Is it just me?

[gurdymonkey]

Thursday 8/28/08:  I contacted the A&S collegium coordinator for GWW to ask about offering a class, namely, the survey of period Japanese clothing that I did for CostumeCon 26. The Late Class submission deadline (in other words, it doesn't make it into the gate book), was 9/15/08.
I waited, realizing that I'd just sent this at the dawn of a major holiday weekend. Fine, no problem.

Tuesday 9/16/08: Labor Day has been and gone and then some and there was nothing. I re-sent my original email with the notation: "Follow up - original message dated 8/28/08."

Wednesday 9/17/08: I finally received: "We will be making up signs to post regarding your class.  It was the only one to officially be in touch for a late addition.  Thanks for the update."

That's it. That's all she wrote. There was no indication of what day or time it's going to be. 

OK, I waited several days and checked to see if anything had been added to the schedule on the event website. (As of this evening, it still features plenty of empty slots on the dates that I will be on-site, even with a number of double-period classes on the schedule. Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. PLENTY.)

Monday 9/22/08 (this morning), I wrote "If at all possible, could you give me a heads' up on the time slot you've scheduled? That way I can publicize it properly on the Japanese special interest lists well in advance of the event."  [Seriously. Is this unreasonable?]

This afternoon, I received this: "Gentle Sir, I am not ignoring you, but am having to adjust for space (in addition to working some overtime tonight).  I will try to have your info to you first thing in the am.'"

She's not ignoring me - NOW. Perhaps that's because I mentioned I was waiting for more information on the JML group last night and a fellow member who knows her offered to get in touch on my behalf. (I declined with the provision that I might take her up on it if I didn't get a response in a reasonable amount of time, but she evidently went ahead and nudged.)  I wrote back "That would be wonderful, thank you very much," and didn't embarrass her by pointing out that her guess on a name for which she had no linguistic gender clues (yep, the Japanese one) was wrong.

You see, I've done this job. I served as emma7926's scheduling deputy when she was West Kingdom Collegium Chancellor. I got back to my prospective instructors on the date of contact to let them know I'd gotten their message. Within no more than 24-48 hours I let them know what time slot(s) I had for them on their preferred day (and time if at all possible) and requested confirmation from them that the time slot did, in fact, work for the instructor.  First come, first served, no exceptions - and I was still able to accomodate my instructors' scheduling needs.

If the deadline for classes to go into the gate book was 8/10/08 and I am the only person to "to officially be in touch for a late addition,"  how hard is it to plug me into a single open class period on any of three days that I will be onsite? Or tell me there are no more slots so I could proceed with alternate arrangements with the nice people in the Guzel Merkezi enclave (sasha_khan  leading the press gang) or teach it out of The House Of Cheerful Monkeys? 

Perhaps I should offer teach a class on how to do scheduling for a multitrack collegium.

Comments

[carbonphoenix.livejournal.com]

Ha. I had close to the same problem re: Estrella. Interesting. I wonder if this is a common thing when it comes to large events and classes?

[momstable.livejournal.com]

Yes. I had the problem with both Estrella and GWW. For Collegiums at many levels. It just seems to be something that happens. Sometimes because half the instructers have changed their minds about availability. Sometimes because they have mutually made their classes non-clashable (I MUST take Lady X's class, so don't schedule me against her, and vice-versa) Sometimes because all the classes of the same type have declared that they all want the same time slot. Not a good scheduling choice. And all that has to be balanced against teachers dropping in and out, changing arrival and departure times.

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

It IS possible to make these things work. It requires being organized, communicating quickly, turning things around so you can accommodate your instructors, and sticking to first-come-first-served to be fair to the ones who get on board right away and trying to offer alternatives to the others if you can't give them their first choice.

I have this bad habit, you see. I expect volunteers to actually do the jobs they volunteer for.

[momstable.livejournal.com]

I've only had to do this on a very small scale. But I've taught classes and had them mangled in their scheduling.

I think that, on closer thought, yes, you SHOULD teach the collegium scheduling class.

[sasha-khan.livejournal.com]

Not the only one, I'm afraid.

There is a decided lack of information flowing in our direction as well

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Oh good - well, not good, but I thought it might be an EEEEEEvil Caidan Plot (TM) of some sort.

[kittyblue.livejournal.com]

The only real Caidan plot is disorganization, which may have been *somewhat* remedied by a change of GWW staff a month or so ago. :P

[xrian.livejournal.com]

Not being able to get stuff done immediately is only human. OTOH, not communicating immediately with people who are waiting for you to do something is much less excusable. Virtue, courtesy and kindndess aside, just from a practical point of view, it annoys people. Even a message, "I'm having some difficulties right now, but I haven't forgotten you" helps a whole lot. Nothing infuriates people like the feeling that they have fallen into a black hole...