LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Registration woes

I understand that registration at any university is a challenging and often obstacle-filled time for the majority of students. Yet, the way I was treated recently by some of this University’s most revered staff makes me question the values of this institution

Let me explain. I am an Honors student in my second year with 81 credits. With my standing, I am eligible to register online without an access code. Being so, there is no need for me, or at least no need expressed to me, to see an advisor and have them fill out a registration form.

This was not, in fact, my experience. I went to register online and when I attempted to add one of my honors courses, it said I was ineligible for that type of course.

I went to the registrar where I was informed that there was no reason why I shouldn’t have been other than a glitch in the EASY system. So I asked if she could just add it to my schedule and I could be on my way. Apparently it is University policy that you cannot register without a paper form, signed by an advisor.

Since arriving at UM, I have had three different advisors. I felt my best choice was to go see my most recent one. I was then told I would need to make an appointment and the first available was tomorrow afternoon. First off, I did not need an advising appointment. I did not need to be advised. I had already registered for five out of my six courses, and just needed a simple signature that I shouldn’t have needed in the first place.

Once I had explained my situation, my “advisor” told me that he could not help me without looking at my curriculum and course load

Eventually, he took out a registration form, wrote “self-advised” on the line and signed the bottom. At which point I was informed that I am “now self-advised, and if anything goes wrong for me, it’s not on [him].” He then suggested again that next time, I make an appointment. Somehow I don’t think I’ll be doing that.

With much frustration,

Bethany Milliron

Re: “Your hobby sucks,” 4/15

I was appalled by Jovanni Bello’s attack article, “Your hobby sucks, let me tell you why,” and its inherent disregard for the newspaper’s readers. Bello assumes that all UM students-except, of course, himself-engage only in pointless and mind-numbing activities like binge drinking, tanning and shopping. After bashing sorority girls as “animal abusers” and other students as “drunkards” and “wife beaters,” he concludes smugly that we should respect each other’s hobbies. His point of view makes him an illogical hypocrite, because he spent 90 percent of his article dissing his very own readers. The people who opt to read The Hurricane are probably not the same people who are “blitzed” every night, so he should not accuse them of being so shallow. Bello also singles out sororities, a group often preyed upon by the media because they are easy to stereotype; as a member of Delta Delta Delta, I am insulted that Bello continues the trend of generalizing sororities. Despite his claims, I have never seen a Tridelta carrying a Chihuahua in a purse, Paris Hilton-style. Bello obviously doesn’t understand that, in order to be an effective writer or communicator, he will never get his views accepted by offending his audience. If you are going to criticize your readers, do not hide a positive message at the end, because most people will not bother read a ranting attack all the way through.

Sincerely,

Andrea DiFonte

Sophomore