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| hard to believe |
| 08.09.06 (10:25 pm) [edit] |
It's a living, folks. I still love my job. Things are crazy, but mostly in a good way. I'm working for a large university at the medical school, and classes started this past Monday so we're buried. We have students in our two concentrations, and we're starting our online courses with them, so there are some kinks to work out. Two oddities of note: 1. One of the people attending this program asked about ten questions in my speech Monday about the new online learning program. And then came up and asked me more questions. He let slip his background in IT/training. He then stalked me the next morning for my e-mail address so he could pass me feedback. Okay, so he's eager. No biggie, right? But wait.... when he stalked me, I was in the administrative office, with the registrar and publications coordinator. When the guy left us, the admin folks asked if I'd gotten his CD yet. Apparently, the man is a whistler. He whistles jazz music, they told me. No, seriously. This person quit his job with a major international corporation to whistle for a living. 2. Because we film a lot of the classes we offer in order to stream them over the web, we have to ask participants to sign a boilerplate video release. Our organization uses pseudo-volunteers -- some of whom are former patients -- to come in and be "models" for demonstrations. I was asked this morning to go talk to the group of people and explain what we were doing, and ask them to sign the releases. These folks are mainly pretty disadvantaged... not necessarily because they're disabled. Let's just say that there were some hygiene issues and leave it there. It was a colorful bunch. So I was introduced by a faculty member, and went into my new spiel about our program. I promised that we would do everything to protect their privacy; that we were not filming any sessions they had with the students or doctors, but in case they agreed to be a demonstrator this term, we'd like to have these forms on file. And they turned on me... twenty amputees in various states of health and emotional chaos. "How much we gettin' paid for this?" "People gonna download me and put me on their computers all over the place." "Uh uh, I think we need some lawyer to come here." "Why you need this?" "What you mean, we ain't gettin' extra money for this? You gettin' money?" I did my best to contain the eruption, but eventually I was kicked out of the break room, with the words "We need to have us a private meetin'. We tell you what we want when we done." I staggered down the hall and into the admin office, where I found the faculty member who'd introduced me. "How could you send me in there like that?" I practically shrieked. "They HATE me! They're really mad about this! What if they leave?" "Oh, they're not going anywhere," he said. "Not until they get paid. Trust me." "I can't believe they're really mad," said our registrar. "Let me go in there and see what's going on." I stayed behind while she went down to the break room. Five minutes later, she was back. "Oh, my G-d, I thought you were kidding," she exclaimed. Her eyes were wide. "They really ARE mad! And I'm surprised, because this is our most laid-back of all the groups." I boggled. "I am SO not doing this again!" An hour or so later, I walked past the elevator bank on my way to the restroom, and passed one of the demonstration subjects. "Have a good day!" I bubbled. I got only a grunt of disgust in return. For the rest of the day, various faculty members came in and let me know that, from now on, I would be handling any negotiations with the demonstration subjects since we had such a bond. I may never live this down. |
posted by: scubadiva (reply)
post date: 08.11.06 (3:17 am)
I would have told them that they can volunteer to appear in the project. Then if someone volunteers, they can sign the release.
I'm surprised that no one said their likeness can't appear in any marketing material due to a nationwide advertising campaign they are hoping to close. Mwahahaha
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