My Triumph Over the Anal-Retentive Policymakers at College

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Actually, it wasn't a triumph—more of their botching their own rigid rule following. My university does not have central air conditioning in the dormitories. Students may bring their own window air conditioning unit if they have a medical reason. Well, I thought the doctor's note was just a formality. You know, my allergies are horrible, wink, wink, nudge, nudge. I got a doctor's note at a physical examination over the summer and promptly sent it in because I cannot stand the heat very well, particularly when trying to sleep; I can stand it for maybe an hour or two, when I'm doing something outdoors, but I need to escape back to a cool place and most definitely have somewhere cool to sleep.

Anyway, my doctor's note didn't have a medical diagnosis on it. They actually checked the note and called the doctor's office over the summer. They sent back a fax saying there was no applicable diagnosis. Later, they did send a medical diagnosis of "secondary allergies." But the disability office, which is in charge of approving air conditioning, did not update their approval list. When I called the maintenance people to have it installed, everything was fine because I was on one of their lists. On some residential life list, though, I wasn't listed. Some Res Life person checked the dorm room and found an "unapproved air conditioning unit." They assessed me a $25 fine (idiots). They called me just today and told me to take the air conditioner out this evening, preferrably. I told the Res Life fascissimo that it simply wouldn't happen and to be more flexible and give me time to break through the bureaucratic red tape. Luckily, I had time between classes (now, before my 5:30-8:15 Monday class) to go directly to the disability office to take care of it. Still, thnat time could have been better spent studying, talking to people, etc.

Anyway, the disabilities secretary was much like the Res Life fascissimo: just gleeful to have all rules and policies followed to the tip of the dot above the i. In her I saw no trace of human sympathy—only a cold, bureaucratic face. After I heard the phone call where she was explaining that "secondary allergies" were the reason for my medical excuse, I commented to her (you know, just making conversation) that the heat in my room was bad enough even with the air conditioning (top floor, the beds are raised so that even when you go to bed with the A/C cranked up to 66° F. (19° C), it's still 80° F (27° C). at bed level; no where for a fan either), she interrupted, saying that that wasn't the reason I had the air conditioning anyway. She let out a haughty smirk. Of course, she must have felt a slight sense of superiority for having detected some "dishonesty" in my medical excuse; but, of course, I was not at all concerned. I have 100% pure contempt for that policy and find it utterly pointless; students can't study or even sleep if they're too uncomfortable. In fact, if she knows for sure it's mostly an invalid excuse, so much the better. I'd like to flaunt my contempt for her policies in her face. Honestly, I would have forged the doctor's note if I had to, but decided to go the route of honesty because I was sure my doctor wouldn't mind filling out a doctor's note. I didn't even think they would check these things!

And what if they hadn't found reason for me to keep my air conditioner that my parents had already paid good money for? Ha, it wasn't going to go out and no fines were going to be paid. It's not that $25 is too rich for my blood; it's the principle of the thing. That students should even need a doctor's note for air conditioners they must supply themselves is ludicrous.

This is hardly the first case of anal retentivity at work here, but I won't complain further.

By the way, I have established that these policy snots have diagnoses of obsessive-compulsive (anankastic) personality disorder.

Good on you, Neanthuman - I couldn't sleep in temperatures of 27c either and it is appalling that you would be expected to. In fact, I think most people would find that opressive, especially if there were no/little ventilation.

So what happens now? Do you get to keep your air-conditioner? I think unfortunately in any kind of organisation, you get this kind of nonsense. Part of the reason it perpetuates so much (in fact the main part) is most people are too busy "going with the flow" and "moving on" that they won't stand up to unreasonable policies.

I'm having trouble at work now due to sensory overloads mostly caused by noise but think there is little understanding of this. Also, even though there is central airconditioning - there is little air circulation and so I have to use a personal fan to dispell some of the stuffiness and to make me cool. Luckily, nobody has complained about it.

Someone did make a complaint about a mirror I had at my workstation.
I had it originally because a previous manager used to sneak up behind me and "monster" me and I don't like people coming up behind me unannounced anyway.

This other woman thought I was using the mirror to "spy" on her. As if I would be interested in what she was doing. I know she spends a lot of time on personal phone calls but that's none of my business and if the boss is on the ball he'll notice and say something to her. She must have had a guilty conscience to suggest I was "perving" on what she was doing when I wasn't even doing that.

Yes, fortunately, I do get to keep the air conditioner installed in my dorm room. I am not opposed to rules and policies that make sense, but I dislike reems and reems of rules for the sake of having rules. For a rule to be in effect, it must be reasonable, enforceable, fair, and carry significant advantage over not having the rule. The main reason for the air conditioning policy, as far as I know, is that the electrical wiring in these dorms is very old, and so they want to prevent the circuits from overloading (also, they're really cheap and don't want to spend much more on power bills to support all the air conditioning). I've noticed this cheapness in the cafeteria, too, where they restrict students from taking more than one entrée at a time even though they can come back to get more food. The cafeteria workers carefully apportion slices of meat for your sandwich. I was deciding on what I wanted on a sandwich once, paused after saying turkey, looking for something else, and added corned beef. The cafeteria worker removed one of the slices of turkey to put on one slice of corned beef because each sandwich (an entrée) may only have two slices of meat. I've also noticed their penny pinching in some of the "entrées." They often have a special salad (lettuce is cheap) with a few added ingredients that one normally wouldn't get at the salad bar (which is in addition to an entrée and not regulated by the cafeteria workers; i.e., self-serve). These "salads" are very bizarre: "fettucine salad," "Chinese salad," etc.

I think the college administration itself has OCPD!

Standing up to anal-retentive policymakers is great! I had this nasty little insurance situation a few months ago, and I FINALLY got it resolved last week. I saved myself $202 by being a stubborn beeyatch.

I hate making loads of phone calls, but I hate having my inflated sense of justice disturbed even more

I was kicked out of classes, not in college, but before that, for challenging rules. For instance, the "don't wear a hat while you are in class rule." What the hell? I challenged a teacher for such a rule and he sent me to the Principal's office. I spoke with the Prinicpal about the rule and we had a calm, rational discussion. I actually convinced him that it was a first amendment issue, as in a students' ability to express oneself and he agreed and I also argued that since that restriction was not mentioned in the Student Handbook, under "dress code," the teacher was not allowed to go beyond the scope of said code. We set up a new rule, with said teacher and consequently all teachers, that hats were allowed in class, except on test days, where students can write their cheat sheets inside the hats (said rule was subsequently added to the Student Handbook). I had to transfer to a different teacher, which wasn't the first time, because his comtempt for my need to challenge his authority almost gave him a stroke. Seriously, he had to go to the hospital when the Principal called him into the office to discuss his rule with us. His breath got all short and his face turned bright red. I thought he was going to throttle me.

My Geometry teacher left the class and never returned after I laid into her about some "rule" she had made up overnight and was going to enforce that day. I didn't challenge her with the intent of driving her crazy. I challenged her, because I just could not understand the reason for her stupid rule. Honestly, if she would have given me an even half-way logical explanation, I would have let the matter drop. However, she gave me the standard, "b/c I am your teacher and I said so," answer, which just gets my motor running. Poor thing. She ended up being a black jack dealer in Vegas, which I found out when I went to Vegas years later. I obviously wasn't the only cause of her break down, but I certainly was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I also did challenge my University when they tried to force me into taking 6 credits of computer classes, even though I had 15, because the previous computer classes I took at a different school, weren't MAC classes. They said it was school policy that every undergraduate had to complete 6 credits of computer, specifically on MACs, because MACs are used by our State education system. I argued that should apply only to students who are majoring in education. I pointed out that the majority of the business world, including the legal world to which I was entering via law school, used PCs. So, if the goal of the university was to make us viable contributors to society, we shouldn't waste our time and money taking a class on something that is not only easy to use and figure out, but is not even used by the majority of the non-education oriented world. I also accused them of trying to bleed more money out of me, which could be the only logical conclusion after the sound argument I presented to them. I presented to them text, from their Student Handbook, which stated the goal of the University and argued. They finally sent me to the Vice Provost who listened to my argument and then signed off on the missed credits and said, "You are going to do well in law school." He was impressed.

Okay, I'll quite bragging now. I cannot stand rules I consider to arbitrary and useless. In this life I have no tolerance for liars, cheaters, thieves and arbitrary rules.

Tallgirl.

I know how you feel neant!

Today it's been 90 degrees outside all day and all day yesterday. This morning when I woke up at 7am, I turned on my computer and quick hit F2 and went to the health section of my BIOS setup program.

It reported the case temp was 79 degrees. Just before I came on here, it was 86 degrees.

Here due to power restrictions in the rooms, and the remodeling of one of the dorms last year where they installed an HVAC system (for an extra $1000/semester), we can't have AC at all - period. With all this heat, it's tempting to do something drastic like take several dozen peltier coolers and CPU fans and jury rig my own AC unit, or use the freezer unit off our microfridge and ramshakle one out of that.

I go to bed at night, and when I wake up in the morning, my pillow is totally drenched in sweat, and my sheets are stuck to me like glue.