MySpace-August 31, 2007-Reason #833

[EDIT: I deleted names and company names. I can't believe this was so long ago. I was so angry regarding this and the constant drama that went on during vet school. LP-9/6/11]

Of why I hate my class...

I've learned that anyone can read anything on the internet and interpret it anyway they see fit. I also have learned that you need to be prepared for the backlash of it and even the most professional people don't have to be professional...I don't plan on being professional here. This is my personal life and I'd like to separate it from my school/professional life.

Let me give you all some background. We have a website here at school where the professors post notes, power points, homework, pretty much everything. In two of my classes, I go to this site and print notes from it. Inconvienent but better than not having any notes at all. Another class posts power points but last year we purchased a packet of notes and the professor stays close to it. In the last class, our professor has been providing hand outs in addition to posting everything online. I love it because they don't cost me five cents a page. Additionally, we have drives on our network; there are private drives and shared drives where everyone can acess them. Its my understanding that anywhere in the school you can access these drives from a laptop by getting onto the network.

Now for the story. Wednesday, in parasitology, our professor had handed out the notes (maybe the day before) and because she had made some last minute changes to the power point did not load it onto the website. She stood before the class and told us this. She proceeded to tell us that if we had laptops, that the power point could be accessed from the shared drive and that they would be posted to the website later. A classmate piped up and said that he had already emailed the power points as an attachment. A majority of the class does not have laptops.
I don't like getting mass emails that are things that aren't relivant to me. I didn't need this powerpoint nor did I need it cluttering up my inbox as it takes up alot of the space which I am allowed. I was mad so to this guy I sent the following email:

[CLASSMATE]-

I wanted to thank you so much for filling up my inbox with yesterday's parasitology notes! Because you know, its not like they were passed out in class or were available on the network or anything. And everyone has a laptop.

Now granted this wasn't the most professional way to handle this, being sarcastic and all. But this was was between me and the guy that orginally sent the mass powerpoint. Not anyone else, and most certainly not between the entire class.
In response, this is what he sent me later that moring-

Actually they were not passed out in class and not everyone has access to the network on their laptop....so you're welcome!!

[CLASSMATE]

2008 National [big vet organization] President[big vet organization] Chapter PresidentStudent AmbassadorClass of 2010 - TreasurerUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaCollege of Veterinary Medicine
[Phone number]
[email address]

I mean seriously.  It was handed out. I know; I used it. I don't have a laptop so concerns about people not being able to get onto the network isn't one of mine. I didn't really mind his comments in response. I deserved them. But look at all of those creditials on his signiture. You know this is going to be trouble.
[Classmate] went on to send another mass email to the class as an apology. It was done all fine and professional-here it is:

All,

I apologize for filling up everyone's email boxes yesterday by forwarding the parasitology powerpoints to the whole class.  The notes were on the network, and not everyone has access on their laptops to the network.  I went into the lab before class and pulled the notes off the network so that I had access.  About 10 people asked me to email them the notes right before class.  It was just easier to forward it to the class than to type in names since she was starting the lecture.  I thought it would be okay to just delete my message if you didn't want the notes, but apparently it was not that simple.  I will not send anymore powerpoints through email.  Sorry!

And things should of ended there. I made a sarcastic comment to him, he returned it to me, he apoligized to the class. BUT being the elite leader and professional that he is (and normal conducts himself as such) he proceeded (whether intentionally or not) to also include the orginal email I sent him at the end of his apology. Making it perfectly clear that I was a bad person to begin with. Begin my burning at the stake. People jumped at the chance to send mass emails out to the entire class regarding how I should simply delete things and what not...here they are:

It's alright [CLASSMATE]. I forgive you. By the way, thanks for the notes. I definately used the ppts. that day. I can connect to the network, but it's slower then a sloth taking a dump when you have large files trying to download.

[CLASSMATE THAT SIGNED WITH A NICKNAME]

That one was from the mule club president-perhaps one of the worst of all times. You've read the other blogs. You know my issues with it.

I'm sorry, I was one of the ten that asked [CLASSMATE] to send me the powerpoint, I don't have the shared drive on my laptop and I take notes on my computer. I'm sorry I didn't know it was that big of a deal to push the freakin' "DELETE" button.

Thank you [CLASSMATE].

[CLASSMATE #2]
[School Club] PresidentUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaCollege of Veterinary MedicineClass of 2010

And another club president. Real professional. And no [CLASSMATE #2], its not a big deal to delete an email but it sits in your deleted folder and still takes up space. And its no big deal to pull something off of the network either.
Additionally, as a separated email he sent this one. It was in regards to a gross email with a link (no attachment!) to a youtube video of someone with bots in his back. As one of my friends said, its not cool no matter what but he can say those things to me but shouldn't of sent it to the entire class.

This really helped me during class!!!! P. S. I talked to Zac March and there will be an informal meeting with him in room W240 on how to locate the right buttons on your keyboard.Thank you.
[CLASSMATE #2][School Club] PresidentUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaCollege of Veterinary MedicineClass of 2010

Seriously?  Was it worth it since you don't have time to push the delete button, to write a mean email?  I can't believe that because a few people in our class don't like getting emails that aren't addressed specifically to them, we have to stop sending out emails.  Get over it, hit your delete button, but don't complain about not "getting the information" or "never getting to know anything" about our class projects/events!    Once again, I'd like to reiterate the fact that this is your SCHOOL/EDUCATIONAL email address and is and should be used for that information and purpose.  I believe if you are using your email account correctly that there is no room to complain about filled email boxes.  Gmail, yahoo, hotmail, aol are all free email providers that can be used for personal emails; that should alleviate some of the burden on your school email address.Oops, I guess by this time, you could have deleted like five emails.

Well, this is from one of the student ambassadors. I yelled at her about the same thing last spring and my view still stands. I thought though that all of that had been behind us; we had been gettting along royally in mule club. Besides I DO only use my school account for school stuff. And who is she anyway? The school email Nazi?

[CLASSMATE] - Thanks for the notes. They saved my schoolwork yesterday. Without a mass email I probably would have failed out of school.

Everyone else - thanks for making my day. Seriously, the most amusing thing that's happened all week. I'll probably even stay awake during bacT. Oh the vet school drama.

[STUPID FEMALE CLASSMATE] University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine 
[BIG ORGANIZATION] Treasurer Class of 2010

Another club officer. See a pattern? I LOVE the sarcasim here. The last line wouldn't of been bad had it stood alone. Later she'd go on and email the next parasitology lecture with the attached powerpoint and this message:

protozoan notes. not sorry [STUPID FEMALE CLASSMATE] University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine [BIG ORGANIZATION] Treasurer Class of 2010

And below we have an instance of a guy being true to himself and being a complete tool. Someone emailed him and told him that too. I love it! Notice how he's a rep for a dog food company. Still a postition that should be professional in our school.

have nothing to say...just wanted to be annoying and send a mass email.  hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

[BIG TOOL CLASSMATE]
College of Veterinary Medicine University of Missouri Class of 2010

Now I didn't want them to have the last word. So I sent this response. It took alot of thought and Joe approved it. I thought while not the most professional it certainly was more professional than all of the other interactions. And I don't have an office in anything.

Wow! Breaching the social protocal of this class by not pretending everything is fine, generates alot of e-mails

No longer am I going to rely on e-mail to tell people I don't like something. From now on, I'm going to try to be professional and proactive and simply speak to whoever has done what I don't like. And I would expect the same in return.

I still think that e-mailing the entire class notes or study guides is ridiculous. Espcially since the parasitology note were handed out in class ( I wrote on them. With a pen!) and were in the shared drive and additionally, we have a class folder for such things. Its not my issue if you can't get on the network; go to the IT office. As for the delete button, it still counts against your e-mail account and it takes equally as long to pull something off the shared drive (and saved to a jump drive or whatever).

Now I'll just wait for the backlash from this bit of honest.

Leslie

I could see the outcome of this-1) everyone ignores it and that ends it -or-2) I get about four emails about it. The later happened. Joe and I fussed and talked about it last night and true to my email, we decided that I needed to actually talk to those people that were going to respond rather than do so by email. Well, Joe won't be entirely happy because I didn't talk to them all. [CLASSMATE] sent me a message telling me that he was sorry. I talked to him specifically later. He said that he didn't intend to include my message, was sorry about the first one (and I said that it was cool; it didn't make me too mad; I deserved it.), never had expected such a response and had talked to the people that had done so. Whatever. I don't care now. Its done. We've buried the hatchet and with the exception of this blog everyone else should too. Then I got one email  that was a joke, one that was support (I thanked him and someone else for it.), one from someone telling me why people were mad (once again, not my fault my message got out there), one telling me that I'm not the majority (which shouldn't stop me from voicing my opinion majority or not) and a final one from someone that was willing to talk to me providing I could remain calm and they also wanted to apply for the email Nazi patrol.

I guess all in all, things are back to normal. I'll still just be a social outcast but at least now I know I can stir the waters (granted not in a postive light) and let people know I exist.

[EDIT-Originally, published to Blogger on 9/6/11.]