Keeping the house in order: Government regulations and campus compliance. A case study of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and compliance by the College of William and Mary

The topic of this study is federal regulations and university compliance. The purpose is to understand university compliance with public policy; the approach used is a case study of one particular university, the College of William and Mary, and its compliance measures with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Areas that are reviewed are as follows: (I) Public Policy and Compliance of Colleges; (II) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; (III) Organizational Behavior: College Response to External Mandates; (IV) Particular Case School: The College of William and Mary, Circa 1693.;This study looks at broad interpretations of federal influences on higher education, particularly in the area of "social justice"; it then proceeds to focus on critical issues of Section 504 and interpretations thereof, compliance measures, and university programs concerning compliance. Finally, a state supported university, considered to be highly selective and prestigious, will be studied to determine response to this once debated mandate. The hypothesis being that the university is reactive rather than proactive in matters of social justice policy; and this tends to be a factor in slow and partial compliance.