At our fine institution, the freshflakes are required to take a course on how to be a college student.
Part of the homework for this course is to visit their assigned advisor.
Many of them treat this like a scavenger hunt, arriving with a form in hand and when asked what I can do for them, announce that I need to sign their paper.
They don't escape my clutches without sitting down and having an actual conversation.
(I have to say that I find this assignment to be useful, as the flakes are required to locate my office and myself *before* whatever crisis they will eventually appear in my office wailing about.)
One of them hasn't seen me yet, however. It sent me a plaintive email saying that it couldn't use the on line scheduling app that apparently works just fine for its peers, and asking me to give it all the time slots that I was available, and it would tell me which one suited it.
I responded with, no, you tell *me* when you're available, and I'll pick a time that works.
It gave me a grand total of 3 one hour or less slots out of the entire week.
Two were in the midst of my classes; the third was my only opportunity for a midday meal.
Knowing its major, I was surprised at the lack of open spots.
So I looked up its schedule to see what other possibilities existed.
Lo and behold, my entire Wednesday block of office hours was open on its schedule.
I sent an email to that effect.
In the 2 days since, there has been only the soothing sound of crickets chirping.
Normally I'm in full support of the smackdown on flakes, but this one really doesn't work. Something similar was pulled on me by a professor (and not even my advisor, for that matter) back in my undergrad days. She insisted that I could meet on a particular morning. I replied that I could not, but I was available (long list of other times). She replied then that she had seen my course schedule and I was clearly free. Because of course, I wasn't working 2 jobs I couldn't afford to miss/be fired from to put myself through school and keep my younger brother fed - of course I must have no other responsibilities than showing up to class! I could drop everything and meet with her.
ReplyDeleteIf the student had responded by informing me it was working, I would likely believe it. Many of my students do work, and I am more than willing to stay late or arrive early to accommodate them.
ReplyDeleteI might add that this particular student has been observed by a colleague in the student lounge area of one of the academic buildings during the time period in question.
Since it is part of the grade for the college preparation course, will that mean failing that particular portion for this flake, as well? I find that many of my students seem to think they are only available during times they are not socializing.
ReplyDeleteI suspect there will be an eventual appearance, though I have seen grade reports with an F for "College Student 101" in the past.
ReplyDeleteIt rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm being a bit sensitive, but you lost my sympathy the moment you started referring to the student as an "it".
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm being a bit sensitive, but you lost my sympathy the moment you started referring to the student as an "it".
ReplyDeleteThat is a bit odd, but it avoids revealing the gender, which can serve a purpose.
I referred to the student as "it" because I wanted to make sure that the gender of the student played no part in anyone's estimation of it's flakitude.
ReplyDeleteSaid flake finally replied to my email, and wanted to know whether flake should actually set a time in the 3 hour period, or just drop by when the fancy struck.
I gave flake a time, and suggested that flake bring computer along, and I would attempt to determine why the appointment making app "doesn't work" on flake's laptop.
Meanwhile, flake contacted a colleague, asked if it was ok to turn in homework assignment late. Said couldn't find ofice hours for colleague because app doesn't work on their computer. Asked for a reply ASAP.
Colleague replied within 20 minutes of time email was sent, stating he would be in place X for a couple hours, then in place Y for an hour after that, or flake could place homework in his mailbox.
No reply, no homework as of 6 PM.
I agree, the "it" reference, while gender-neutral, is also grammatically disruptive. Perhaps a new-fangled pronoun such as "hir" or a even repetition of "the flake" or "the student" would have been more readable. But I know it wasn't posted for us to quibble about the best way to conceal gender in a pronoun. Leaving aside the character of this student, isn't it easier for the professor to state when he or she (!) is available and allow the student to pick a time? Most professors do so by posting their office hours. I mean, the student offered three time slots, and none of them worked for you, but why the irritation when you specifically told him or her to do exactly what they (!) did - send you their (!) preferred times? Perhaps you should have specified that you wanted more than three slots from which to choose, but why engage in all this back-and-forth with a flake? Just state your availability and let them (!) work around your schedule, unless you enjoy hearing a long list of all the social, academic, personal, and vocational obligations of your students and why those are the only slots they (and "they" is plural *and* gender-neutral here) can offer, collecting information about their activities outside the classroom from your network of spies, or soliciting reports from other professors about their (!) performance in other classes. Although if this is your one and only flake, perhaps it's not so tiresome to monitor just one student in this way, but it doesn't seem the payoff corresponds to the effort involved.
ReplyDeletePatty, I do just that in the scheduling app that student apparently can't navigate.
ReplyDeleteIf it truly "doesn't work" on flake's very own computer, it certainly does on the rows of computers in the campus computer labs. (And, I might add, students were instructed on the use of said app during orientation.)
I specifically asked for available times--not preferred.
Personally, I'd *prefer* to not have office hours at some of the times I do, but they are in place to accommodate the varying schedules of my advisees.
As for my availability, as stated, it is on the scheduling app--and it varies from week to week, as I have clinical responsibilities, so far simpler for student to look it up than for me to have to type it out on a day by day basis. Not to mention that, as other students schedule appointments, some of those available slots will vanish.
Unfortunately, it is not my only flake...
The latest flakiness was a call from an administrator today asking whether I might have a spare copy of the required text on hamster medicine to loan to a student who had some financial problems.
Not only is said student repeating the course, there are multiple copies of the text in the library...
PS--my spy happens to reside at the same address as I do ;)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds awfully time-consuming, sorry that there's no easy solution here (thus the existence of this blog). If you say "you must use the scheduling app, if it doesn't work on your computer, go to the library or the lab or some other location," then surely some student will complain about your lack of accommodation. But if you try to schedule them via e-mail, then you are entering the murky waters of what students consider to be their "available time" and clearly that doesn't work either. With students as well as coworkers and bosses - and I am a student myself, not a faculty member - I find it best to give them as few choices as possible and clearly outline the consequences of their action or inaction with e-mail, so that if anyone tries the old "but you didn't help me blah blah," I pull an e-mail that documents my stating that the outcome is exactly as I described. Unfortunately, that doesn't do much good in academe if you have administrators expecting you to solve students' financial problems. The sad fact is that the administration and the deans do not stand by their faculty, and students know this quite well, so anything you do or say can be retconned into you tyrannizing a well-meaning student, regardless of the paper trail, their academic history, or the actual circumstances. You have my sympathies.
ReplyDelete