Interactions between the government and Oregon State University were assessed with attention to the following areas: employment and personnel administration (regulations regarding equal opportunity, affirmative action, and nondiscrimination); students and student life (regulations regarding admissions, financial aid, records management, special student programs, and instructional activities); sponsored research (regulations regarding grant and contract research, the Agricultural Experiment Station, the Cooperative Extension Service, and the Sea-Grant Program); and facilities and physical plant (regulations regarding the health and safety of university students and staff, and access for the handicapped). Some specific topics of analysis are as follows: the state merit system, interpretations of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act and related legislation, students' rights, the Buckley Amendment (privacy of student academic records); types of student financial assistance programs, research accountability, Extension Service programs, use of human subjects for research, and the University's Radiation Center and occupational safety. It is concluded that a moral dilemma arises when simultaneous pursuit of the many societal goals and mandates requires the application of resources beyond the institution's ability to provide them. (SW)