Missing the message
By Stacey Featherstone
Contributing Writer
Pete Mackey, vice president of communications, tried to scoop me last week. One of the powerful few still able to send e-mails to the entire campus, Mackey informed us that while some love the Bucknell Message Center, he has also heard complaints. According to his e-mail, the Message Center will be improved upon. Good, because I had planned to rant at length about it.
When the center debuted this semester, I did not take the change well. First, my self-esteem plummeted. Where were my 45 daily e-mails from every club on campus inviting me to eat free pizza? Also, thanks to the lengthy Message Center, today I am forced to type this article one key at a time while I ice my scrolling finger.
Call me a child, but I miss colorful, exciting e-mails with pictures and something other than 12 pt. Times New Roman.
Class of 2012, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, I opened my inbox and scanned quickly through e-mail subjects, keeping things of interest and deleting others (although sincere thanks to the men’s club lacrosse for their solicitation). Zimbra Web allows mass-delete.
What’s more, I kept e-mails that interested me for future reference. The digest makes me rifle through every paragraph and scroll past every message, assuming I even bother. If a sender wants to include an attachment, they have to set up a “Web page in their www folder on their Netspace,” which I then visit. Enlighten me—how is this more convenient? More than anything, I miss knowing what is happening in the Bucknell “bubble.” Give me back my e-mails!
At the semester’s beginning, countless clubs recruit new members and promote their agendas, but people were unaware how to post and where to find the center. Some senders’ messages were rejected without explanation. Some messages still show up on the digest late. Messages like the Conservative Club’s Sept. 11 memorial announcement, came after a classified ad for a mini fridge. While I too enjoy a cold drink, it is not for the Communications Office to decide which messages are given priority.
Never fear. In his e-mail, Mackey says soon we can opt to receive the messages in individual e-mails. This will not solve my font complex, but I will, as before, be able to reply directly and scan all subjects readily and at once.
My issue with the digest goes beyond aesthetics or convenience. What bothers me is that some people have the power to place an e-mail in my inbox (namely administration) and I can “opt” to ignore everyone else.
It takes an approximate second to delete an e-mail, but everyone deserves at least that long to tell us what they offer the community. Our tuition pays for these opportunities. It is our obligation as students, as scholars, to choose to be informed about invaluable intellectual and cultural events sponsored by faculty and students.
The Message Center is a disservice to the University because some voices will go unheard. In a way, this is censorship. I expect better from my University.
If the Message Center persists, I urge every student to “opt in.” These extracurricular activities are vital to our education. Intellectuals who speak here are brilliant, and most fetch thousands of dollars per presentation. Attend them, or at least be aware they are happening. Likewise, your peers in various organizations work hard. Let them share that work with you.
