How to approach your dean?

[Spudgy]

I am a first year medical student and I need some advice on how to approach my Dean of student affairs about her not replying to my emails.
Before classes started, I had emailed her several times regarding my acceptance but she never replied. I ended up having to email the assistant who said she will ask the Dean to send me the paperwork I needed, which BTW I never received.
Then when I started school, I needed to contact the Dean again for other school related issues. I emailed her several times with no reply...again. I had to get in contact with another assistant.
Now later in the semester, I have had some medical issues and needed to speak with the Dean of student affairs. However, she still hasn't replied but she does check and uses her email because she just sent a mass email to my whole class.

I think it is unprofessional of her to never respond to my emails. I have went to large schools where administrators and professors respond to emails efficiently.
I want to confront her about it but I don't know how to go about it.
Advice?

PS: my school is infamous for having a horrible administrative team...

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[BorntobeDO?]

I am a first year medical student and I need some advice on how to approach my Dean of student affairs about her not replying to my emails.
Before classes started, I had emailed her several times regarding my acceptance but she never replied. I ended up having to email the assistant who said she will ask the Dean to send me the paperwork I needed, which BTW I never received.
Then when I started school, I needed to contact the Dean again for other school related issues. I emailed her several times with no reply...again. I had to get in contact with another assistant.
Now later in the semester, I have had some medical issues and needed to speak with the Dean of student affairs. However, she still hasn't replied but she does check and uses her email because she just sent a mass email to my whole class.

I think it is unprofessional of her to never respond to my emails. I have went to large schools where administrators and professors respond to emails efficiently.
I want to confront her about it but I don't know how to go about it.
Advice?

PS: my school is infamous for having a horrible administrative team...

Go in person and make friends with the assistant. Try and set up a meeting, mention that you emailed without a response, and you are trying to get a meeting. Avoid any confrontational tone at all, and don't try to go above your deans head. IMO, you are just asking for SPC with that kind of move. Find a sympathetic faculty member to plead your case if unable to get past the gatekeeper.

Unfortunately the decks are stacked against you in some administrations, they do not want to met you and use the secretary's to basically block/sort all contact with students while claiming an 'open door.' These are also the admins most likely to try and get you for precieved slights so tread carefully. Good luck friend.

 

[Spudgy]

Go in person and make friends with the assistant. Try and set up a meeting, mention that you emailed without a response, and you are trying to get a meeting. Avoid any confrontational tone at all, and don't try to go above your deans head. IMO, you are just asking for SPC with that kind of move. Find a sympathetic faculty member to plead your case if unable to get past the gatekeeper.

Unfortunately the decks are stacked against you in some administrations, they do not want to met you and use the secretary's to basically block/sort all contact with students while claiming an 'open door.' These are also the admins most likely to try and get you for precieved slights so tread carefully. Good luck friend.

Thank you for your advice! I will definitely try that and hope for the best.

 

[hallowmann]

I am a first year medical student and I need some advice on how to approach my Dean of student affairs about her not replying to my emails.
Before classes started, I had emailed her several times regarding my acceptance but she never replied. I ended up having to email the assistant who said she will ask the Dean to send me the paperwork I needed, which BTW I never received.
Then when I started school, I needed to contact the Dean again for other school related issues. I emailed her several times with no reply...again. I had to get in contact with another assistant.
Now later in the semester, I have had some medical issues and needed to speak with the Dean of student affairs. However, she still hasn't replied but she does check and uses her email because she just sent a mass email to my whole class.

I think it is unprofessional of her to never respond to my emails. I have went to large schools where administrators and professors respond to emails efficiently.
I want to confront her about it but I don't know how to go about it.
Advice?

PS: my school is infamous for having a horrible administrative team...

To be completely honest, it sounds like you are trying to contact the Dean way too often. Those first two issues should have been dealt with with the assistants to begin with. The last one is a bit more important, and may actually require for you to speak directly with the Dean, so that's understandable.

Some people don't check their email, and Deans get a ton of emails constantly. You can't solely rely on that. You need to go in person and talk with the assistant, explain the situation and see if you can schedule a meeting with the Dean. Don't go in there ready to call everyone unprofessional for not answering emails. Just go in explaining why you need to talk to the Dean. You're better off acting like you assumed they didn't see your email (they probably didn't). You can just say something like, "I emailed you about this, but I'm not sure if you got it. ..." and explain what you need.

 

[Soccer171983]

I agree with @BorntobeDO? because you barging in on a dean will seem unprofessional and rude but getting on the good graces of secretary and assistance will help. Let them know you have a health and let them know that you want to know how to approach such a situation. If they tell you to email the dean then mention that you did politely but you did not want to bother them again since they did not reply and you wanted to talk to assistant/secretary to learn how such situations may have been dealt with in the past. Be polite and pleasant but let them know your concerns and fears, hopefully some humanistic impulse on their behalf will help them sympathize with your plight and will help you some way.

 

[deleted103644]

Here’s how to approach your dean.

Step One: Getting on the Dean’s Back
Possibly the most dangerous part of approaching your dean is getting on his back. Never attempt to jump a dean from the side or from the front. Doing so is the easiest way to get expelled. You want to approach the dean from behind. If possible, have someone distract the dean so he doesn’t turn to keep an eye on you.

However, if that’s not possible, take off your shirt and use it as a blindfold (or use a towel). Throw your shirt on the top of the dean’s head, making sure to cover its eyes. Without sight, the dean is much slower to react.

Draw a straight line down the dean’s head and back, and tail if he has one. Get a running start down that line and, staying low, leap onto the dean with hands extended forward. You want your hands to land at the dean’s neck, between the back of his jaws and his front legs. When you land on the dean, push down with all your might on the neck to force his head to the ground.

Deans open their mouths the same way students do. That means the bottom jaw moves—the top doesn’t. By pinning his head to the ground, you’re preventing his jaws from opening.

You should be high on the dean’s back, near the front shoulders. Your knees should touch the ground but squeeze the dean’s flanks. The lower part of your legs should be pinning the hind legs while keeping the feet from touching the ground.

Keeping his rear legs from the ground helps prevent the dean from “death rolling” (spinning around violently). When a dean does this, you’ve lost control.

Step Two: Getting Control of the Mouth
Once on the dean, it’s important to gain control of the mouth. Both hands should still be firmly on the dean’s neck, pressing down hard with your full body weight.

Rule of thumb: you’re not going to hurt the dean, but he can certainly hurt you. Always use all your strength. But remember, technique is more important than brute force.

Rotate the dominate hand (right or left) forward. Remain in contact with the dean and keep pressing down as you slide the hand forward down the middle of the dean’s head. You want to cover both eyes with your hand. Deans retract their eyes into the skull, so just coming into contact with them should be enough. Again, you’re blinding the dean to give yourself the advantage.

Now, press down on the eyes with all your weight. Again, pin the head to the ground to prevent his jaws from opening. Slide your other hand forward and down and run it along the bottom jaw line. Put your fingers under the dean’s jaw and you’ll feel soft skin around bone. With fingers under the jaw and palm and thumb on top, grip firmly.

All of a dean’s jaw power is on the down stroke. They have almost no muscle power when it comes to opening their jaws. What that means is that you can hold the dean’s mouth shut with one hand. It doesn’t mean you should hold it closed with one hand, though.

Still keeping the head pinned to the ground, slide the hand covering the eyes down until it too can hook the lower jaw.

Both hands should now be holding the mouth shut.

Step Three: Submission
Lift the dean’s head off the ground and toward your chest. Once the head is at close to a ninety degree angle, the dean can no longer fight back.

Congratulations, you’ve just approached your dean

 

[Goro]

I am a first year medical student and I need some advice on how to approach my Dean of student affairs about her not replying to my emails.
Before classes started, I had emailed her several times regarding my acceptance but she never replied. I ended up having to email the assistant who said she will ask the Dean to send me the paperwork I needed, which BTW I never received.
Then when I started school, I needed to contact the Dean again for other school related issues. I emailed her several times with no reply...again. I had to get in contact with another assistant.
Now later in the semester, I have had some medical issues and needed to speak with the Dean of student affairs. However, she still hasn't replied but she does check and uses her email because she just sent a mass email to my whole class.

I think it is unprofessional of her to never respond to my emails. I have went to large schools where administrators and professors respond to emails efficiently.
I want to confront her about it but I don't know how to go about it.
Advice?

PS: my school is infamous for having a horrible administrative team...

Go see the Dean in person. I like the idea of making friends with her Admin too.

Also, in any future email contact, CC whoever is her superior (like the University CEO/President/Chancellor/Provost/COO), and mention something like "this is now the third time I have tried to contact you without your responding"

You have my sympathies. Our HR director is as bad as your Dean of SS.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Here’s how to approach your dean.

Step One: Getting on the Dean’s Back
Possibly the most dangerous part of approaching your dean is getting on his back. Never attempt to jump a dean from the side or from the front. Doing so is the easiest way to get expelled. You want to approach the dean from behind. If possible, have someone distract the dean so he doesn’t turn to keep an eye on you.

However, if that’s not possible, take off your shirt and use it as a blindfold (or use a towel). Throw your shirt on the top of the dean’s head, making sure to cover its eyes. Without sight, the dean is much slower to react.

Draw a straight line down the dean’s head and back, and tail if he has one. Get a running start down that line and, staying low, leap onto the dean with hands extended forward. You want your hands to land at the dean’s neck, between the back of his jaws and his front legs. When you land on the dean, push down with all your might on the neck to force his head to the ground.

Deans open their mouths the same way students do. That means the bottom jaw moves—the top doesn’t. By pinning his head to the ground, you’re preventing his jaws from opening.

You should be high on the dean’s back, near the front shoulders. Your knees should touch the ground but squeeze the dean’s flanks. The lower part of your legs should be pinning the hind legs while keeping the feet from touching the ground.

Keeping his rear legs from the ground helps prevent the dean from “death rolling” (spinning around violently). When a dean does this, you’ve lost control.

Step Two: Getting Control of the Mouth
Once on the dean, it’s important to gain control of the mouth. Both hands should still be firmly on the dean’s neck, pressing down hard with your full body weight.

Rule of thumb: you’re not going to hurt the dean, but he can certainly hurt you. Always use all your strength. But remember, technique is more important than brute force.

Rotate the dominate hand (right or left) forward. Remain in contact with the dean and keep pressing down as you slide the hand forward down the middle of the dean’s head. You want to cover both eyes with your hand. Deans retract their eyes into the skull, so just coming into contact with them should be enough. Again, you’re blinding the dean to give yourself the advantage.

Now, press down on the eyes with all your weight. Again, pin the head to the ground to prevent his jaws from opening. Slide your other hand forward and down and run it along the bottom jaw line. Put your fingers under the dean’s jaw and you’ll feel soft skin around bone. With fingers under the jaw and palm and thumb on top, grip firmly.

All of a dean’s jaw power is on the down stroke. They have almost no muscle power when it comes to opening their jaws. What that means is that you can hold the dean’s mouth shut with one hand. It doesn’t mean you should hold it closed with one hand, though.

Still keeping the head pinned to the ground, slide the hand covering the eyes down until it too can hook the lower jaw.

Both hands should now be holding the mouth shut.

Step Three: Submission
Lift the dean’s head off the ground and toward your chest. Once the head is at close to a ninety degree angle, the dean can no longer fight back.

Congratulations, you’ve just approached your dean

So something like this?

 

[Robin-jay]

Probably a dean that thinks working 9-5 pm is all they have to work, so they are infinitely behind permanently.

They just feel too darn hardworking to work more than the 9-5 shift in one day. Weekends are probably fun for them too.

Good deans work outside office hours to get everything done.