplete. Students who
receive a medical incomplete, are responsible for obtaining all missed notes and materials. The Office of
Disability Services does not recognize a long-term illness as a disability and therefore does not provide
accommodations such as note-taking to students who are out due to illness. Students also have the
option to apply for a medical withdrawal from the semester and petition the Bursar Office for a onetime tuition waiver. Tuition waivers are not necessarily guaranteed. The petition require a petition letter
explaining the medical circumstances, a letter from a physician and the head of the university health
services outlining the medical issue with a recommendation of withdrawal. A medical withdrawal from
the semester will then require the student to meet with their advisor and schedule for classes
appropriately among their return to campus.
Meanwhile, a local news reporter in Collegetown writes an editorial on the university’s
perceived mishandling of the outbreak, asserting student #1 was not diagnosed and quarantined quickly
enough, leading to student #2’s contraction of the disease, and the outbreak snowballing from there.
The editorial gets picked up by a regional news source. Offices on campus are starting to receive calls
from the media for comment. There have also been concerns raised that upcoming football games will
drastically increase the number of people on campus and could potentially worsen the situation or
cause a wider outbreak.
The president of Peach State has appointed you, the Vice President of Student Affairs, to lead a
task force to create and execute a crisis management plan in order to help contain the outbreak and
minimize the disruption caused. The president has directed that the task force must consist of
representatives from various areas across campus, such as, residence life, fraternity and sorority life,
etc.
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Timeline of Events
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Sept. 18 - First-year student #1, pledging a fraternity, goes to Health Services w/ flu-like
symptoms - receives treatment for flu
Sept. 19 - Roommate of student #1, student #2 also comes down with flu-like symptoms
Sept. 19 - Student #1, goes to fraternity party, works door for the party
Sept. 20 - Student #1 wakes up with extremely high fever, vomiting, and has rash developing rushed to hospital and is admitted
Sept. 20 - Throughout the night, student #1 passes away -- Confirmed death caused by Bacterial
Meningitis serogroup B
Sept. 21 - Student #2 immediately taken to the hospital for treatment
Sept. 22 - PSU sends email regarding student #1 death and precautionary measures for students
to take (Email found in Appendix B)
Sept. 23 - Girlfriend of student #2, student #3, who is member of the women’s soccer team,
comes down with flu-like symptoms -- Goes to hospital for treatment -- On Sept. 22 student #3
had traveled with team for a tournament
Sept. 26 - A number of students, upwards of 45, some from the residence halls and other
members of the fraternity and soccer team go to University Health Services after having at least
one symptom
By Oct. 1, there are 7 confirmed cases of Bacterial Meningitis, including student #2 and student
#3
Oct. 3 - Student #4, a teammate of student #3, is in hospital with severe symptoms. Student #4
passes away during the evening
Oct. 5 - Local news reporter writes editorial on the university’s perceived mishandling of the
outbreak, asserting student #1 was not diagnosed and quarantined quickly enough, leading to
student #2’s contraction of the disease, and the outbreak snowballing from there. The editorial
gets picked up by a regional news source. Offices are starting to receive calls for comment.
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Questions to consider
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For the task force that you are heading as Vice President of Student Affairs, what members from
each department or unit required to be on the task force, would you choose? Why?
How should the university plan to contain the outbreak, especially in the face of overcrowding in
the residence halls, and crowding on campus due to football games, parent and family weekend,
etc.?
How will the university respond to the media frenzy and the accusations that the outbreak could
have been avoided had the student been diagnosed earlier?
How will the university plan to handle students who have left the residential complexes, skipped
classes, and intend to stay at home until the outbreak subsides?
How will the university handle the increased need for counseling and bereavement services?
Similarly, the student health services and the hospital are being overwhelmed with students
who are concerned at any symptom.
How does the university plan to find the funds to offset the cost of the outbreak?
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Appendix A: Organizational Chart
This organizational chart includes administration staff that will inform others of the situation as
it unfolds. This organizational chart is not all inclusive. It simply informs other of updates and
they will deliver to others within the University.
President
Faculty Senate
Athletes
Department
Public Relations
Director
Fraternity &
Sorority Director
Strategic
Communication
Director of
Residence Life
Director of Health
Services
Dinning Services
Finance and
Business
Community
Hospital
Department of
Health
Counseling Center
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Appendix B: Email to Students
September 22, 2015
To: All Students of The Peach State University
CC: All Faculty and Staff of The Peach State University
Subject: URGENT: Health Concern for Students
Dear Student,
It is with great sadness I write you all today. Yesterday, one of our fellow Peach Staters passed away
after contracting meningitis. The student, who will remain nameless at this time for privacy reasons,
was a first-year student and lived in the first-year residence halls. The student’s roommate has also
been confirmed as having meningitis and is currently at the hospital receiving treatment.
Below you will find information regarding the illness, as well as our policy regarding anyone who either
may have or has contracted meningitis.
Symptoms:
Meningitis infection may show up in a person by a sudden onset of fever, headache, and stiff neck. It will
often have other symptoms, such as
 Nausea,
 Vomiting,
 Increased sensitivity to light (photophobia), and
 Altered mental status (confusion).
The symptoms of bacterial meningitis can appear quickly or over several days. Typically they develop
within 3-7 days after exposure.
Source CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial.html
Policy:
Peach State University requires any student showing any signs of illness to seek immediate medical
attention. According to policy, any student that misses more than three full weeks of academic work
may withdraw from the remainder of the semester with no academic repercussions but must have
documented evidence of their meningitis diagnosis. Students with documented cases of meningitis
missing less than three full academic weeks will have the remainder of the semester to make up any
classroom activities that were missed during their illness. Peach State University allows for students who
miss significant periods of time, due to medical reasons, to petition the Bursar Office for a one-time
tuition waiver. Tuition waivers are not necessarily guaranteed, and require a petition letter explaining
the medical circumstances and a letter from a physician outlining the medical issue with a
recommendation of withdrawal.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Residence Life Office, University
Health Services, or the Registrar’s Office.
Sincerely,
Dr. Lyons
Peach State University President
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Appendix C: Other Resources
CDC: Meningitis
http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial.html
Penn State Housing, Food Services, and Residence Life: Meningitis Vaccines
http://www.hfs.psu.edu/hfs/vaccine/index.cfm
University Health Services: Immunization Information:
http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health/immunizations/
College students, young adults, and the Bacterial Meningitis vaccine
http://www.uwhealth.org/news/vaccinating-your-college-kids-against-bacterialmeningitis/28602
Outbreak, Ethics, and Economics
http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2013/12/09/outbreaks-ethics-and-economics/
Addressing the Challenges of Serogroup B Meningococcal Disease Outbreaks of
Campuses: A report by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
http://www.nfid.org/meningococcal-b
Meningitis Outbreak Strikes Two Universities
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/us/meningitis-outbreak-strikes-two-universities.html
Study Finds More Meningitis Among Students Who Live on Campus
http://chronicle.com/article/Study-Finds-More-Meningitis/10065/