Sunday, October 19, 2008

Tales of ye olde universitee

Today, I went to the student health center to make an appointment to finally deal with some issues I've been having. 

Hudson used to be open Monday through Friday only; budget constraints meant that the university could not afford to have Hudson open anymore than that, despite the overwhelming consensus that it needed to be open more. Amazingly, students need medical attention on the weekends! Because, apparently, we still get infections and have unprotected sex and punch walls while drunk on the weekend. So the bigwigs on campus put their heads together and, after realizing that they couldn't build a better facility or really do anything to improve our health care, decided that the solution was a $40 fee! The fee, they said, would mean they could afford to be open four hours on Sunday and could hire another doctor, among other things.

If a student decided not to pay the fee, he or she now has to pay for x-rays, visiting the campus psychiatrists, and being told that he or she does, in fact, have a massive sinus infection that is slowly making his or her head implode. 

For me, the fee means I can go see a doctor, which makes me okay with part of my loans and what not going into the program. I thought, 'hey, Hudson will be open on the weekends! I will be able to get any help I need!'

Because it turns out that I need help. But that is another post for another day.

I met my mom and brother for coffee this morning, then sat outside of Hudson until it opened at one. I walked inside, waited for my eyes to re-focus (it was really bright outside and I am very tired), and found the elevator. No one on staff noticed me - at least five other people walked in with me. Not many workers had shown up while I was sitting outside, so I had my doubts about whether or not the elevator would even come. In most buildings on campus, they shut off the elevator when the rest of the building is closed. But the elevator doors immediately slid open, I stepped inside, and pressed the third floor button.

It reached the third floor, the doors slid open and... I was greeted by near complete darkness. The only light on the third floor was coming from the sun filtering in. 

I went back downstairs and found out that only the emergency care bit of the building is functioning during Sundays. I didn't bother pointing out that the third floor was accessible and that I could have spent the day doing my homework up there, presumably without them finding me. I'll let them find that out on their own.

2 comments:

ALF said...

Aren't University's just amazing? I wonder how they even stay in business.

Cassie The Venomous said...

My goodness! I dread the day I get sick here...