To:
Gaye Lynn Scott, Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences
From:
James Sondgeroth, Department Chair Social Sciences
Date:
August 12, 2008
Re:
Complainant #1’s Complaint
Complainant #1, ACC Student ID#-------, filed a complaint against Carol Hayman and the
Study Abroad Program by phone on July 22, 2008.
Peru
I had heard of her unhappiness with the cost of the program from Frank Flauto, Director of
International Programs. He did not direct the student to me as Department Chair of Social Sciences,
of which Anthropology is a part, but made an appointment with the student to hear her complaint. He
invited me to this meeting saying it was not a complaint against the instructor but just a question of
the program costs. I declined as Mr. Flauto said it was not a complaint against Professor Hayman and
was just a question of finances. (I now know this was a mistake on my part. I should have insisted
that the student be referred to me as the Department Chair of that Program.) As it turned out, it was a
complaint against the instructor. I got her telephone number from Mr. Flauto and contacted her
myself. She did not want to come to my office to tell me the details of her complaint since she had
already discussed this matter with Mr. Flauto, so we talked about it over the phone.
Her basic complaint is that she thinks she was overcharged for her accommodations and is hoping for
some sort of refund.
The cost of the Peru Study Abroad Program is $1650 per student. This cost is predicated on students
sharing rooms together while in Lima. If a student wants a single occupancy, the student has to pay
an extra $300 for the four week duration of the program in Lima. Professor Hayman announced this
additional cost for single occupancy when asked about it during one of the orientation sessions that
preceded the students’ departure to Lima.
Complainant #1 paid the $1650 to the International Studies Program and paid the additional $300 for
single occupancy directly to Professor Hayman some time right before their departure.
Because of complications that arose when the hostel/hotel that the men were to stay at in Lima
wanted more money than it had quoted to Professor Hayman when she was planning the trip, it
became known among the students that she had budgeted $240 per student for lodging. This
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immediately caused disgruntlement among the students because not everyone’s lodging was of equal
quality.
There were three hostel/hotels used by the group. In ascending order of quality from what I have
gathered from Complainant #1 and another student, Complainant #1, they were the hostel the women
stayed in, then the hostel the men stayed in, and finally the hostel that Professors Hayman and Bell,
along with Complainant #2 and another unmarried couple, stayed in.
Complainant #1’s concern was raised because she now knew that $240 of the $1650 was budgeted
for lodging and because she had paid an additional $300 for a single occupancy. She figures that the
$540 she paid for lodging is much more than the room cost Professor Hayman.
Exacerbating this situation was the fact that the unmarried couple staying in the same hostel did not
have to pay anything additional to have their room in the best hostel/hotel.
Professor Bell paid $370 for her single occupancy, which, by the way, she paid out of her own funds.
That is, her lodging was not covered by the $1650 program fee from each student nor was Professor
Hayman’s room.
Asking Professor Hayman for a receipt for the room, Complainant #2 discovered that it only cost
$370.
Having paid in her mind $540 for lodging, she feels that she was overcharged by $170.
If we assume Complainant #1 is correct, then were the unmarried couple sharing a room overcharged
by $110 ($240 + $240 - $370 = $110)?
On the other hand, again assuming that Complainant #1 is justified in wanting a refund, what if we
compared her charges to those paid by the unmarried couple. They paid $480 total, while she paid
$540. This would leave her with a $60 refund.
Of course, Complainant #1 would not have had to pay anything extra if she had agreed to share her
room with someone.
Despite all these speculations about refunds for Complainant #1, it is my judgment that no refund
should be given to her.
My decision is based on the fact that Complainant #1 agreed to pay, and did pay, the $1650 program
cost and the additional $300 for single occupancy before the trip began. These deals stand despite any
minute splitting of costs and weighing of quality of lodging. A deal is a deal.
These study abroad programs cannot be run on a cost accruing basis. There is always going to be
hedging, fudging, and cross subsidization. Even if all the students stayed in the same hostel/hotel,
there would still be invidious comparisons and complaints. I know this because I went on the Study
Abroad Program in Mexico three years ago and heard just those complaints.
Professor Hayman and I have discussed how we might avoid these types of complaints in the future,
and she has agreed to state explicitly in her printed material that single occupancy rooms will cost
$300 more.
In addition to this, she will try to house all students at the same hostel/hotel in future years and try to
find slightly better (e.g., two stars vs. one star) accommodations. This will obviously cost more, and
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it is to be hoped that this additional cost, which she estimates will be about $300 per student, will not
kill the program.
There are several other facts that should also be considered. First, the cost of this program is
extremely reasonable. $1650 for round trip airfare, tuition at Universidad de San Martin de Porres,
lodging for four weeks, and other incidental costs is quite a deal. I have never heard of anything that
could even come close to this bargain basement price for such an extended period of time. In
addition, ACC’s Student Life paid for the anthropology textbook used by each student in the ANTH
2351 course, total cost $950, and contributed another $550 to defray program costs.
In conclusion, Complainant #1 should not receive a refund. A deal is a deal. Even at the additional
$300, she received quite a bargain.
Post Script: All complaints about programs, courses, and instructors under the auspices of the Social
Science Department should be routed to the Chairperson of that Department. College policy on
student complaints states that, after the student has talked to the instructor without satisfaction,
students must contact the instructor’s supervisor for all complaints (grade dispute and harassment
complaints are slightly different).
CC: Dr. Donetta Goodall and Frank Flauto
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