Be Careful What You Wish For…

You just might get it. If you have been following my blog, the post titled, “One-Month Anniversary” reports that I miss “acrimony with other city dwellers.” Well, last week I got some. When I reported my class schedule to Chicago GSB, my coordinator at the International Office reported that I was one class short for complete credit in the study abroad program. Accordingly, I signed up for an additional course, but one week late. I attended the second scheduled class, but to my chagrin no one was there. I then consulted with the Waseda Business School's Program Office to discover that class in fact was slated for that day and no cancellation was reported. Logically, I contacted the professor to insure that I was properly informed:

Hello Prof. Grossberg,

I attended your "Managing Across Cultures" class yesterday in Room 609, but no one was there. I assumed that that particular session was cancelled or rescheduled. I did not attend the previous class, so any information that was relayed at that time, I did not receive it.
As I have signed up for this class, please let me know if the class is still in session and its location and time.

Thank you,

Matthew Drane

I thought that my query was reasonable and well written, but the professor evidently disagreed evidenced by the two e-mails that I received in response:

Dear Matthew,

There's always one. I told my class at the first meeting that we would not be meeting yesterday because it was Yom Kippur, and asked them to tell anyone of their colleagues who intended to join the class that there would be no class on Oct. 9, and under no circumstances to go to the office to ask where I was. So obviously you did not hear it from any of the many students who attended the first session. We will meet on schedule next week, Oct. 16, but I suggest you stop by my office (room 502, 5th floor) before then to sign up, since you don't seem to be "in the loop" with your fellow students.

KAG

and...

I just took a look at the class sign-up sheet and realized that you were in class on Oct. 2. How could you have missed my announcement that there would be no class on Oct. 9? I must have repeated it at least 4 times, and even joked with the class about hoping that everyone got the message. KAG

I attempted a response, but I was at school using a Japanese keyboard that Chicago GSB's mail server did not seem to recognize. When I arrived home later that day, I discovered this third e-mail regarding the second e-mail that he had sent:

Dear Matt, My apologies. This email was sent incorrectly. Please disregard, and come see me in room 502 next week.Rgds,KAG

Nevertheless, I lost my everlasting mind. Here's how a gentleman says, “F@%K YOU!” Kindly note the discriminating use of the semi-colon:

Dear Professor Grossburg,

You must be kidding. It is in both of our interests that I not come to your office.
As you have properly deduced, I was not in class on October 2nd. Your class was not under consideration until a coordinator from my home school informed me that I needed to enroll in an additional course, a message that I received on October 4th.

That “there is always one” arouses suspicion that the fault of miscommunication lies with you. Perhaps the conspicuously outmoded word-of-mouth method of relaying critical information is inappropriate for business school, particularly one of Waseda University's supposed caliber. If you are going to send me two caustic e-mails unprovoked, be a man and stick to your guns; do not send me an apology afterwards.

Given the clumsy and unprofessional manner by which you have handled this correspondence, I suspect that there is nothing about business or management that you can teach me. Moreover, I have elected to drop your class for another. What qualifies you to teach “Managing Across Cultures” if you cannot manage your own classroom?

Kindly refrain from contacting me further in any manner. Should you insist, I will deem it an act of provocation and will relish the opportunity to seek remedial action that I judge to be suitable.

Sincerely,

Matthew Drane

I get so tired of the scorn and childish antics of "academics." I am putting them on notice.