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May 03, 2005
How NOT to be a student-friendly institution, Take 76
Less than 12 hours ago, I turned in the longest paper I have ever written. Due at 6:30 p.m. (would anyone actually think 6:30 a.m. if I hadn't specified?) in the registrar's office, I found myself rushing to school like I was trying to evade capture by police (given the fact that I treated many traffic laws as nothing but mere suggestions, I actually was attempting to evade the eyes of police). After fifteen minutes of trying to navigate myself through the maze of D.C., I finally arrived at the registar's office at one minute past the bottom of the hour (that's 6:31 for those of you who are confused). When I arrived at the registar's office, I was greeted by the Twerp, an incredibly unfriendly, power-trip-exercising young man, who informed me (and four other students) that our papers were late and would not be accepted because the Registrar's office was closed.
Now, I have no real beef with the fact that our papers were late. (Getting it in one to two minutes after the deadline doesn't really grasp me as providing me an unfair advantage, but rules are rules and deadlines are deadlines.) What irked me was that this little twerp (and he is a twerp - I've had conversations with him when I have not been in a position to need anything and have always left those conversations thinking, "What an asshole!") got off on telling all of us that we were late and that he would not accept our papers because the registrar's office was now closed. This friendly hospitality actually caused one poor visiting student to cry, unsure if she would get credit for turning in a late paper. (I immediately conjured up an image of the movie Airplane! and specifically thought of the scene when one woman on the plane is freaking out; so the other passengers, a nun included, respond and try to help calm her anxiety by shaking, slapping, and punching her.) After much pleading by the crying visiting student, the twerp finally agreed to talk to somebody whose power exceeded his own. (Finding someone whose power exceeded the Twerp's is akin to finding someone who has more money than a homeless person.) At long last, some woman showed her face and informed us that the registrar's office WOULD accept our papers, but that the papers would be time-stamped as having been late. We were not told what a late time-stamp would mean for our grades, which caused the anxiety-ridden visiting student to tear up even more (where's a nun with a baseball bat when you need one?). When I tried to inquire about this matter, the Twerp's counterpart, a new addition to the registar's office, would not provide any answers. And why the hell would he? After all, that figurative closing bell had sounded just minutes before and who gives a damn if a student has a question!
What's my point? Well, I don't really have one. I just know that my paper eventually got turned in (10 pages and 4,000 words over what it needed to be) notwithstanding the Twerp's desires. Whereas others have found my school to be completely user-unfriendly, I've actually found the place to be wonderful overall. Of course, if I had to deal with the Twerp all day, my enjoyment would plummet quickly.
Comments
I cannot believe you did not get that paper in on time. Hopefully that will help my grade.
Posted by: Mike at May 5, 2005 02:16 PM
Turning papers in on time is highly overrated. And turning papers in late is unlikely to help your classmates.
Posted by: buddha at May 11, 2005 10:29 AM
In both of our cases, especially yours, Buddha, turning in papers on time has not been remotely important! Thank God for understanding professors.
Posted by: Fool at May 11, 2005 03:00 PM
