CatFanatic posted this on another thread but rather than derail that one, I decided to copy it here. (Many thanks to CatFanatic; your story made me remember mine.)
Naturally, my job means I'm not unbiased, but the whole 'I'm-paying-your-salary-so-you-better-jump' attitude towards university staff (or anyone, really) grinds my gears. I've only experienced it occasionally myself, but I have had students who are sugary sweet to me but snotty and dismissive to our admin and tech staff. Beyond the rudeness, it gets back to the academics, and it doesn't bode well for you if you are looking for a recommendation. If you have straight A's but you treat those you deem your 'employees' like garbage, how are you going to manage in the professional world?
I was responsible for the skills testing for the EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) program at the college. The class was offered twice a year, and the students had to pass their final, then sign up and pay for the skills testing, and if they passed both they could take the written examination through the National Registry.
When I came into the position that included this responsibility it was a mess. It took me several years to perfect the process but I did. There were two separate in-class presentations, and paperwork for each one. I was very careful to make it as easy as I could, and I am proud to say it worked very well for most students.
Of course, most is not "every." There were always one or two students each time who had whiny excuses or other issues. But my deadlines were inflexible; they had to be to accommodate testing nearly 100 students each time according to rigorous guidelines.
The one CatFanatic reminded me of was a guy who thought I wasn't worthy of any respect as an admin. He sent me a nasty e-mail including, among other comments, one accusing me of something I can't remember now. I responded professionally, copying my dean on it (in case he went higher), and I also sent a copy to the instructor, with whom I had worked for several years.
Said instructor was a chief in the fire department, a big man both professionally and literally. He was nice as all get out, but didn't brook any BS. He asked me if the guy had ever apologized. I told him no. So he waited until the day of the exam, when the student brought his paper up to turn it in. Chris asked the student if he had written that e-mail to me. The student said yes. Then Chris looked him in the eye and said, "Don't ever ask me for any favors." The student hung his head and slunk out. He did pass the final, but he forfeited a connection with someone who could have done a lot of help him.
