Most of the time, I encounter staff that are rude in colleges.
Cashier
Matriculation Technician
Secretary
Proctor
Administrative Assistant
etc…
But most professors and teachers are not
They have to deal with college students all day.
College students, and indeed their (helicoptering) parents, can be the most entitled, needy, demanding people. Often they ask stupid questions, whose answers can be found in obvious places (but they’d rather not look), OR they call asking ridiculous non-sequitors, usually with demands that the questions are urgent and “don’t you know how much money I pay to go here?” Even when the questions are legitimate, they may be asked in a very brusque and entitled manner. Of course, not all students and parents are like this, but enough of them are that these professionals are worn down by the constant barrage of rudeness. Professors, conversely, only interact with a tiny fraction of students, and don’t have to mess with things like finances! (everyone gets tetchy over finances).
I worked as a work/study at my college for four years in the early-to-mid aughts and some of the calls/in person inquiries I got were ridiculous. Parents would call and demand to speak to the Chair of the Department, so they might get advice on their incoming freshman child’s course selections… and one wanted to ask him questions like how their child might deal with laundry! Frankly, the laundry question was ridiculous to field as a work/study, and there was no way I was ever going to transfer that parent through to the Chair. I had students come in person and demand to be let into classes there was a waitlist for, simply because they were forceful, and da**it, they wanted it! (one of them went to the Dean and forced his way in. Child of a famous person, naturally) I heard “don’t you know how much I pay to go here?” over and over and over again, like paying tuition entitles you to all your whims, immediately and all the time. I was lower level, but the other admin people got these questions all day. I can only imagine the harassment the Housing office or Financial Aid office received. And this was at the beginning of the Millennial entitlement/helicopter parent craziness. I’ve heard it’s worse now.
That said, I don’t condone rudeness, but I’m understanding of some snippiness on the part of an administrator. My m.o. when dealing with people in those sorts of positions–really any position where a person might deal with rude, entitled people all day (waitstaff, call center staff, etc.)–is I am exceedingly polite and calm, and if I do find myself getting testy myself, I always apologize (see: dealing with your cable provider, ugh). It’s not their fault, 90% of the time. (and the other 10% of the time, yeah, maybe they’re just not cut out for public service!)
I find that keeping a smile on your face and upbeat tone helps a lot, as well as expressing thanks regardless of whether they were of any help. Also, asking reasonable questions and only asking the question after trying to find the answer on your own is great imo- I see so many fellow students ask questions that can be easily googled and found on the school website. Don’t be confrontational. Be patient.
It can vary a lot from college to college. Some colleges have super nice staff. I think that says a lot about the administration that the employees are happy.
I try to turn it into a game when I encounter someone like that like at the DMV or some other place where service tends to be less than friendly. My goal is to make it a positive encounter and see if I can get them to smile or at least be more hospitable. It’s a good skill to learn and I’d say I’m successful 8 out of 10 times.
Are they also rude to others? Have you overheard them give harsh or unkind responses in interactions with others? It might be helpful to change how you approach them. As they say, you can’t change them- you can only change how you respond to them. Consider too taking a look at how you come across to them. Are you pleasant and kind? Or could how you come across be seen so suggested in post #2, as rude or entitled. Be sure you approach others in a way that they want to be of assistance to you. Nobody is blameless. BTW, what is a matriculation technician?
I suspect the fact that there aren’t consequences is a major factor. Students are unlikely to complain about the rudeness to these workers’ superiors and, even if they do, there probably isn’t much impact as a result. We rarely see this in ordinary retail, where complaints tend to have a lot of impact on the workers involved.
I also wonder if some of them aren’t envious of the students - who largely have (or are perceived as having) bright futures and are experiencing opportunities that they have not been able to get. When it happened to me when I was in college I was reminded that I was on an enviable path.
“I also wonder if some of them aren’t envious of the students …”
I often wonder if the students standing before the desk are broadcasting such beliefs.
snowflake
always smile and be positive…but if you are at a large state school the employees maybe more like bureaucrats aka government workers…like the stereotypical folks at the DMV or TSA. just as a policy in life be friendly and thank people for helping you like others have mentioned.
People are generally friendly and courteous to folks they can relate to. How many of the staff in universities, specially elite ones can relate to the students that attend these schools or their parents? I suspect not many.
My kids attend the Claremont colleges. I have encountered nothing but the most friendly and helpful faculty and staff — at every level.
But I can understand how dealing with the public and answering the same questions all day could wear on some people.
just like flight attendants …when stories about nasty encounters make the news, people blame the passengers for the issue I would say a lot of flight attendants are rude.
Because students don’t talk down to professors.
I have been a staff member at three different universities over the last 20+ years. I really am bothered by a “can’t do” attitude–i.e., someone who is very quick to tell you what they can’t do rather than try to help you solve the problem. Let’s just say I’ve dealt with a lot of such coworkers.
I have dealt with registration staff, dual-enrollment, proctoring, etc staff at 3 community colleges (2 over the phone and 1 in person) and our local Univ. of California. I’ve always encountered happy, helpful people. (Shout out to Cerro Coso Community College out in the middle of nowhere CA, which has delightful people who are happy to research oddball questions and return calls.)
The most unfriendly staff I’ve ever dealt with was at a ski resort north of Los Angeles. It was clear that something about management was making the whole staff unhappy, and they were taking it out on customers.
The administrative staff we’ve encountered at UCSB to resolve minor issues have been extremely friendly and enthusiastic. More so than at a couple of other UCs back in the day. We’ve been impressed by their attitudes.
^ Ah, UCSB is the one we’ve been happy to deal with also.
I’m going to go ahead and suggest that it is you, rather than everyone else.
Figuring out how to get people to do what you want them to do, and be happy about it while they’re doing it for you is a supremely useful life skill.