Editor,
The University administration has mastered the art of maximizing uncertainty.
First the facts: On Dec. 16, it rained most of the day and into the late evening, turning to snow in some places. At 10:10 p.m., APS posted that there would be at two-hour delay for most of its schools. (East Mountain schools would be closed.)
This already creates uncertainty for UNM personnel because UNM has an explicit policy of mirroring APS weather delays.
“The University will attempt to align delays and closures of the Albuquerque campus with delays and closures of the Albuquerque Public Schools.” (Policy 3435 on Inclement Weather). Instead, UNM waited until 5:49 AM to send the following text message: “UNM is on a two-hour delay for nonessential personnel only. Finals are on regular schedule.” The message did say to check the UNM homepage for more information.
Doing so, I learned which employees are essential personnel, but it said nothing more about finals.
Now let’s think about this. (The University is, after all, big on teaching critical thinking skills.) The message explicitly said, “Finals are on a regular schedule.” But the earliest final is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. If there is a two-hour delay (until 10 a.m., by the way, according to the additional message on the UNM homepage), what do the two statements mean for a 7:30 a.m. exam?
Unfortunately, it can be taken either way: the final is on or the final is off.
The implication of finals being on a regular schedule is that a 10 a.m. exam will be at 10 a.m. So, there’s no allowance for taking the 7:30 exam, say, at 10 a.m. and the 10 a.m. exam at noon.
So let’s assume that the administration meant for the 7:30 a.m. final to be taken on the regular schedule, too.
This would mean that maintenance personnel would need to show up to unlock the buildings and classrooms, bus drivers would have to show up to shuttle students from the parking lots, instructors would have to show up to proctor exams, students would have to show up to take exams, and, in some cases perhaps, department administrators would have to show up to unlock exams. (None of these jobs are listed as “essential personnel,” however.)
That would mean that a large percentage of everyone who would have been on campus are on campus anyway.
It turns out that campus life begins earlier than the administration’s alert.
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Shuttles start running at 6:30 a.m. and drivers were told to be on campus at 6 a.m. during finals. To do that, bus drivers were already on campus. As I walked across campus to give my 7:30 exam, the shuttles were running, buildings were open, the cleaning staffers were working, and at least one maintenance person was blowing leaves.
So, what did the administration’s alert mean in the end?
It added to the stress of students who perhaps didn’t get a good night’s sleep not knowing (after the APS delay was announced) whether their exam would be postponed or canceled. It generated uncertainty for students who tried to reconcile two contradictory statements. One student asked whether it meant that our 7:30 exam was at 10 a.m.
The practical effect was minimal.
Students who live in areas that got more snow (like Santa Fe) e-mailed to say that they couldn’t make the exam. That’s reasonable and responsible.
Sending clear messages is reasonable and responsible, too. Sending a message that maximized uncertainty (and gave some students an excuse to show up at 10 a.m. for a 7:30 exam citing the University Alert) is irresponsible and incompetent.
Christopher K. Butler
UNM faculty
