kinda long, edited out the names. basically, i wrote a string of e-mails to the MIS department regarding deployment of wireless internet access (the pharmacy school already has it) and the MIS director was incapable of answering my yes/no and multiple choice questions. sure, i was firm in my tone, but she flat out refused to give me simple answers over e-mail. the rest of my class thinks the MIS department is useless as well as does the class before us. but to get a warning for 1)bypassing the bureaucracy and 2)unprofessional tone?
i've posted the warning and snippets from the e-mail dialogue.
thanks for reading.
edit: better add the cliffs.
1. asked MIS department at my med school when we will get wireless access. (pharm school already does)
2. told to read newsletter, which gave vague answers and most students just laughed at it.
3. wrote back with a few closed-ended questions for her to answer, received reply to make an appointment.
4. wrote again to express collective disappointment from my class, and asking again simple yes or no questions: will we get wireless access this year? how about next?
5. received formal warning from dean a month later.
*6. writing apology e-mail and moving on. i've got 10 exams next week.
edit: just to get an idea of the MIS department: this has been going on for 4 years and running--"want wireless?? we're working on it!" 2 years ago due to the blaster virus, they disabled all plug-in ethernet ports and it's been like that since. we're stuck with using dell workstations and no firefox either (which i suggested earlier in the year).
-----
*Dear Dr. xxx and Ms. xxx,
I wanted to deeply apologize for everything that I said in the previous e-mails and for any inconvenience they may have caused. This was a complete fluke on my part as I have worked in numerous medical and professional settings before, and not once have colleagues or superiors had problems with my professional conduct. I appreciate the advice and assure you that you will never have to deal with anything like this from me again. Thanks for your time.
-----
Recently Ms. XXX shared a string of email communications between herself and you. I have reviewed this material and must inform you that I find the tone and tenor of your communications with Ms. XXX to be unprofessional, discourteous and unacceptable as a standard for a student in COM (college of medicine). I fear that you will have very difficult times ahead if you fail to lean how to respond to concerns that you have in a civil and professional manner. I realize that email can create a harsher tone that interpersonal forms of communication but the tone of your words goes beyond that which would be explained by the nature of email communication.
In addition, as you move through your program I hope that you will develop an appreciation for the fact that medicine and medical education occur in the context of complex organizations. Within such organizations there are certain expectations and structures that are an important part of getting things accomplished. One expectation is that it is not reasonable to receive a response to an email inquiry within a day, in a non-urgent situation. The fact that your expectation is so far removed from the reality of complex organizations is an indication that you have much to learn.
It is also the case that structures exist through which individual input is channeled in order to make effective institutional progress in important areas such as technology. The mechanism here at XXX University, as in most higher educational institutions is through the structures of Student Government. You have class officers as well as University level officers who have been elected by you and your classmates to serve as your voice and as the source of input from students on institutional policy and management.
By going directly to a specific office rather than through your elected officials you actually thwart the process for advancing the issues you have addressed. You end up tying up staff for valuable time when they already have regular commitments for communicating with Student Government officials in there area of service. I suggest that you channel your expertise and energy into running for Student Government or serving on a Student Government committee on technology (which is a recognized priority for the University) or any other area where you feel you have a contribution to make.
In the meantime, please consider this a formal warning and know that I am creating a file for you in my office, toward the end of encouraging you to make immediate improvements in your communications with others. At this point your file will not reflect any notations on your transcripts and this file will be shredded upon your graduation, as long as there are no additional behavioral problems. If there are further instances of this kind of unprofessional behavior you could be subject to disciplinary sanctions.
Best wishes to you in your efforts to professionalize your communication skills,
Dr. XXX
----
Hi all,
I was just writing to inquire about the status of the wireless network access for the [college of medicine]. Ms. XXX had told us during orientation to check back with her on or near Labor Day, but I hadn't heard anything from anybody in our class thus far.
Since matriculating at XXX, I have reazlied that many professors lecture strictly from powerpoint presentations and nearly all of them do not provide printouts of the slides. It makes learning a lot more effective when those slides are in front of us on our laptop/tablet screens so that we can take notes directly on them. Not to mention the ecological savings from the paper used to print out those lectures. In any case, I--and the rest of the class I would imagine--appreciate a status update on this matter.
Thanks for your time,
Chris
-----
Dear Christopher,
I'm sorry that you have not received a response. You have many other messages ahead of you - I'm afraid it's just a symptom of workload. Also, you addressed your message to three people - were you looking from a response from all 3?
In any case, I'll take a shot at your questions by saying that I think the best response that I can give you is very nicely summarized in the most recent issue of the student newspaper.
If you are finding that you need additional materials for your current classes, I recommend that you contact your individual instructors. They are aware of the current capabilities of the campus and may be able to clarify perceived requirements that exceed existing capabilities.
-----
Ms. XXX,
The last time that I wrote to you, I never received a reply until I addressed the e-mail to your other two colleagues. I figured that if you missed my message for whatever reason, Mr. XXX and XXX may see it.
As for the student newspaper, our classroom has run out of copies, so I am hoping that you can give me an explicit reply, specific to my inquiry. Plus, I wasn't really looking for a press reply. More specifically, I was hoping you could tell me:
1) what is the projected deployment date for campuswide wireless internet access for the COM?
2) if none exists, when will the date be determined?
3) if no meeting is planned for this, what are the chances of having campuswide internet access this academic year (in a percentage format)?
4) who else can I contact regarding this matter?
Chris
-----
Please call my office at extension 555 to make an appointment to discuss this. The complexity of the issue doesn't lend itself to itemized questions and answers.
---
Ms. XXX
Frankly, I have neither the time nor interest in meeting with you regarding this matter because you have given me no indication that I will get answers to the closed-ended questions that I posed in the previous e-mail. I did get a chance to read the article in the newsletter, and it would be a complete waste of my time if I had to listen to you repeat the same packaged reply that you gave to the reporters and to the class of 2009 during our orientation.
Additionaly, the article was not well-received at all by our class as I have heard numerous complaints about the competency of XXX's MIS department, as well as read e-mails from students with similar sentiments. Let me remind you, a good number in our class have actually worked in IS/IT/engineering before coming to XXX, and they are well-versed in issues such as these. In the class' eyes, the article resolved absolutely nothing as we continue our "search for signal."
I hope that you will take this opportunity to help clear up the vague portions of the article, namely, what is meant by "the next years", in reference to when "campus improvements" will be phased in; what are the chances of upgrading from T1 to "D3"? 25%? 50%? 99%?; is this issue going to be discussed in upcoming board meetings? Similarly, my previous questions are still on the table. I will be happy to relay the answers to our class and to others in the same situation.
It is safe to say that the biggest question on our minds is "Will we have any wireless internet access during our 2 years on campus?" What started as personal curiosity has become a desire to get to the bottom of this issue, not really for myself (I currently have tethered EDGE access via bluetooth) but for my classmates who are paying $33,000 a year to attend this institution. I am coming to accept the fact that the MIS department and XXX University really cannot provide for their current students' ever-growing needs for expedited information exchange.
Thanks for your time,
Chris
i've posted the warning and snippets from the e-mail dialogue.
thanks for reading.
edit: better add the cliffs.
1. asked MIS department at my med school when we will get wireless access. (pharm school already does)
2. told to read newsletter, which gave vague answers and most students just laughed at it.
3. wrote back with a few closed-ended questions for her to answer, received reply to make an appointment.
4. wrote again to express collective disappointment from my class, and asking again simple yes or no questions: will we get wireless access this year? how about next?
5. received formal warning from dean a month later.
*6. writing apology e-mail and moving on. i've got 10 exams next week.
edit: just to get an idea of the MIS department: this has been going on for 4 years and running--"want wireless?? we're working on it!" 2 years ago due to the blaster virus, they disabled all plug-in ethernet ports and it's been like that since. we're stuck with using dell workstations and no firefox either (which i suggested earlier in the year).
-----
*Dear Dr. xxx and Ms. xxx,
I wanted to deeply apologize for everything that I said in the previous e-mails and for any inconvenience they may have caused. This was a complete fluke on my part as I have worked in numerous medical and professional settings before, and not once have colleagues or superiors had problems with my professional conduct. I appreciate the advice and assure you that you will never have to deal with anything like this from me again. Thanks for your time.
-----
Recently Ms. XXX shared a string of email communications between herself and you. I have reviewed this material and must inform you that I find the tone and tenor of your communications with Ms. XXX to be unprofessional, discourteous and unacceptable as a standard for a student in COM (college of medicine). I fear that you will have very difficult times ahead if you fail to lean how to respond to concerns that you have in a civil and professional manner. I realize that email can create a harsher tone that interpersonal forms of communication but the tone of your words goes beyond that which would be explained by the nature of email communication.
In addition, as you move through your program I hope that you will develop an appreciation for the fact that medicine and medical education occur in the context of complex organizations. Within such organizations there are certain expectations and structures that are an important part of getting things accomplished. One expectation is that it is not reasonable to receive a response to an email inquiry within a day, in a non-urgent situation. The fact that your expectation is so far removed from the reality of complex organizations is an indication that you have much to learn.
It is also the case that structures exist through which individual input is channeled in order to make effective institutional progress in important areas such as technology. The mechanism here at XXX University, as in most higher educational institutions is through the structures of Student Government. You have class officers as well as University level officers who have been elected by you and your classmates to serve as your voice and as the source of input from students on institutional policy and management.
By going directly to a specific office rather than through your elected officials you actually thwart the process for advancing the issues you have addressed. You end up tying up staff for valuable time when they already have regular commitments for communicating with Student Government officials in there area of service. I suggest that you channel your expertise and energy into running for Student Government or serving on a Student Government committee on technology (which is a recognized priority for the University) or any other area where you feel you have a contribution to make.
In the meantime, please consider this a formal warning and know that I am creating a file for you in my office, toward the end of encouraging you to make immediate improvements in your communications with others. At this point your file will not reflect any notations on your transcripts and this file will be shredded upon your graduation, as long as there are no additional behavioral problems. If there are further instances of this kind of unprofessional behavior you could be subject to disciplinary sanctions.
Best wishes to you in your efforts to professionalize your communication skills,
Dr. XXX
----
Hi all,
I was just writing to inquire about the status of the wireless network access for the [college of medicine]. Ms. XXX had told us during orientation to check back with her on or near Labor Day, but I hadn't heard anything from anybody in our class thus far.
Since matriculating at XXX, I have reazlied that many professors lecture strictly from powerpoint presentations and nearly all of them do not provide printouts of the slides. It makes learning a lot more effective when those slides are in front of us on our laptop/tablet screens so that we can take notes directly on them. Not to mention the ecological savings from the paper used to print out those lectures. In any case, I--and the rest of the class I would imagine--appreciate a status update on this matter.
Thanks for your time,
Chris
-----
Dear Christopher,
I'm sorry that you have not received a response. You have many other messages ahead of you - I'm afraid it's just a symptom of workload. Also, you addressed your message to three people - were you looking from a response from all 3?
In any case, I'll take a shot at your questions by saying that I think the best response that I can give you is very nicely summarized in the most recent issue of the student newspaper.
If you are finding that you need additional materials for your current classes, I recommend that you contact your individual instructors. They are aware of the current capabilities of the campus and may be able to clarify perceived requirements that exceed existing capabilities.
-----
Ms. XXX,
The last time that I wrote to you, I never received a reply until I addressed the e-mail to your other two colleagues. I figured that if you missed my message for whatever reason, Mr. XXX and XXX may see it.
As for the student newspaper, our classroom has run out of copies, so I am hoping that you can give me an explicit reply, specific to my inquiry. Plus, I wasn't really looking for a press reply. More specifically, I was hoping you could tell me:
1) what is the projected deployment date for campuswide wireless internet access for the COM?
2) if none exists, when will the date be determined?
3) if no meeting is planned for this, what are the chances of having campuswide internet access this academic year (in a percentage format)?
4) who else can I contact regarding this matter?
Chris
-----
Please call my office at extension 555 to make an appointment to discuss this. The complexity of the issue doesn't lend itself to itemized questions and answers.
---
Ms. XXX
Frankly, I have neither the time nor interest in meeting with you regarding this matter because you have given me no indication that I will get answers to the closed-ended questions that I posed in the previous e-mail. I did get a chance to read the article in the newsletter, and it would be a complete waste of my time if I had to listen to you repeat the same packaged reply that you gave to the reporters and to the class of 2009 during our orientation.
Additionaly, the article was not well-received at all by our class as I have heard numerous complaints about the competency of XXX's MIS department, as well as read e-mails from students with similar sentiments. Let me remind you, a good number in our class have actually worked in IS/IT/engineering before coming to XXX, and they are well-versed in issues such as these. In the class' eyes, the article resolved absolutely nothing as we continue our "search for signal."
I hope that you will take this opportunity to help clear up the vague portions of the article, namely, what is meant by "the next years", in reference to when "campus improvements" will be phased in; what are the chances of upgrading from T1 to "D3"? 25%? 50%? 99%?; is this issue going to be discussed in upcoming board meetings? Similarly, my previous questions are still on the table. I will be happy to relay the answers to our class and to others in the same situation.
It is safe to say that the biggest question on our minds is "Will we have any wireless internet access during our 2 years on campus?" What started as personal curiosity has become a desire to get to the bottom of this issue, not really for myself (I currently have tethered EDGE access via bluetooth) but for my classmates who are paying $33,000 a year to attend this institution. I am coming to accept the fact that the MIS department and XXX University really cannot provide for their current students' ever-growing needs for expedited information exchange.
Thanks for your time,
Chris
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