Op-Ed: The Customer is Always Right

Reader Submission by Lisa Robison, 24, Post Bacculerate student for Secondary English Teacher’s Certification

I admit, when I first saw the prospective new schedule in last year’s papers I was in favor of it. As a person who has a full time job and is a full-time student, I was looking forward to the opportunity to take more night-time and Saturday classes, that also start later in the evening.

Unfortunately, it seems Kean has abandoned the original tentative schedule in favor for one that offers fewer night classes as opposed to more, and those that are offered are at more inconvenient time intervals. It is quite obvious by the university’s adoption of this new schedule that they have little regard to the lifestyle of their student body.

Regardless of whether or not Kean’s dorming population is growing, the university is still largely a commuter school. Many students either live at home or off campus for a variety of reasons, including lack of housing, but primarily for financial purposes. Many students at Kean work, either part-time or full-time, in addition to their academics. While some work for pocket money, many students work to support not only themselves, but other family members.

Those of us students who do work find it difficult enough to rush from our jobs, find parking, and be on time for a 5 p.m. class. I myself have had to make an arrangement with my employer to use my vacation time to leave work an hour early on the nights I have class. But now what am I to do when classes begin even earlier at 4:30 p.m.?

What class should I choose when two classes that I need to take to finish my program are offered at the same time on the same day, or at different time intervals on the same day that overlap? What I am supposed to do when the classes I need to take are not offered at night at all? Should I quit my job? Work part-time and lose my health insurance and medical benefits, as well as live on a drastically reduced income?

Or should I simply leave this university in favor for another that considers the lifestyles of their students and not the grandiose ideas of the administration? I already know one student who will not be returning to Kean next semester strictly because of the schedule change and the lack of classes offered at night. He, like myself, can’t afford to work part-time, especially considering that many of the daytime classes are now spread out over a three-day period as opposed to the former two-day period.

In all of my current classes the new schedule and its inconvenience is the main topic of conversation. I have not heard one approving word about it from my fellow students, the faculty, or other staff members. It begs the question as to why this was adopted in the first place. I know one of the reasons given was to make the university more energy efficient by having students occupy the space more evenly throughout the week.

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that rather than change the entire schedule just to have students on campus on Fridays, a more logical solution would be to simply turn off the lights in the classrooms that are not being used. Or if Friday class enrollment was low, hold all of the Friday classes in one or two buildings so that the university does not have to foot the cost of maintaining heating and lighting bills for buildings that are not being utilized. Both of these solutions would not result in turning the academic lives of many students upside-down, as the new schedule does.

I have had to make two decisions about my education because of the new schedule that I was not very happy to make. The first was being forced to become a part-time student next semester because of the lack of classes available for me to take at night. The second was having to delay my student teaching by a semester because the classes I need to take before I begin student teaching are either not being offered at all at night, or have one section that I was either not able to get into or conflicts with another required class.

In addition to the major problems caused by this unnecessary schedule change, I have recently dealt with a lot of obstacles, ineptitude, and blatant rudeness while attempting to register for the few classes I am able to take next semester. Not only does it appear that no one really knows where a student needs to go to have certain restrictions removed, they also are completely ignorant as to why the restrictions are there in the first place.

While speaking to a staff member in the Registrar who I gave both my name and Student ID number to, they incorrectly told me that I was unable to register because it was not my scheduled time, in addition to making the ridiculous statement that I was not even in the program that I have been accepted into and taking classes in for the past year and a half!

This statement of course set me into a state of panic, yet rather than re-check my identifying information to assure she had the right person up on her screen, this staff member instead carelessly transferred me to Admissions.

After leaving a voicemail and speaking with someone I was told most certainly that I was enrolled in my program and it was clear in Kean’s database that I had been since the Spring of 2007. Therefore, not only did my initial problem not get resolved, but I also wasted a half-hour of my time and was put through unnecessary grief because of the lack of competence of the staff that students are supposed to go to resolve certain problems.

The rude and condescending phrase, “That’s not my problem,” was also recently said to me while I was speaking to a staff member at Kean about my situation with a particular class.

A student’s problem is most certainly a staff member’s problem, and even if that person is unable to help the student, those words are not an acceptable response to the student’s dilemma. If you were explaining your problem to an employee at the business and the employee replied, “That’s not my problem,” what would you do as the customer?

Kean University needs to remember that aside from being an academic institution it is also a business and the students are its customers. All businesses are designed to accommodate their customers’ needs and must do so in order to survive. We pay tuition to Kean University and expect a service in return.

What do you think happens to businesses that do not meet their customers’ needs? The answer is: the customer takes their business elsewhere, and I strongly believe that Kean may soon find many of its students bringing their tuition to another university. In all honesty that option would be one I would seriously consider if I did not have a mere four classes left to complete my program. However, I no longer have a desire to obtain my Masters at Kean University.

For that service, this customer is most certainly taking her business elsewhere.

Letter to the Editor

Why Do Professors Hate Wikipedia?

How different is information from Wikipedia than from that which comes from a professor?
Internet information is unverifiable, but so are professors’ lectures. We have all heard our teachers offer inaccurate or opinion-jaded information that goes unchallenged.

Moreover, any study of post-modernism shows that what makes most information valid is general consensus. Open programs like Wikipedia purvey information in a democratic means. That is, common people can edit and alter the entries without being the intellectual elite. The internet’s open editing software is just a new way that information by social consensus is purveyed.

Why then, do professors offer scorn to Wikipedia and other internet sources? To the career intellectual, Wikipedia and internet knowledge looks exactly as robotic assembly did to Detroit auto workers. At one point in human history a person was needed to lecture or write about ideas, hence the need for a class of academics. Today these people are not as necessary to purvey information as they can be usurped by modern technology. Experts in an intellectual field thus can only function as an authority, because the internet is a faster and more adaptable vessel for knowledge.

For the modern world, professors are like the medieval popes who determine what information is and is not canon. Historians note that the church’s power over information was threatened by the printing press. The internet outstrips the printing press in its ability to empower people and defrock elites. Perhaps the informed class fears this revolution of spontaneous order and open information on the web.

In short, professors do not so much hate Wikipedia because it is inaccurate. Rather they fear it because it is their replacement.

—TJH

Dear TJH,
Where else could you find an extensive list of every episode of “Legends of the Hidden Temple,” complete with entry links to each hisotrical figure in each episode and an intricate step-by-step layout to each temple layout? Certainly not your professor, unless he’s that guy from “Legends of the Hidden Temple,” no, I doubt even he knows that much.

Creepy Ass Tarotscopes

Aries (Mar. 21-April 19): “V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!” but it ain’t ovah yet. Stay strong to keep everything that you have gained moving forward, or you’ll lose control. Too many goals, dreams and wants are the problem so there is a need to be a strong juggler. There is also some black and white thinking that you need to deal with. Time to transform your ways and maybe shed some of the old.

Taurus (April 20-May 20): There is a deep emotional commitment in your life and a reassessment of what you want. With love there is advancement. The Tower is coming through with a lightening bolt of truth to shock the structures of lies that are built up around you. This is a definite energy bolt that will rush right through you and your life. Overall you are going into a period of assuming responsibility over your life and this destruction in your life will help bring in new maturity.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 20): You have two energies opposing you. One side is a traditional value system, the other is chaos and temptation. You are caught in between two states of being and they are both contradicting your inner mind. You’re caught in the middle moving with steadfast towards the traditional values. Just watch out for negative influence and do not try to conquer any difficulties too quickly because you will putz out.

Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): There is quite a lot of feminine energy surrounding you. Women will be surrounding you like bowls of circular, succulent pears. Females help bring the unconscious to light. You are not facing the reality of a situation and bounding yourself to a situation that makes you feel humiliated. Stop deluding yourself with circles of lies in justification, put down the booze and withdraw into a cave. Then you shall see the truth and the truth shall set you free.

Gemini (May 22-Jun 21): There is a great force of energy in your month that moves you forth in powerful directions. You have the color red surrounding you, which will give you the force of love, energy, fire, spirit, and ambition. You are the leader of your task and have the tools in hand. You are in constant movement and seem to always be doing something. You need to learn to balance your work. Follow your instincts because you are going to have to make a choice that comes from within.

Cancer (Jun 21-Jul 22): You’re transitioning and bogged down with responsibilities. Family is the number one priority as you take the role of the ruler of the household, adding to your tyrannical energy. Good luck comes with material goods, family, happiness and maybe even money. This takes away strain from an older man. You’re going through a period of being a rigid old fart to a young, confident stud—stick with the stud.

Leo (Jul 23-Aug 22): An existing relationship matures and you are ready to act. You’re in a world of emotions, love and the unconscious. One problem: You have new beginnings and spontaneous energy, but also a lack of direction. You are happy and at peace. Whatever you do this month you will succeed if you control your wants and needs. Don’t let whimsy distract you and have some confidence in what you do.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Focus on your dreams this month. Daydreams and fantasies imply you’re unhappy with life. Money, work and creativity look grim and you’re avoiding it. You want to hide so you can figure out the mess, inside and out. Seek deeper truth in something, because you’re changing, so start looking within.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You’re in control for now and have your fans and followers. You’ve earned it because you studied your art and organized these skills. Don’t worry about social status and remember to stay young and light-hearted—smile! Be determined and expand forward, but forces pull you in the opposite direction. Stay strong to what you learned and you will succeed!

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A good month for relationships. There is growth and fertility around you. Your world is in order and harmony. People get along and get older, which brings feelings of establishment everywhere. You have a traditional celebration. This is an important time for yourself and family.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You have an established home, but are constantly fighting. Give it up. Someone steals your ideas, while lying and gossiping at your expense. There’s stormy weather at a home that looks nice outside but sucks inside. Maybe it’s all in your head? Face breakdown and deal with vulnerability and rejection from those around you. Commit to change while you snap out of it. Fantasy life is not happy life.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20): Others tell you what to do and are mean about it. Check your pockets! You lost something and that makes you sad. “Waaaah!” Stormy weather in December catches you between outside tradition and yourself. A rainbow of spirits will awaken your insides, but you’ve got to loosen your tight ass. Someone will guide you.

Live Free..or as cheap as possible

compiled to the max by Laura Matthews

Price: Free
What: Night of 1,000 Laughs
When: Wednesday, December 10th at 8p.m.
Where: The UC Little Theater
Info: Get ready to laugh at the Beta Kappa Psi hosted event.
On-line: Information and Activities board in the UC for more information.

Price: Free
What: Red Carpet Masquerade Ball
When: Thursday, December 11th at 9p.m.
Where: Downs Hall
Info: The Steppers of a Free Nation sponsored the ball and tell all to dress to impress. Don’t forget your Kean ID.
On-line: Nonexistent. Look for fliers posted in the UC for more information.

Price: $8 with a student ID
What: Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton
When: Now until January 11th
Where: The New Museum of Contemporary Art
235 Bowery, New York, NY (212) 219-1222
Info: The artist has created over 100 paintings and works of modern life, documenting both her personal biography and the popular culture of the last decade.
On-line: www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/400/live_forever_elizabeth_peyton

Price: $10 with student ID
What: New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters
When: Now until January 11th
Where: The Japan Society
333 East 47th Street, New York, NY (212) 832-1155
Info: It’s not just panda food. In this exhibit, 23 artists have crafted more than 90 works, all made of bamboo.
On-line: www.japansociety.org/event_detail?eid=674fb1e2

Price: $15
Who: Head Automatica and Radio 4
When: Thursday, January 8th at 8p.m.
Where: The Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718) 486-5400
Info: Their music will lead to beating hearts, baby.
On-line: www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/event/2305

Price: $10 with Student I.D.
What: The Cloisters Museum and Garden
When: Any day but Monday
Where: 99 Margaret Corbin Drive
Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY (212) 923-3700
Info: Visit medieval Europe right in Northern Manhattan.
On-line: www.metmuseum.org/cloisters

Price: $15
What: Michelangelo: The Man and the Myth
When: Now until January 4th
Where: The Lubin House Palitz Gallery
11 East 61st Street, New York, NY (212) 826-0320
Info: Original drawings by Michelangelo and his contemporaries, including works that have never been on display in the United States before.
On-line: www.lubinhouse.syr.edu

Price: Free
What: All’s Well That Ends Well
When: Now until December 13th
Where: The New School for Drama Theater
151 Bank Street, New York, NY (212) 229-5859
Info: A comedy proving love doesn’t always come easy, complete with clever plotting and bittersweet romance, written by the one and only Shakespeare himself.
On-line: www.newschool.edu/drama/events.aspx

Price: $15
Who: Kimya Dawson
When: Friday, December 26th at 8p.m.
Where: The Bowery Ballroom
6 Delancey Street, New York, NY (212) 533-2111
Info: She was cool way before the soundtrack for that movie about teenage pregnancy.
On-line: www.boweryballroom.com/event/2233

Price: You’ll know when you make your purchase.
What: The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park
When: Now until December 28th
Where: Bryant Park
6th Ave between 40th and 42nd Streets, New York, NY (212) 661-6640
Info: Who needs malls when you have outdoor tents?
On-line: www.bryantpark.org/amenities/shops.php

Price: $26.50...unless you got the $5 tickets from Kean
What: Bodies: The Exhibition
When: Now until December 31st
Where: South Street Seaport
11 Fulton Street, New York, NY, 1-888-9BODIES
Info: Biology text books have nothing on this exhibit. Come see over 200 specimens of the one thing that all human beings have in common.
On-line: www.bodiesny.com

Price: $13.50 with student ID
What: Action: Sex and the Moving Image
When: Whenever you’d like.
Where: The Museum of Sex
233 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY (212) 689-6337
Info: In today’s visual culture, this exhibit follows how sexual imagery has impacted television, film, advertising, as well as our own social standards and behaviors.
On-line: www.museumofsex.com/exhibit/action