2008 Woodie Awards
Students sick of bureaucracy
Liz Schmitt
Issue date: 4/19/07 Section: Op/Ed
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When we were younger, going to the nurse's office often meant we were trying to get out of class. This was no secret to the nurses; a kid would have to be a pretty good actor to pull it off.
Now we're in college. And while I don't claim that students at the College are completely free of our former immaturity, I'd like to think we've left our days of faking sick behind us. For the first thirteen or so years of our education, we have no choice but to be there, which is a big part of why so many of us dodged school when we could. But in college, we have a lot more at stake. For one, we're paying to be here. We do things based on choice. Our classes, no matter how boring some may be, are a function of the major or minor we choose. Commitments like sports practice or club activities are all voluntary choices, too.
Where am I going with this? Well, I recently encountered bureaucracy at our school that revealed to me how little faith the College has in its students.
One weekend this semester, I got hit with a cold overnight. We've all been there. I was too sick to go anywhere or do anything. I missed everything including my last home track meet, the daylight and piles of homework that I just didn't have the energy to complete. My biggest concern, though, was an exam that I had that Monday morning. So, on Sunday I emailed the professor, and on Monday, I was in bed rather than at the exam.
The professor, however, needed "compelling documentation" as to why I was not present for the exam. So, I went to the Health Center and explained my situation, and they were friendly, concerned and as helpful as they could be. Unfortunately, they could not provide me with any kind of note saying that I was indeed sick. They explained to me the Health Center's policy on sick notes: in order to get one, you need to see a doctor in their office three days in a row and be observably sick on all three days. Otherwise, I was told, people would be lined up outside the door every day. But since in my four years at the College, I have never before come across this rule. I have to wonder how true that is. If we don't know about the three-day policy, how is it affecting how many people line up outside the door?
Now we're in college. And while I don't claim that students at the College are completely free of our former immaturity, I'd like to think we've left our days of faking sick behind us. For the first thirteen or so years of our education, we have no choice but to be there, which is a big part of why so many of us dodged school when we could. But in college, we have a lot more at stake. For one, we're paying to be here. We do things based on choice. Our classes, no matter how boring some may be, are a function of the major or minor we choose. Commitments like sports practice or club activities are all voluntary choices, too.
Where am I going with this? Well, I recently encountered bureaucracy at our school that revealed to me how little faith the College has in its students.
One weekend this semester, I got hit with a cold overnight. We've all been there. I was too sick to go anywhere or do anything. I missed everything including my last home track meet, the daylight and piles of homework that I just didn't have the energy to complete. My biggest concern, though, was an exam that I had that Monday morning. So, on Sunday I emailed the professor, and on Monday, I was in bed rather than at the exam.
The professor, however, needed "compelling documentation" as to why I was not present for the exam. So, I went to the Health Center and explained my situation, and they were friendly, concerned and as helpful as they could be. Unfortunately, they could not provide me with any kind of note saying that I was indeed sick. They explained to me the Health Center's policy on sick notes: in order to get one, you need to see a doctor in their office three days in a row and be observably sick on all three days. Otherwise, I was told, people would be lined up outside the door every day. But since in my four years at the College, I have never before come across this rule. I have to wonder how true that is. If we don't know about the three-day policy, how is it affecting how many people line up outside the door?