Eh
I held off on this post yesterday in order to properly commemorate the Ford Tempo. However, the anger from my experiences yesterday hasn't subsided.
As far as the transcripts, I should have known what to expect. Afterall, Mr. McNamara fully disclosed the ineptitude and corruption of the UW when discussing his experiences. But my trip to the new "Welcome Center" truly shocked the conscience. I should have known that the whole trip would be bad news when discovering that the transcripts were located in the "Welcome Center." Afterall, in Red Dawn, the Soviets opened up a Soviet-American Welcome Center, and the Americans were anything but welcome.
I went to the seventh floor, fully aware that I would have to pay eight dollars for something I had gotten for free the last two years, so I think I was ready for an argument before it even began. However, what transpired was ridiculous. I get to the bursar's office and am told to go to the registrar to apply. Then the registrar tells me that we have to submit order forms online. "What for?" I ask. She responds by telling me it makes things much more efficient. I pointed out that things were pretty efficient last year when all we had to do was swipe a student ID and press "print." I think that pissed her off. She tried giving me some lame explanation that staff members were utilized more efficiently and I cut her off to ask whether I could apply today.
Yes, there is a form to "request" transcripts. However, it takes FOUR TO SIX BUSINESS DAYS to get them. I asked nicely if I could get them the same day. Not unless I wanted to pay an expedited printing fee. I could clearly see this woman was playing Solitaire and I asked her nicely to do her job and print me a fucking transcript. She complied and said I had to go over to the bursar to pay. I went over and was told that the one person they had to handle payments was out until 2:30 (this was around noon). Furious, I returned to the registrar's office. She told me to come back later. My mind raced with things to say, in particular, how they would be liable for consequential damages if I didn't get my job applications out due to their ineptitude, but I let it pass. Then I noticed that the foreign student in front of me was getting "unofficial transcripts" for free. I asked and they gave me one. How come I couldn't have ten like the kid in front of me? Oh, it turns out the UW has a program for international students that doesn't apply to me. I didn't even try pressing my equal protection argument.
So then I return to the law school so I could print some cases on lexis before parting with the Tempo. I sent my three cases down to the printer and was met with the realization that somebody was printing out several of the same cases. I asked the person responsible how many there would be and she responded "thirty-two of each." Each of five. For a presentation to high school students. And the printer was going pretty slow. I declined to do the math, but I was tempted to explain to her that in Chuck Norris' world, anything plus anything equals one: One roundhouse kick to the face. Then she smiled at me. Clearly, she wanted me, but that was no excuse to hold up my caselaw.
Needless to say, I was infinitely tempted to unplug the printer, hit "cancel job" and ensure that everyone in that lab burned in the fires of a thousand suns. But I think I kept my cool quite nicely. I gave the girl the look of death and I think she felt shunned. God damn 1L's.
Otherwise, today was a better day. It always amazes me how the little things can make a person's day, and it helps when you don't have to deal with morons. Plus, Nip/Tuck was fantastic and they started showing previews for the O.C.
posted by Johnny Utah @ 5:14 PM
3 Comments:
This new system is complete bullshit. I hate this bureaucratic nonsense. It's gotta stop.
How dare these people say - to my face - that this system that a) I have to walk a mile each way for, b) costs me $8/transcript, c) takes so fucking long and d) involves two separate offices, is more efficient than walking to Peterson, having them swipe my card, hit print, and hand me my transcript? The new process takes days, whereas the old process literally took 10 minutes from the time I left the law school to the time I got back, transcripts in hand.
Fuck you, UW.
I love paying for a price gouge. But I really love crappier service. Oh, one more thing, can you make it slower? I am so happy now. Thank you, UW, may I have another?
When UW instituted the costs of transcripts, I wasn't surprised. I wasn't particularly outraged either, because my undergrad charged $5 for each transcript, and it was a hassle to get them. So the fact of paying for the transcripts doesn't really bother me, in itself.
However, the school's ridiculous attempts to justify it - saying it would be better for us, more efficient for us - that is what was outrageous here. It's better for us students, already cash-deficient, to now have to pay $8 a crack for something we didn't have to pay for before? It's more efficient for us as well, because the building has relocated so as to be nowhere near us, and now you have to run back and forth between offices full of incompetents to get them printed off, rather than just telling them what you want and getting hand a stack of transcripts two minutes later. Don't kill my pets and tell me this is better for me, because now they'll be more fun to play with. Assholes.
Just come out and say it - - you need money. I can respect that, because I need money too. And if I had the authority to put the squeeze on other people, I probably would. And will, when I get the chance.
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