A Call for Allstu Reform
Irene Wilburn
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Opinion
Thank God for allstu. Talk about a genius idea - how convenient for finding airport rides, selling futons and sharing late-night haikus and absurd YouTube links. It is unfortunately, though, not an appropriate venue for personal communications.
"Allstu" is an abbreviation for "all-student e-mail," implying that all students either will receive or have access to an e-mail sent with "allstu" in the "To:" line. If your e-mail is directed toward one person, an allstu is probably unnecessary, and there is almost certainly a more direct way to reach your target. The Kenyon directory contains (extensive to the point of creepy) contact information for everyone at Kenyon. Granted, sometimes it's impossible to contact someone totally anonymous you don't know how to find; for example, if someone left red gloves in your apartment, an allstu is a totally suitable method of looking for their owner.
But in most cases, there's a better way. If you happen across a stray package, you could a) e-mail the intended recipient directly, or b) deliver it to her room. If you don't like the way someone is parked, it might be more effective to leave a (respectful) note on the car. If people at the next table in the library are talking at an absolutely intolerable volume, instead of resorting to passive aggressive e-mails, man up and ask them to quiet down.
In the same vein, if you lose your K-card, chances are good the person who finds it will know who it belongs to and return it. No need to put the entire student body on the lookout. We are long overdue for a good allstu war - let's change pace and make it happen.
"Allstu" is an abbreviation for "all-student e-mail," implying that all students either will receive or have access to an e-mail sent with "allstu" in the "To:" line. If your e-mail is directed toward one person, an allstu is probably unnecessary, and there is almost certainly a more direct way to reach your target. The Kenyon directory contains (extensive to the point of creepy) contact information for everyone at Kenyon. Granted, sometimes it's impossible to contact someone totally anonymous you don't know how to find; for example, if someone left red gloves in your apartment, an allstu is a totally suitable method of looking for their owner.
But in most cases, there's a better way. If you happen across a stray package, you could a) e-mail the intended recipient directly, or b) deliver it to her room. If you don't like the way someone is parked, it might be more effective to leave a (respectful) note on the car. If people at the next table in the library are talking at an absolutely intolerable volume, instead of resorting to passive aggressive e-mails, man up and ask them to quiet down.
In the same vein, if you lose your K-card, chances are good the person who finds it will know who it belongs to and return it. No need to put the entire student body on the lookout. We are long overdue for a good allstu war - let's change pace and make it happen.
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