Having a Classy...

peterwknox:

soupsoup:

stalk:

… so that I could take a class with this professor.  From deadspin “A student at NYU’s Stern School of Business sent a complaint email to a hard-headed professor about his class’s lateness policy. The professor emailed back, eviscerated the student David Mamet-style, and now it’s gone viral. Welcome to internet immorality.”

Here’s the exchange:

Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 7:15:11 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: Brand Strategy Feedback

Prof. Galloway,

I would like to discuss a matter with you that bothered me. Yesterday evening I entered your 6pm Brand Strategy class approximately 1 hour late. As I entered the room, you quickly dismissed me, saying that I would need to leave and come back to the next class. After speaking with several students who are taking your class, they explained that you have a policy stating that students who arrive more than 15 minutes late will not be admitted to class.

As of yesterday evening, I was interested in three different Monday night classes that all occurred simultaneously. In order to decide which class to select, my plan for the evening was to sample all three and see which one I like most. Since I had never taken your class, I was unaware of your class policy. I was disappointed that you dismissed me from class considering (1) there is no way I could have been aware of your policy and (2) considering that it was the first day of evening classes and I arrived 1 hour late (not a few minutes), it was more probable that my tardiness was due to my desire to sample different classes rather than sheer complacency.

I have already registered for another class but I just wanted to be open and provide my opinion on the matter.

Regards,
xxxx

—
xxxx
MBA 2010 Candidate
NYU Stern School of Business
xxxx.nyu.edu
xxx-xxx-xxxx

The Reply:

—— Forwarded Message ——-
From: scott@stern.nyu.edu
To: “xxxx”
Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 9:34:02 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: Re: Brand Strategy Feedback

xxxx:

Thanks for the feedback. I, too, would like to offer some feedback.

Just so I’ve got this straight…you started in one class, left 15-20 minutes into it (stood up, walked out mid-lecture), went to another class (walked in 20 minutes late), left that class (again, presumably, in the middle of the lecture), and then came to my class. At that point (walking in an hour late) I asked you to come to the next class which “bothered” you.

Correct?

You state that, having not taken my class, it would be impossible to know our policy of not allowing people to walk in an hour late. Most risk analysis offers that in the face of substantial uncertainty, you opt for the more conservative path or hedge your bet (e.g., do not show up an hour late until you know the professor has an explicit policy for tolerating disrespectful behavior, check with the TA before class, etc.). I hope the lottery winner that is your recently crowned Monday evening Professor is teaching Judgement and Decision Making or Critical Thinking.

In addition, your logic effectively means you cannot be held accountable for any code of conduct before taking a class. For the record, we also have no stated policy against bursting into show tunes in the middle of class, urinating on desks or taking that revolutionary hair removal system for a spin. However, xxxx, there is a baseline level of decorum (i.e., manners) that we expect of grown men and women who the admissions department have deemed tomorrow’s business leaders.

xxxx, let me be more serious for a moment. I do not know you, will not know you and have no real affinity or animosity for you. You are an anonymous student who is now regretting the send button on his laptop. It’s with this context I hope you register pause…REAL pause xxxx and take to heart what I am about to tell you:

xxxx, get your shit together.

Getting a good job, working long hours, keeping your skills relevant, navigating the politics of an organization, finding a live/work balance…these are all really hard, xxxx. In contrast, respecting institutions, having manners, demonstrating a level of humility…these are all (relatively) easy. Get the easy stuff right xxxx. In and of themselves they will not make you successful. However, not possessing them will hold you back and you will not achieve your potential which, by virtue of you being admitted to Stern, you must have in spades. It’s not too late xxxx…

Again, thanks for the feedback.

Professor Galloway

“… respecting institutions, having manners, demonstrating a level of humility…these are all (relatively) easy.” Sound advice, Prof. Galloway.

jamesbernal:

I made my mom a Garden Burger. She took one look at it and said, “Esto es un engaño a la humanidad.”

oh, mom.

It’s no secret how Mr. Renaud and I feel about estate sales.

Many a Saturday morning has been spent plotting our route in search of treasures. We arrive, coffee in hand, nearly breathless with anticipation (I will admit I am typically the more excited member of our party.) More often than not, we do not strike gold. But today…OH! Today was glorious. Hand-knit cardigans from the 1950’s. Fire King dishes. Mid-century modern glassware. I was a bit of a mad woman. And while I would love to stock our home with these treasures, it’s been our plan for some time to create a havingaclassy Etsy store. We’ve been squirreling away our finds in hopes of one day getting our act together and sharing them with the world.

Today seems like the day to finally collect our purchases, lovingly clean them and present them to you. It’s raining softly and there is a chill in air. Today we work, we arrange, we photograph, we list. Today we finally embark on this venture that we hope will not only be lucrative but will provide a bit of insight into our lives, our tastes. We don’t have much, but we both are united in our love of fine things with stories to tell. We cannot wait to share them with you. Updates to come…wish us luck.

jamesbernal:

I’m always amazed at the audacity of taco/burrito places to charge $1.50 to add guacamole to a meal. For real, you guys? This isn’t New Jersey - it’s Miami. Everyone has a neighbor or an uncle who’s trying to get rid of avocados, and someone at corporate thinks 1.50 is a reasonable price?

C’mon you guys. It’s easier to find an avocado on the side of the road than to find someone who actually speaks English in this city.

Listen, y’all…

The earth beneath my feet is moving constantly. I know this sounds like a larger metaphor for my life and perhaps it is, but that is for another post. What I mean at this moment is that the San Andreas Fault seems to be getting restless. It seems like every day lately our lives in Southern California are disrupted by shakes of varying intensity. Our aging gas heater usually warns me a quake is happening; the metal rattles like a warning bell. Thus far, we have not experienced anything that registered over a 4.5 on the Richter scale. But this week alone, our area has witnessed over 10 quakes (under 4.1) and Anthony and I can’t help but think that the fabled “Big One” (7.0 or more, according to studies) is on it’s way.

We’ve decided to get our house in order just in case the proverbial shit hits the fan. The Southern California infrastructure is simply NOT equipped to deal with an earthquake of that magnitude. So-called Acts of God tend to inspire hysteria and there is something about this area that tells me emotions are already running high. I worry that in the event of disaster, life will get hectic and overwhelming quickly.

As a girl raised in Florida, I am used to Mother Nature playing tricks. What is totally shocking about quakes is the utter lack of warning. A hurricane provides a window to prepare, to organize, to protect. A quake not only rocks the foundation of our little home but my feelings of security. Its so sudden and so terribly powerful.  Admittedly, there is something thrilling about an earthquake as it happens: its very physical, it moves you, it forces your stomach to drop to your toes and quickly ascend to its rightful place. You can see the ground move, feel the vibrations in the walls.

The science of plate tectonics is fascinating business and I can’t help but feel like the San Andreas Fault (which lies VERY near Riverside) is reminding us of this fact.

Read more about the fault and it’s formation:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Andreas_fault