Students voice their concern on email etiquette
Students have voiced their concerns on the lack of email etiquette their professors exhibit. This was addressed on the Student Life page on Facebook and by Darren Timmons, provost and executive vice chancellor for USC Aiken.
Timmons shared his response to the issue through email correspondence regarding what students should do if their communication between professors is ineffective.
“While e-mail is often a preferred method of communication, face-to-face communication may be more effective.
Students can speak with their professors before or after class or during office hours.
After speaking personally with professors or attempting to reach them via e-mail, students may want to contact department heads both personally and by e-mail.”
Though this particular complaint has been posted on the Student Life page before, it resurfaced Oct. 16 with a post reading: “...does anyone’s advisor completely ignore the multiple emails you send them or is it just me?.. (sic) this is NOT the first time it’s happened.”
The post garnered student responses as well as a faculty member’s input.
One student commented that they have not heard from their professor during the entire semester.
Another student replied with understanding but still quoted frustration.
“Totally understand professors having a lot going on just as students do. But jeez... for having as much as they have in their syllabus about email etiquette, it’s getting a little frustrating.”
Faculty member Dr. Virginia Shervette commented her view on emails as a professor beneath the post.
“Sometimes email sucks and we don’t get ‘em all..... (sic) call your prof’s office number, touch base with them right before class, show up at office hours....” she wrote.
Timmons also included that the university has expectations for the professors to respond to students in a timely and professional fashion.
He wrote that “as with every university, professors have the latitude to manage their engagements with students, including classroom instruction, office hours, and course-related communication. Professors typically outline their approach in their syllabi, provided to students the first week of class.”
Shervette provided details on how to make sure student emails were set up properly, as an error on Blackboard or an incorrect email could potentially be an issue.
Furthermore, she also commented that many times she had responded to an email with a message to the entire class on Blackboard because “it was a great question that others probably had and so the other class would benefit from the response.”
