This morning, I got up and checked my university email, as I do every morning. Typically when I do this, I've got two or three unread emails, usually coupons from retail stores or whatever. However this morning, I had 135 unread emails. The most recent one was asking about a Star Wars Marathon.
So I scrolled down (which was difficult, as the sheer number of them was causing my browser to lag), and I finally found the first email. What happened was two days ago somebody's motor scooter was stolen on campus. Apparently one student in particular was suspected of stealing it, and so one of his friends took the liberty of going into the university address book (which includes every active student email address at the university's domain) and emailed EVERYBODY one single sentence saying that he didn't steal the scooter.
Minutes later, people start replying about how much they do not care and how they want to be taken off this email list. However, they are heedless of the fact that they are replying with "reply all" rather than "reply." So in turn EVERYBODY receives their responses. After the first ten or so, people start replying (also with reply all) telling them to stop being retarded and use "reply." Then after the first fifty things get crazy. People start replying with random shit, such as offers to get hit up for anal sex and at least two rick rolls.
The angriest of the victims were the ones who had their emails tied to their smart phones, meaning within about an hour they received over 100 emails starting at around 11 PM. It all finally stopped (whether by accident or force by the university), at 2:30 AM.
After this debacle, something tells me the university is going to restrict the ability to email the entire student body to faculty or certain student event staffers. But it makes me wonder, why did students have the power to do this in the first place? I like being able to find people's email by simply looking up their name with the campus address book, it has made contacting people for group projects worlds easier. But being able to send to everybody at once? Especially now that people are aware of it, I wouldn't trust the student body with that sort of power as far as I could throw them.
So, for discussion value, should every student be able to send to the entire university at once, or should that be restricted to the faculty only?
Oh, and before you all think I'm a fuddy-duddy, yes I do realize how funny this is. I found it annoying at first, but once I read the emails I got quite a chuckle. However, now that the word is out, I don't want this to be happening on a regular basis.
So I scrolled down (which was difficult, as the sheer number of them was causing my browser to lag), and I finally found the first email. What happened was two days ago somebody's motor scooter was stolen on campus. Apparently one student in particular was suspected of stealing it, and so one of his friends took the liberty of going into the university address book (which includes every active student email address at the university's domain) and emailed EVERYBODY one single sentence saying that he didn't steal the scooter.
Minutes later, people start replying about how much they do not care and how they want to be taken off this email list. However, they are heedless of the fact that they are replying with "reply all" rather than "reply." So in turn EVERYBODY receives their responses. After the first ten or so, people start replying (also with reply all) telling them to stop being retarded and use "reply." Then after the first fifty things get crazy. People start replying with random shit, such as offers to get hit up for anal sex and at least two rick rolls.
The angriest of the victims were the ones who had their emails tied to their smart phones, meaning within about an hour they received over 100 emails starting at around 11 PM. It all finally stopped (whether by accident or force by the university), at 2:30 AM.
After this debacle, something tells me the university is going to restrict the ability to email the entire student body to faculty or certain student event staffers. But it makes me wonder, why did students have the power to do this in the first place? I like being able to find people's email by simply looking up their name with the campus address book, it has made contacting people for group projects worlds easier. But being able to send to everybody at once? Especially now that people are aware of it, I wouldn't trust the student body with that sort of power as far as I could throw them.
So, for discussion value, should every student be able to send to the entire university at once, or should that be restricted to the faculty only?
Oh, and before you all think I'm a fuddy-duddy, yes I do realize how funny this is. I found it annoying at first, but once I read the emails I got quite a chuckle. However, now that the word is out, I don't want this to be happening on a regular basis.
