Registration can be horror for first time student

Most anyone who is a new student attending a new school probably has a horror story to tell about how something went wrong on their first day of class. In my case, the horror story has to do with my trying to register for classes.

At the same time, the complaint I have heard about newspapers, yes, college newspapers as well, is that there is not enough good news to report.

Well, I’m offering both: A horror story about my experience at a new college campus and how members at that community college made the experience less painful than it could have been.

In December, I registered for a continuing education class, which was due to begin Jan. 14 for certification in medical coding. For the first time in many years of taking college courses, I was excited about pursuing this field and could not wait to begin, if for no other reason, because I wanted a new career path.

The trouble would have really started if I hadn’t shown up on campus a few days before the 14th for a meeting with the campus newspaper staff. I needed verification for an online class orientation which would take place Monday morning at 9 a.m.

To my surprise, the schedule time on my receipt was wrong and the orientation happened on Jan. 12. When it comes to online classes, information about the class is either posted on eCampus under your account on either the day of, or a few days before the course begins. As of the 12th, I was not able to access that information. eCampus was telling me I was not enrolled in any courses.

Moreover, the system said I was not enrolled in any courses, period, when I pulled up my schedule.

I paid no attention to this because I already had a paid credit card receipt that told me otherwise and the paperwork to prove it.

I learned at orientation from the instructor that my name was “blocked” on his roster and I would have to contact the continuing education department or admissions for further assistance.

By this point, I said the same thing I most always say in situations like this. “It’s always something.” Nothing ever goes right and when it does, something else happens that ruins my day.

There was not a whole lot I could do until Monday the 14th. So, I emailed the admissions coordinator for Health Professions on Saturday with the knowledge I was not going to hear anything via email or phone until the first day of class.

I decided to call the technical helpdesk for eCampus Monday afternoon. I have to say I was impressed with their courtesy despite the fact I had to explain the situation to the helpdesk operator several times after being put on hold while they investigated the problem. At least the operator apologized for having to put me on hold every time.

The helpdesk told me they would have to forward my issue to another department and would contact me via email in the next 24 hours or sooner. I received an email from them two hours later saying I had been dropped from all classes when I never initiated a drop for any.

About the same time, I received the email, I got a call from one of the administrators in charge of the medical coding program who forwarded me to admissions. The time, however, was after 7 p.m. when I finally spoke to someone who said nothing more could be done until Tuesday.

I was not looking forward to waiting in line at admissions for half-a-day Tuesday, especially since it was my day off from work. I took a chance and spoke to someone in admissions Tuesday morning who verified I was dropped from all my classes. My credit card was in fact credited $240, though I had yet to receive the billing statement. Apparently when I dropped some other courses, the system dropped me from everything.

I was expecting the admissions person to tell me the only thing I could do was go to admissions and register again for the class or talk to the admissions people in the continuing education department to see if I could be enrolled back into the course. Either way, it meant I would have to come to campus which is almost 40 minutes from where I live.

Instead, the admissions person brought up my student account, asked for my credit card number and enrolled me back into the course. This was the moment I was impressed with how they managed my situation.

The real kicker, however, came later when the health professions coordinator called me that afternoon saying although she forwarded my problem to another administrator, he took the time herself to figure out what the problem was.

I have never, ever, had anyone go the extra mile for me in my life when it came to customer service. I have always believed the idea of an employee going above and beyond the call of duty to help a lowly paying customer to be the stuff of legends.

I was wrong. Turns out there are people out there, the folks at this community college in particular, who are concerned with their students encounter problems with registration. Stands to reason, despite the fact community colleges are two-year campuses, it is still a business and we, as students are the paying customers.

If we are not happy, other than voicing a complaint to the powers-that-be, there are plenty of other community colleges, four-year universities and technical vocational schools who would love to have our business.

As a new student here, I may only be taking online classes, but thanks to certain people here on campus, they made an irritating situation into something that was resolved within a few days.

©1/29/08

The 9/11 epic TV drama Mickey Mouse won't let you see

The timeline for any made-for-tv/cable drama to arrive on DVD is usually months after its debut on television. Not so in the case of ABC’s controversial five-hour mini-series, “The Path to 9/11”, that aired on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks in 2006 and was nominated for several Emmys winning one.

Cyrus Nowrasteh, who wrote the screenplay based on “The 9/11 Commission Report”, and books, “The Cell”, by John Miller, and “The Relentless Pursuit”, by Samuel Katz, was quoted in a Sept. 5, 2007 article from the Los Angeles Times, saying he was told by a top ABC executive that the reason for the DVD’s absence, is out of fear it might hurt Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton’s chances for president.

If true, I have a feeling that may not be the “only” reason.

The mini-series ignited a political firestorm weeks before its debuted-on Sept. 10, 2006, in what could be described as a successful right-wing hatchet job to former President Clinton and his administration. Nowrasteh’s script laid much of the blame on the Clinton Administration (1992-2000) who had eight years to capture or kill al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and failed versus the eight months President Bush’s administration had prior to 9/11.

Among the supposed inaccuracies former President Clinton had with the film, which he outlined in a letter from his attorneys that he sent to ABC on Sept. 7, 2006 according to an online article on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Path_to_9/11, was the assertion that while in office, he was too busy worrying about the Monica Lewinsky scandal to fully concentrate on going after bin Laden.

Another scene in question according to the same article was the film’s notion that his Secretary of State Madeline Albright tipped off Pakistani officials that a military strike to wipe out the al-Qaeda leader was coming, that in turn gave bin Laden and his people a chance to escape.

"The content of this drama is factually and incontrovertibly inaccurate and ABC has the duty to fully correct all errors or pull the drama entirely," the four-page letter said.

Actor Harvey Keitel, who played FBI agent John O’Neill, on whom the screenplay was largely based, also had issues with the film in a Sept. 10, 2006 transcript interview with CNN.

“When I received the script it said ABC history project, I took it to be exactly what they presented to me – history and that facts were correct,” Keitel said. “It turned out that not all the facts were correct, and ABC set about trying to heal that problem – in some instances it was too late because we had begun.”

The trouble in reading the transcript is not once did Keitel cite any examples as to what scenes he had issues with. When asked by CNN if he felt anything should be changed, the actor’s answer seemed cryptic.

“This is a tough issue because we do not want to throw the baby out with the bath water. There are also quality issues raised in the film that our citizens should see and should be discussing amongst themselves. If we are putting together certain facts and umm an untruth evolves from that then that is wrong. You can compile certain things if the truth remains the truth. You can’t put things together, compress them and then distort the reality.”

In the Sept. 5, 2007 article from the Los Angeles Times, Nowrasteh who describes himself in the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Path_to_9/11 article as “probably more of a libertarian than a strict conservative” was told by Disney the film’s expected DVD release date was set for Jan., then April, then summer, and then ironically moved to Sept. 11, 2007 before being pulled from the release slate entirely.

"Whatever anyone may think about me or this movie, this is a bad precedent, a dangerous precedent, to allow a movie to be buried," Nowrasteh said in the LA Times article. "Because the next time they'll go after another movie. The Bush administration may go after a movie. The next administration may go after a movie. No matter who it is, they may go after a movie. This town needs to stand up."

Even director Oliver Stone (“World Trade Center”-2006) is unhappy with the decision.

"This is a shame; it's censorship in the most blatant way," Stone was quoted saying in the same article. "I'm not vouching for its accuracy -- it's a dramatization -- but it's an important work and needs to be seen."

Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh had more damning comments about Clinton’s criticisms of the film saying the news coverage “has been treated more as The Path to the Clinton Legacy” in a transcript found on http://journalsmith.blogspot.com/2006/09/rush-limbaugh-comments-on-path-to-911.html.

“...if there were no other cherry picked scenes that brought on the wrath of Clinton and the rage of the left, you still would have seen actual footage of the real Bill Clinton as a leader ill-equipped to lead,” Limbaugh said on the transcript. “What we saw in this movie was the real Bill Clinton: awkward, hesitating, unsure, faking resolve, and that, folks, is the real story behind the story. The image, the years of a crafted image has been laid bare for all who watched The Path to 9/11 to see.”

The film dramatizes O’Neill’s years in law enforcement beginning with the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and his attempts to stop another terrorist attack from happening only to be met with roadblocks from his own agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and President Clinton’s administration when it came to getting the chance to either kill or capture the al-Qaeda leader. His story alone could stand as a case of tragic irony. Upon his leaving the FBI Aug. 23, 2001, O’Neill took over as head of security for the World Trade Center and perished along with close to 3,000 others in the collapse of the twin towers, which included those lost aboard the four hijacked planes, the Pentagon and the 19 hijackers.

Controversy or not, “The Path to 9/11” effectively portrays how this nation’s government and law enforcement agencies failed the American people.

“Despite all the red flags, no one is taking terrorism seriously,” Keitel’s O’Neill says upon his retirement in the film. “Political correctness rules the day. I have given my life to the bureau – everything else came second. For me and my country to be in danger, I have spilled blood to help try and keep it safe. We’re not safe yet and no one seems to care.”

The thought that Disney will treat this film in the same manner the way they have refused to release their other controversial animated title, “Song of the South” (1946), because of that film’s evoking stereotypes of African Americans, on DVD churns my stomach.

“The Path to 9/11” has not been seen on network television or cable since 2006. I got more respect for the studio executives at Universal Pictures who had the balls to weather the pointless firestorm of protests from religious fanatics when they stood behind director Martin Scorsese for making “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988) than I do for the folks at Touchstone’s Mickey Mouse corporation Disney.

“The Path to 9/11”, like so many other historical subjects Hollywood has taken creative liberties with since the days of the silent film era, is only a movie and a dramatization, not a factual one.

Controversy sells as demonstrated by the 25 million viewers who tuned to watch the mini-series on both nights.

For now, the only place you will ever see this film, until the Clintons and high-level ranking members of the socialist Democratic Party get it pulled from the Internet completely, is on YouTube where if you are lucky, some patriotic user will have the mini-series available on their channel for upload.

©1/20/08

Darth Stumpo's Ten Most Unnecessary News Stories of 2007

Every December as the year ends, several popular weekly publications and newspapers give a rundown of “The Top 10…” things that happened over the past 12 months. The lists used to always be the 10 best television shows, movies, books, music, and plays. Now it seems publications come up with not just a few but perhaps more than a dozen “Top 10” lists that are enough to take up either an entire magazine issue or a whole section of a newspaper to the point the lists would have to be split into a series.

I have had quite a hard time over the years to be able to come up with what I thought were the ten best movies. Half the stuff I have seen Hollywood churn out the past few years, I have been lucky to see even one four-star film.

I am proud to say though that in 2007, I had no trouble coughing up what I thought were the year’s most unnecessary top stories the “Drive-by” liberally, biased news media gave excessive coverage to. Face the facts people. Ninety percent of the stuff being reported as so-called news is nothing more than pure entertainment tabloid fluff while the remaining ten percent, if that much, is focused on more important issues.

Darth Stumpo's Ten Most Unnecessary News Stories of 2007

1. The California Wildfires: The “Drive-by” media had such high hopes the California wildfires started by arsonists last October that cost millions in property losses would be another Hurricane Katrina-like disaster. They hoped several lives would be lost and once again, local city, government, emergency agencies and oh yes, President Bush would all be to blame. I had to laugh when ABC news anchor Charles Gibson compared one of the neighborhoods threatened by the wildfires resembled “Wisteria Lane,” the fabled street of ABC’s popular Sunday night soap opera, “Desperate Housewives”. I guess the only way today’s news anchors can get viewers to tune in to what they think is the day’s most important top story is if they reference a fictional television show dimwitted viewers can relate to. Seems more people today can name the street, not to mention the four fictional attractive-looking homemakers who live on Wisteria Lane than they are able to name of even one Los Angeles suburb affected by the wildfires. Sad.

2. The Continuing Misadventures of O.J. Simpson: What would a year be without any news about The Juice? This year it was O.J. and his tell-all book, “If I Did It”, which details how he might have murdered his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. Take out the “If” and the title becomes “I Did It.” There was O.J. and a couple of his merry band of outlaws asking for his sports memorabilia back at gunpoint in Las Vegas. And there was O.J. pleading not guilty in a Las Vegas court of law. Stay tuned to the upcoming sequel due out in 2008 when the case goes to trial.

3. “The Sopranos” series finale: When HBO’s long running made-for-cable mob series aired its final episode June 10, it was not just the 11.90 million faithful viewers or perhaps I should say “suckers” who wanted to know what mob boss Tony Soprano saw in that diner before the scene faded to black. Did he get whacked? Would the adventures of America’s second most popular dysfunctional crime family (the first being The Corleone’s from The Godfather trilogy) continue on the big screen? The press felt a story needed to be told here. The climax, however, was no more different than some of the much ballyhooed and often, disappointing series finales that left viewers either hanging or going “huh” like when Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine got sentenced to a year in jail for being selfish pricks on “Seinfeld” (1990-1998). Or when viewers learned that six seasons of the medical drama, “St. Elsewhere” (1982-1988), took place in the mind of an autistic child or that the comedy series “Newhart” (1982-1990) was nothing more than a humorous eight season long nightmare dreamt up by Bob Newhart’s psychiatrist from his other long running comedy series from the 70s, “The Bob Newhart Show” (1972-1978). Talk about making a big deal about nothing!

4. The Fall of and Immediate Return of Don Imus: I have never listened to Don Imus, but I am well familiar with how a few of the things he said on the air over the years got him into trouble. Was what he said on his morning radio show last February calling members of the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos” racist? You must be a complete idiot, and even racist yourself if your answer is no. Should he have been penalized for it? Yes. But was it enough to finally put an end to the radio shock jock’s on-air rants? No. Imus returned to the airwaves December 3 on WABC. So much for the Rev. Al Sharpton’s attempts to silence free speech.

5. The Virginia Tech Shootings: The first couple days were about the 32 victims, many of whose promising young lives were only just beginning before being senselessly snuffed out by an angry young loner (would the word “loser” be inappropriate?) that cold Spring Monday morning last April. The story shifted from being about the victims to being all about this Grim Reaper the minute the media and the world learned the identity of the vengeful coward who turned the gun on himself as law enforcement agents closed in. I, for one, am glad I cannot recall his name, much less pronounce it if I did, nor will I waste words mentioning it here in this column. Lest I also be found guilty of the same thing the media did, which was giving the monster the 15 minutes of fame he so craved. As a result of unexpectedly being put in the spotlight, Virginia Tech students spoke what everyone else in America would have liked to tell the press days after the shootings in the form of a sign posted on campus grounds. “VT Stay Strong. Media Stay Away.”

6. All Anna All the Time: The Death of Anna Nicole Smith: Feb. 8, 2007, must have been a slow news day for CNN for the top story was the sudden news that the 39-year-old former Playboy playmate and reality show star was found dead in her home of what we’d all eventually learn was a drug overdose. Her short life and tragic downfall was all we should have learned but an obituary that should have taken news outlets a couple days to write about expanded into weeks of overblown coverage with ongoing stories of autopsy results, paternity suits, battles over who would get custody of Smith’s 1-year-old daughter, burial services and embarrassing interviews showing the Marilyn Monroe look-a-like drugged out and in some cases barely able to form as much as a complete sentence. Her life was nothing more than a sad commentary on the idea of “Hey, everyone look at me!” and the press, the entertainment media, in particular ran with it.

7. Oprahmania: We have seen celebrities’ stump for presidential candidates before. Today’s liberal media are praying that Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama now has a chance to being America’s first African American elected president thanks to the full backing of daytime talk show diva, Oprah Winfrey. It is not Hillary Clinton conservatives have to worry about now. My advice to those hoping a Republican will get in the White House in 2008, “Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.” Can her support help get Obama into becoming the latest resident on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? One thing is certain. More people like Oprah than they do singer Barbra Streisand, who is lending all her support to Hillary Clinton.

8. NBC News Anchor Brian Williams hosting “Saturday Night Live”: No, I did not see the anchor’s comedic debut, but I saw clips that aired on NBC Nightly News the next day. I admit some of the clips were humorous like dropping coins on morning show hosts Al Roker and Matt Lauer from the top floor during their telecasts. But is this what broadcast journalism has stooped to with highly paid good looking talking heads not only anchoring the news but guest hosting a long running comedy show? Granted, former longtime celebrity anchors CBS’ Dan Rather, NBC’s Tom Brokaw and “the James Bond of Broadcast Journalism” ABC’s the late Peter Jennings may have come on as guests at the behest of late-night talk show hosts but not once were they ever asked to host a comedy sketch series or those educational “More You Know” commercials on NBC.

9. Lisa Nowak and The NASA Love Triangle: Viewers would never hear about a mother of three kids making a 900-mile trek from Houston, Texas to Orlando, Florida wearing adult diapers and armed with a BB gun, a knife, a mallet, and rubber tubing to confront a romantic rival for stealing her man on the nightly news. That is unless the mother of three happens to be a NASA astronaut who has flown on a shuttle mission.

10. “Mom! It’s not right.” Do not cry for Paris Hilton: I am willing to bet several people convicted of driving with a suspended license would have welcomed the 45-day jail sentence socialite Paris Hilton received last May. Not so for this Chihuahua loving party girl who could barely do a week. Five days into her jail sentence last June in what became misinformation between the judge and law enforcement authorities, the millionaire heiress was allowed to do her remaining time at home, only to be dragged back to the courthouse balling inside a black and white police car as helicopters flew overhead and angry little Chihuahuas barked away on the ground. To quote her own words, “That’s hot.

I am willing to bet several of you reading this could not get enough of this kind of trivial coverage the media churned out over the past year. It reminds me of the scene in “Broadcast News” (1987) where Holly Hunter’s Jane Craig warns the staff during a speech about how today’s news networks are getting away from covering the more important stories and giving the public more fluff. Her audience applauded when she showed them a segment of the Japanese Domino Championships.

My response is exactly the same as hers and the bad news is if you haven’t noticed it already, you are going to get lot more of these kinds of stories just like it.

Here’s to what will likely be another unnecessary tabloid filled New Year.

©1/1/08