My Day

Let me tell you about my day.  Well, actually this is my day yesterday.  Was going to write about it last night after work but with church and errands there was no time. 

Yesterday was a day for calls where I could not please anyone.  Well, at least some of them.  But you really remember those calls.  First one was from a student who could not get her PIN to work and wanted me to reset it.  I pull up her account but she does not have any security questions in place for me to verify who she is.  I explain this to and advise that she should try her 6-digit date of birth for her PIN.  She is repeating every word I say to someone else in the room.  Student then comes back on the phone with me again asking about resetting her PIN.  I again advise the same thing.  I am unable to do so as there are no security questions in place for me to verify her identiy.  She again repeats word for word what I am saying to another person in the room "who is helping me out."

After several minutes of this, the 'other person in the room' gets on the phone requesting that PIN be reset.  She says "I am a certified counselor that should make a difference - can you reset the PIN?"  I again advise that no I cannot reset the PIN as there are no questions in place for me to verify answers to.  I advise that they can try using a 6 digit date of birth for the PIN.  The "certified counselor" then responds "Why are you being so arrogant with me?  Why won't you assist us?"  I apologize if I came across as arrogant and again respond that I am trying to assist in the only way I can.  Caller hang up. 

An hour or so later I receive a call from a student having problems with Blackboard.  I ask what browser she is using then provide the stand solutions to attempt when having problems. Make sure Java updates are current, clear your cache, make sure pop-up blockers are turned off, make sure that Tulsacc.edu is added as a trusted site in compatability view settings, then try another browser.  Without even attempting to do any of these the student says "What kind of help is this?  Can I speak to someone else who might actually help me out?" 

A little break of levity in the afternoon when we receive word that a student has been seen in distress in his car and the police were notified.  Police found an alligator in the car.  Lots of speculation on this until we get more details. Speculation we liked the best was that person who owned car kept an alligator in there as an anit-theft deterrent.  It would certainly put me in distress if I got in a car then  happened to notice an alligator in the back seat.  Turns out it was student high on drugs who had "borrowed" the alligator for a class "show and tell" and the alligator was in a cage.  I liked our version better.  But it brings to mind the question "what idiot borrows an alligator?"

Last call of the day was from a student who had sent a couple of emails to her professor and the professor had not resonded.  Could we check to be sure the professor got the email?  I ask the student if she had received a notice that the emails were not delivered?  Student says no she doesn't think so but how does she know the emails were sent?  I advise her to look in her sent folder in her emai and see if she can see the emails.  She goes to her sent folder and says I see her the email and it says in the subject what I wrote and this looks like the email I sent but how do I know it was sent?  The instructor has not repsonded to me.  I spend probably 5 minutes explaining that if the email is in your sent folder and you did not get a notice that it was undeliverable it was probably sent -- we cannot make an instructor answer an email or respond to it in any way. 

So here's to hoping that today is a better day in regards to calls.