PDA

View Full Version : Embarrasing Phone Call from Campus



90BISON
11-05-2008, 10:54 PM
I'm sure most if not all of you that are alumni, especially the ones that donate on a regular basis, are used to the annual/semi-annual "Calls from Campus". Well I got one of those on Sunday evening. After the usual exchange of pleasantries, the student from campus asks when was the last time I was on campus? I told him I was just there on Saturday. He then asks me what was going on, on Saturday. To which I replied, "Are you friggin serious?" He then asks if there was a football game or something? I reply once again, "Are you serious, you're a student and you didn't know there was a football game this weekend".

Now before you think I was being overly serious, I was just giving the kid a well deserved ribbing, and kind of let him off the hook. I did give him a donation, so as far as he is concerned, mission accomplished. Now I could understand if it was a female student calling, that she might not be a big football fan, so hence might not be aware of a home game that weekend. But being a male student, even if you're not the greatest superfan in the world, should know more about what's going on, on your campus, than someone who's been out for 18 years and lives 2/3 of the State away? I mean it's not like we are talking about a women's softball or soccer game that only a large handfull of people attend.

Note to fundraising people: If you're going to be making calls to alumni, at least make sure you have a CLUE about what's going on at your own campus, so as not to sound like a fool, even if it requires a cheat sheet with current campus events. Rant over.:ranting: :D

duluthbison
11-06-2008, 01:26 AM
I'm sure most if not all of you that are alumni, especially the ones that donate on a regular basis, are used to the annual/semi-annual "Calls from Campus". Well I got one of those on Sunday evening. After the usual exchange of pleasantries, the student from campus asks when was the last time I was on campus? I told him I was just there on Saturday. He then asks me what was going on, on Saturday. To which I replied, "Are you friggin serious?" He then asks if there was a football game or something? I reply once again, "Are you serious, you're a student and you didn't know there was a football game this weekend".

Now before you think I was being overly serious, I was just giving the kid a well deserved ribbing, and kind of let him off the hook. I did give him a donation, so as far as he is concerned, mission accomplished. Now I could understand if it was a female student calling, that she might not be a big football fan, so hence might not be aware of a home game that weekend. But being a male student, even if you're not the greatest superfan in the world, should know more about what's going on, on your campus, than someone who's been out for 18 years and lives 2/3 of the State away? I mean it's not like we are talking about a women's softball or soccer game that only a large handfull of people attend.

Note to fundraising people: If you're going to be making calls to alumni, at least make sure you have a CLUE about what's going on at your own campus, so as not to sound like a fool, even if it requires a cheat sheet with current campus events. Rant over.:ranting: :D

I would give the kid a break, not all 13,000 students are as huge of football fans as all of us here are, in fact there are quite a few that really don't care for sports and in their minds had better things to do.

tjbison
11-06-2008, 01:54 AM
I would give the kid a break, not all 13,000 students are as huge of football fans as all of us here are, in fact there are quite a few that really don't care for sports and in their minds had better things to do.

Fan or Not, even the waitresses at Hooters knew there was a game Saturday, they didn't know who we played but hey its Hooters!!

90BISON
11-06-2008, 02:59 AM
I would give the kid a break, not all 13,000 students are as huge of football fans as all of us here are, in fact there are quite a few that really don't care for sports and in their minds had better things to do.

Oh, I didn't rip the kid a new one or anything. I don't even do that to telemarketers. My point was that if you are going to make calls from campus, you should at a minimum know what is going on on the very campus you are calling from. It's not like I asked him how the ASCE team did in the concrete canoe contest last year. I wouldn't even expect him to know who we were playing, but at a minimum that there even was a home football game! Well he can go back to his texting now in between phone calls.:D

duluthbison
11-06-2008, 03:10 AM
Fan or Not, even the waitresses at Hooters knew there was a game Saturday, they didn't know who we played but hey its Hooters!!

Ditsy waitresses or not...Hooters is a sports bar and they I'm sure they know when game days are.

The kid should have known since he is working for the Alumni Center, but cut him some slack! Not everyone loves bison football, just because it was a male on the phone doesn't mean that he is automatically a football fan. I have many male friends that don't like football and couldn't tell me when they play next, they are interested in other sports and activities.

Maybe this is something that the athletic department can work on, maybe just sending e-mails out reminding students of games isn't enough. Maybe they should put banners in the union and dining centers, maybe they should have tickets available in the union as well.

G-city Bison Fan
11-06-2008, 03:59 AM
Yeah, don't even think about sports. I have been away for 4 years now and I still read the damn spectrum and the Fargo forum, not just for sports.

I may be a bit more involved than most, but if you are on campus and there is a home football game, cripes...know your neighborhood.

TransAmBison
11-06-2008, 12:56 PM
Ditsy waitresses or not...Hooters is a sports bar and they I'm sure they know when game days are.

The kid should have known since he is working for the Alumni Center, but cut him some slack! Not everyone loves bison football, just because it was a male on the phone doesn't mean that he is automatically a football fan. I have many male friends that don't like football and couldn't tell me when they play next, they are interested in other sports and activities.

Maybe this is something that the athletic department can work on, maybe just sending e-mails out reminding students of games isn't enough. Maybe they should put banners in the union and dining centers, maybe they should have tickets available in the union as well.
Cut him some slack? Did you even read the post?

NDSUguy
11-06-2008, 02:04 PM
There are roughly 13000 students at NDSU. At most, 4,000 go to home football games.

That leaves 9,000 students who don't go to games. Half are men so that's 4,500 that don't go to football games.

Certainly, some of those students are fans of the team but couldn't get a ticket however MOST of those students probably don't like football or care for athletics.

I see nothing wrong with not knowing when the team has its next homegame. The student asked a basic question and he received nothing but sarcasm and ribbing.

90Bison was over the line. After all, NDSU is an academic institution....not an athletic institution.

IzzyFlexion
11-06-2008, 02:16 PM
Fan or Not, even the waitresses at Hooters knew there was a game Saturday, they didn't know who we played but hey its Hooters!!

Are you suggesting that a typical Hooter's waitress wouldn't have an awareness of the local football schedule??
Now, that's just plain sexist!!

http://www.veryfunnypics.com/pics/kids/images/hooters.jpg

BlueBisonRock
11-06-2008, 02:25 PM
I see nothing wrong with not knowing when the team has its next homegame. The student asked a basic question and he received nothing but sarcasm and ribbing.

90Bison was over the line. After all, NDSU is an academic institution....not an athletic institution.

No he wasn't. One key aspect of selling is to know your customer. Another is to establish a positive relationship.

NDSU has invested heavily in the DI move / theme and tout the benefits of making this investment to the institution / area. There may not be a personal interest by the solicitor, but there is a business interest by the university. The student represents the university.

The suggestions made by 90 were sound (provide some education or a cheat sheet so the solicitor is aware of campus events). This would enable a solicitor to gain a level of credibility and to have a positive discussion with a potential donor.

duluthbison
11-06-2008, 02:55 PM
There are roughly 13000 students at NDSU. At most, 4,000 go to home football games.

That leaves 9,000 students who don't go to games. Half are men so that's 4,500 that don't go to football games.

Certainly, some of those students are fans of the team but couldn't get a ticket however MOST of those students probably don't like football or care for athletics.

I see nothing wrong with not knowing when the team has its next homegame. The student asked a basic question and he received nothing but sarcasm and ribbing.

90Bison was over the line. After all, NDSU is an academic institution....not an athletic institution.

My point exactly!!

imabison
11-06-2008, 03:12 PM
There are roughly 13000 students at NDSU. At most, 4,000 go to home football games.

That leaves 9,000 students who don't go to games. Half are men so that's 4,500 that don't go to football games.

Certainly, some of those students are fans of the team but couldn't get a ticket however MOST of those students probably don't like football or care for athletics.

I see nothing wrong with not knowing when the team has its next homegame. The student asked a basic question and he received nothing but sarcasm and ribbing.

90Bison was over the line. After all, NDSU is an academic institution....not an athletic institution.
The point is simply it was an NDSU fund raising effort. The people in charge of the effort should have provided a calender of NDSU activites so the people doing the calling would have been able to answer the question.

I do not fault the student caller for not knowing, but do fault the people in charge for not being informed.

runtheoption
11-06-2008, 03:25 PM
90Bison was over the line.

Wow. Rub some dirt on it, and walk it off.

mebisonII
11-06-2008, 04:48 PM
I've often thought that when I was at NDSU I knew two groups of people: Marching band types who of course knew when the next game was and (most of the time ;) ) who we were playing next. But the other group was engineering students, who I almost never heard say anything about sports. I'm sure there were plenty who went regularly, but its not as big of a deal in the day-to-day life of students as you might thing from reading on here.

That said, usually when they call me they know I was in MB and have a list of updates about the band and other things they think I'll be interested in, so they clearly usually do their homework. It would seem like a good idea to have a calender of larger upcoming events somewhere in the room for the callers to reference as they walk in. Probably not a big deal in the end though.

TransAmBison
11-06-2008, 05:19 PM
There are roughly 13000 students at NDSU. At most, 4,000 go to home football games.

That leaves 9,000 students who don't go to games. Half are men so that's 4,500 that don't go to football games.

Certainly, some of those students are fans of the team but couldn't get a ticket however MOST of those students probably don't like football or care for athletics.

I see nothing wrong with not knowing when the team has its next homegame. The student asked a basic question and he received nothing but sarcasm and ribbing.

90Bison was over the line. After all, NDSU is an academic institution....not an athletic institution.
Now that's just plain silly talk.

To be a little serious...the kid deserved a good natured hard time. Will teach him to be better prepared...to know his audience (like said in a previous post). If he can't take it...boo hoo. And for the guys that don't like athletics...I'm thinking of a number...a little jingle goes with it???*



*What is that jingle??? Must be getting old or too PC that I can't remember it. Well, I'm not getting PC, must be getting old.

90BISON
11-06-2008, 10:35 PM
No he wasn't. One key aspect of selling is to know your customer. Another is to establish a positive relationship.

NDSU has invested heavily in the DI move / theme and tout the benefits of making this investment to the institution / area. There may not be a personal interest by the solicitor, but there is a business interest by the university. The student represents the university.

The suggestions made by 90 were sound (provide some education or a cheat sheet so the solicitor is aware of campus events). This would enable a solicitor to gain a level of credibility and to have a positive discussion with a potential donor.

Exactly!!!! Maybe it just struck me more since I own my own business, and if you can't take a little good natured criticism of the job you are doing, good luck in the real world. By the way as I stated previously, he did get what he was calling for, so what's the problem? (not directed at you BB)

tjbison
11-06-2008, 10:57 PM
Cut him some slack? Did you even read the post?

Yeah he should have known, espesially making calls to Alum!!

IzzyFlexion
11-06-2008, 11:46 PM
Yeah he should have known, espesially making calls to Alum!!

Excellent point that summarizes how the majority of alums keep up with their school: ATHLETICS. Especially those that have re-located. Now I'm not terribly cerebral but did graduate. And I don't ever remember thinking....gee I wonder how the Pharmacy program is doing?

duluthbison
11-10-2008, 11:44 PM
Excellent point that summarizes how the majority of alums keep up with their school: ATHLETICS. Especially those that have re-located. Now I'm not terribly cerebral but did graduate. And I don't ever remember thinking....gee I wonder how the Pharmacy program is doing?

You asked....

Since 2002, the College has received a total of $3.3 million federal grant from HRSA/OAT to implement a state-wide telepharmacy program in North Dakota to restore and retain pharmacy services in medically underserved rural communities all across the state. So far, 67 pharmacies (44 retail and 23 hospital) involving 29 counties in North Dakota and two in Minnesota are participating in the North Dakota Telepharmacy Project. Approximately 40,000 rural citizens have had pharmacy services restored, retained or established through the North Dakota Telepharmacy Project since its inception. The project has restored valuable access to health care in remote medically underserved rural communities and has added approximately $12.5 million annually in economic development to the local rural economy. NDSU’s telepharmacy program received the Outstanding Rural Health Program Award at the 2006 Annual Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health.

:D :D :D :D :D

GOB1SON
11-11-2008, 12:27 AM
I think it is safe to say that, as students or alumni, that we all could be better informed about what is actually going on in the NDSU universe. However, that is getting to be a pretty damn big universe.

When I get a call, I always inquire as to what major the kid is in, what activities they might be interested in, etc... Mainly because I am truly interested. I have quite a bit of passion for the kids that are there, and I usually can find some common ground with a professor that I might know, etc...

IzzyFlexion
11-11-2008, 11:53 AM
You asked....

Since 2002, the College has received a total of $3.3 million federal grant from HRSA/OAT to implement a state-wide telepharmacy program in North Dakota to restore and retain pharmacy services in medically underserved rural communities all across the state. So far, 67 pharmacies (44 retail and 23 hospital) involving 29 counties in North Dakota and two in Minnesota are participating in the North Dakota Telepharmacy Project. Approximately 40,000 rural citizens have had pharmacy services restored, retained or established through the North Dakota Telepharmacy Project since its inception. The project has restored valuable access to health care in remote medically underserved rural communities and has added approximately $12.5 million annually in economic development to the local rural economy. NDSU’s telepharmacy program received the Outstanding Rural Health Program Award at the 2006 Annual Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health.

:D :D :D :D :D

Holy Crap! Does that make them playoff eligible?? If so, I'll open up my philanthropic checkbook.

tony
11-11-2008, 02:23 PM
When I first saw this thread, I immediately thought of something like this:

Me: Hello?
Campus: Yes, this is North Dakota State University.
Me: Howdy!
Campus: Well, this is kind of awkward, but our security camera tapes from your time on campus have been compromised and some "highlights" have been posted on the interweb deal known as "youtube.com".
Me: Um, I don't like where this is going at all...
Campus: Indeed. Be that as it may, we have reasons to believe that you are the subject of one of the clips entitled, "Passed out student molested non-sexually by squirrels on Churchill Mall."
Me: Good Lord! (pause) Well, at least that explains *that* recurring nightmare.
Campus: Yeeeeah. Um, some of the staff would like to know why you were wearing nothing but a red cape and underoos.
Me: Hard to say really... I'm guessing the footage is from early Thursday morning though.
Campus: Well, we thought you should know. And, btw, we checked your transcript and apparently we mistakenly awarded you your diploma. To re-earn your degree, you need to complete two years of lab science courses.
Me: ....

duluthbison
11-11-2008, 07:15 PM
Holy Crap! Does that make them playoff eligible?? If so, I'll open up my philanthropic checkbook.

http://pharmacy.ndsu.nodak.edu/about/pics/baseball.jpg

1925 NDAC Pharmacy Baseball Team, campus champs
:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

IzzyFlexion
11-12-2008, 02:46 AM
http://pharmacy.ndsu.nodak.edu/about/pics/baseball.jpg

1925 NDAC Pharmacy Baseball Team, campus champs
:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

That is cool as hell! My grampa's first year at the "AC" was '24-'25. I don't think he was in Pharmacy but the guy standing second from the left looks a lot like him. Can you PM me a large size of that picture?
Thanks.

NDFAN2
11-15-2008, 09:46 PM
NDSU called me this week. The young gal didn't know where Casselton was. Oh well. They call me about 4 times a year. I told them to just call once a year.