Even in prehistoric days when human beings hunted mastodons with stone-tipped wooden spears, a member of the tribe was probably late at some point, to something. Sure, the concept of time was not exactly what it is today, but punctuality \u2013 or lack thereof \u2013 is not exactly a \u201cmodern\u201d phenomenon. This makes tardiness a very old, very perennial problem. And unless you are some kind of superhero with a knack for being on time, all the time, you have probably been late at some point, to something.<\/p>\n
But context is everything, right? It\u2019s all right to be late to an informal BBQ, but it\u2019s not OK to be late to a meeting with your boss. It\u2019s acceptable to be late to a baseball game (assuming you\u2019re a spectator), but slightly less acceptable to be late to your own wedding. We\u2019re quite certain of that. And of course, it\u2019s no big deal to be late to class \u2013 or is it?<\/p>\n
Teachers have policies on student tardiness that vary just as much as teaching methods do, with some caring mightily about punctuality, and others not at all. A word of advice: try to know your teachers\u2019 thoughts on the matter prior to attending their first class. But even if you don\u2019t know a particular professor\u2019s policy, assume that they want you in class at the designated time, if not a little before then. A very telling email exchange between a professor and student has recently gone viral and it clearly illustrates two very different viewpoints on timeliness.<\/p>\n
In 2010, Deadspin published an email<\/a> composed by Professor Scott Galloway who teaches brand management at NYU\u2019s Stern School. This email has elicited some strong reactions (think feverish applause and stadium-style boos). First, some background: Galloway has a policy on tardiness. Students who are late to class by more than 15 minutes are not allowed into class until after the break. In February of 2010, on the first day of Galloway\u2019s brand strategy class, a student dropped in an hour late. Galloway told him to come back for the next one.<\/p>\n The student, interested in three different classes \u2013 all offered at the same time \u2013 had decided to solve his dilemma by \u201csampling\u201d all three classes on the first day. He sampled Galloway\u2019s class last, and hadn\u2019t counted on getting kicked out. Perturbed by Galloway\u2019s reaction, the student sent him an email<\/a> with an explanation. \u201cI was unaware of your class policy. I was disappointed that you dismissed me from class considering there is no way I could have been aware of your policy [\u2026] it was more probable that my tardiness was due to my desire to sample different classes rather than sheer complacency.\u201d<\/p>\n Galloway responded by offering feedback<\/a> of his own \u2013 and cc-ing the rest of his students in the process. The gist of the email (and it\u2019s definitely worth a read) is this: \u201cget your s*&* together.\u201d Now, unless you identify as a total slacker, that\u2019s the kind of explicit counsel most of us don\u2019t get \u2013 especially while pursuing a masters degree in business. But perhaps that\u2019s why the response to Galloway\u2019s viral message has resonated with so many people. Maybe people need someone to stand on a soapbox every now and then to remind everyone else that etiquette matters \u2013 even in the classroom \u2013 and to be on time.<\/p>\n Galloway elaborated on his pithy (and perhaps refreshingly salty) advice by saying this: \u201cGetting a good job, working long hours, keeping your skills relevant, navigating the politics of an organization, finding a live\/work balance…these are all really hard [\u2026]. In contrast, respecting institutions, having manners, demonstrating a level of humility…these are all (relatively) easy. Get the easy stuff right.\u201d Or, in other words, tardiness throws up a flag of disrespect \u2013 and that\u2019s not the kind of flag you want to wave in front of the person who decides your grade or whether or not you get a promotion.<\/p>\n When BusinessInsider writer Mariana Simoes contacted Galloway recently to request permission to publish the email, he included in his response that he is”getting an email about every three minutes from people (all over the world) voicing support\/anger (about an 8:1 ratio).” Galloway\u2019s message continues to strike a nerve.<\/p>\n How do some Hult professors handle tardy students? Olaf Groth, Professor of Global Strategy and Economics adopted a policy similar to Galloway\u2019s, but not just because he alone wants to avoid interruptions. “Students would come in, walk right in front of me or presenting students \u2013 even brushing up against us \u2013 to take a seat. I now have the airplane policy. Once door is closed, you can’t come in until the break. The good students tend to like it, because they like less disturbances and clear rules of engagement.”<\/p>\n Adam Carstens, Director of Research and Hult Labs team member, will be teaching a course on Change Management at the San Francisco<\/a> campus next month. He plans to engage the students themselves on creating the class rule for tardiness. \u201cI plan to ask the students on the first day of class: what should we do if you’re late? What’s a fair punishment? Then I’ll set the policy based on their responses.”<\/p>\n Mark Esposito, Professor of Global Economics and Corporate Social Responsibility, has a rule influenced by “Akademische Viertelstunde,” which translates to \u201cacademic quarter,\u201d as in a quarter of an hour, or 15 minutes. It\u2019s a policy that many European universities have instituted. \u201cI have tried several things, from zero tolerance to full tolerance, to partial tolerance. What works for me at the moment is a 15-minute “tolerance period” at the beginning of the class. After that, if they are late, I enter students as “late” in the attendance record. So far the disruptions seem to be less than before.\u201d<\/p>\n So what is really at the heart of the tardiness issue? We think it\u2019s respect, plain and simple. The NYU student in the aforementioned email exchange makes faulty assumptions that the professor decimates \u2013 and rightly so. The student assumes that the professor should be lenient because the student a) didn\u2019t know the professor\u2019s policy before attending the class and b) was not expressing complacency when arriving late for class. To address the first part of the student\u2019s argument, ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it. Granted, this isn\u2019t a matter of law, but it is a matter of dismissing the reasoning behind scheduling a start time for a class in the first place. A 10AM class doesn\u2019t start some time between 10AM and noon; it starts at 10AM so that everyone can convene at the same time and work can commence. A student may not know a professor\u2019s policy before class, but why should that mean that it\u2019s OK to be tardy? Assume that it isn\u2019t OK and let the professor say otherwise.<\/p>\n To the second point, the student was absolutely displaying complacency. Oxford American dictionary defines complacency as \u201ca feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one\u2019s achievements.\u201d The student put his desire for shopping classes above his respect for the professor\u2019s policy on tardiness. It\u2019s one thing to disagree with it, but it\u2019s another to push back, as if the student\u2019s desires should come first. That the professor asked the student to come to another section is hardly unreasonable. More to the point, the student didn\u2019t take into consideration the professor, the other students, and the effort that they all made to arrive on time. Respect entails thinking of others and the given environment, not just oneself. This applies not only to academia, but also to the workplace and, of course, to weddings.<\/p>\n What do you think? Hult Labs would like to hear from you. Should instructors have unwavering rules on tardiness? Does that help or hinder the learning process?<\/p>\n If you would like to find out more about Hult\u2019s global business programs,\u00a0download a brochure here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Marcus McBride<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Make the most of what your career has to offer with a Masters in International Business<\/a> from Hult. To learn more, take a look at our blog 5 Ways Business Education Will Change In 2017<\/a>, or give your employability a huge boost with an MBA in international business<\/a>. Download a brochure or get in touch today to find out how Hult can help you to explore everything about the business world, the future, and yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Even in prehistoric days when human beings hunted mastodons with stone-tipped wooden spears, a member of the tribe was probably late at some point, to something. Sure, the concept of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[24],"tags":[444],"yoast_head":"\n
\n
\n