I know I can come across pretty angry in print, but I assure you that I'm a lovable guy who just has a few easily rectifiable gripes. For example, I can't stand those shirts that every single team and group fund-raiser makes.
Not only does the idea of group T-shirts kind of scare me as somewhat cultish, and not only do I think they're a waste of money that could be put toward the actual fundraiser, but very often the shirt-writers try to be clever and suggestive and end up failing miserably. I'm sure you've seen some girl walking around campus with some slogan like, "Tufts Intramural Croquet - We love BALLS and STICKS!" emblazoned across her chest. Real classy. It may have been clever in 5th grade. In fact, it may have moved you to the head folding chair at the lunch table. But now, I bet the people who come up with those slogans still find Adam Sandler funny.
Speaking of things that were cool in 5th grade, I remember when my science teacher, Mrs. Correa, bought our school's first Internet-connected computer into class. In glorious 14.4k dial up, we waited for an image of a volcano to appear on the Packard Bell monitor. At an age where the whole world of "science" could still fit inside a single 45 minute class, I was amazed.
After about eight more years of Internet use, I was sure that when I got to college I'd be able to do everything online. My mother was already ordering groceries from Peapod, and my father had already noticed suspicious charges from Thailand on his credit card statement, so surely a college Web site would allow me to look up my syllabus and my housing lottery number at one convenient portal. Then I got to Tufts. Now, I'm not an engineer, but I am still flabbergasted that there are certain sites that students must visit that are wholly inaccessible from any other place on the http://www.tufts.edu site.
For example, when I had to complete my degree sheet, I searched and searched for the elusive "WebCenter" on the Tufts site. I got to something that claimed to be WebCenter, but it had to have been an impostor, as a link to a degree sheet was more elusive than an ivory-billed woodpecker. I gave up and Googled "Tufts AND degree sheet." I found it on the first try. Turns out that I was going to the wrong WebCenter. I had typed in http://www.tufts.webcenter.emerald.sis.online.partypoker.com and entered in my student ID number, when I was supposed to have gone to http://ase.tufts.aseonline.webcenter.keithdance.com and entered in my mother's maiden name.
Why on earth isn't there a simple link on the http://www.tufts.edu homepage called something like, "Stuff that every student needs to use but can never find because it's on any one or a combination of three sites, hidden away on a separate server with no links to it ANYWHERE?" The resulting page would be simple: links to SIS, Blackboard, and WebCenter. No menus from Kee Kar Lau, no directions to the Vet School, no fun facts about Jean Mayer's shoe size - just a plain, user-friendly Web page with the three things we need most.
Blackboard is another issue. Either make it mandatory, or scrap it entirely. It's of no use to me when three of my classes don't have a single course document online, while another has every Power Point ever shown in class, a lively online discussion forum and pictures of my professor's kids. If not every professor buys in to it, then the entire idea suffers. I don't know if there needs to be a faculty meeting about it or what, but I'd love to be able to see all my grades and all my syllabi on one site.
At least we're getting DARS, and I don't think Health Services needs to vaccinate us against it. Automated degree audits online will be a real asset to future freshmen, who won't end up cursing themselves four years later for not realizing they missed the chance to take a really enriching elective that wouldn't have hurt their GPA if they got a bad grade.
Perhaps the Tufts computing folks just need a little bit of motivation. I propose they all get T-shirts made up. Across the chest, they'll all say "Tufts.edu makes my disk hard!" Now that's classy.
