Banality Blogging....101

More on the enrollment adventure....

Thursday I showed up at ODU to sign up for fall classes.

I was surprised to discover that there was a lock on my account and I was forbidden to enroll. 'Seems I owed the University 1,800 dollars....

cough....sputter...gasp

Last semester I had taken some classes (with the surgery I was undeployable in the fall, so my command allowed me to take three night classes). Mid-semester, the USCG sent me to a class and I had to drop out of school (no regrets; I'd asked for the port security/ops class for months). I was assured that the debt was forgiven.

Well....somebody goofed. (an UUGE no doubt)

Although my appeal was cut and dried ( I was moved due to millitary orders) the appeals process would take 4-6 weeks. Classes start Monday.

Once again the USCG saved the day. Although, this time it wasn't boaters in a storm tossed sea it was a college student with FAR less pressing problems. My units yeoman gathered all the necessary documents and CFR cites and handed me a stack of papers.

The papers were evidently enchanted , as they possessed an uncanny ability to open doors...literally....

After being told thrice on Thursday that I couldn't take classes, I whipped out my 'magical pack of bearaucratic facilitation' and after 20 minutes a student admissions counselor was summoned. She led me through 3 doors, all of which needed to be unlocked, all of which had the words NO STUDENTS BEYOND THIS POINT on them. I could go on about the irony of a counselor for students who hides from them behind three locked doors....but I won't.

After some time on the phone she handed me a minor artifact...a pink post-it note (blank) and told me to go to the registrar and hand them the 'pink slip'. Carrying said 'memo of expeditious line-cutting' I walked into the registrars office and immediately one of the registrar clerks pointed at me and said "I CAN HELP YOU!". 20 minutes later I was all set to be enrolled. Sadly both my artifacts of 'light footed line avoidance' seem to have had finite charges....I spent the rest of the day like any other student...in the collegiate equivalent of a soviet breadline. DMV...hell basic training did not have lines this slow moving.

One of the classes I needed was filled, but with any luck, I'll get permission from my Japanese teacher to overload tomorrow.

For the first time since 2001, I'm a civilian and I'm in school again.

I'm so stoked I'm not even that worried about the 457 bucks I just spent on books....

I'm just awestruck that the Coast Guard went to such lengths to help me (an off duty reservist) get into college. This really is the best service out there.