- February 27th, 2009, 1:22 am
#237625
The incident reported occurred on Wednesday, February 18, 2009. The hall meeting prior to the incident, RA announced that the 5 minute grace period would not apply to the following convocation, as some on our hall were abusing the system. He used the logic that, if someone were to show up to his workplace five minutes late every day, he would lose his job. He then proceeded to declare that showing up a 10:00 AM would also be considered late, but offered no rationale for his statement. Certainly if you were to show up at the time your workplace mandated you would not receive any type of punishment for "lateness." But alas, Resident Assistants can justify whatever they want simply to exercise their authority, so logic and reason not need apply to the rules they interpret.
On Wednesday, the date in question, I arrived at the Vines Center at 9:58 AM. I can say it was 9:58 AM with preciseness because the jumbo screen above the Gate 1 entrance said 9:58. While walking towards our seating assignment, the music started, signaling Convocation had started. Within fifteen seconds, I approached Jameson to check-in. Upon arriving, he pronounced that I, along with JC, were late to Convocation.
Thoroughly shocked by his announcement, I then ran back outside and took a picture of the jumbo screen, showing that it in fact was 9:59 according to Liberty University standards. That picture is attached to this e-mail, entitled WhatTimeIsIt. After taking my photograph with proof that the Liberty University clock was not at 10:00 AM just yet, I showed RA my photograph, however just as a Resident Assistant would, he just had a blank stare.
He will claim that his clock was synched up to the internet, because his time came from his phone. Even if that were the case, I still propose that I am not "late" in any way, shape or form.
Firstly, the sound of music playing does not prove that I have arrived late. Convocations, as you know, run on a clock on a screen television underneath the two cameramen. This feature allows speakers to know how much time they have left. Speakers are given until 10:57 AM to finish their sermon, so that announcements, prayers, and extended sermons do not interfere with class time. The Convocation Streaming Media Page allows you to see the service I am referring to. Looking at 32:20 through 32:25, you can see that the speaker, Luis Palau, declared that at 32:22 of the video, he had 25:57 seconds remaining before he was finished. We can erase 18 seconds, off of the 32:22, because the service did not start until 18 seconds into the video.
Adding the two numbers gives you 58:04, the length of the service from start to the proposed finish time of the speaker, 10:57 AM. Performing simple MATH 101 tricks will show that convocation started at 9:58:59, a full minute before 10:00 AM, the start of Convocation.
Secondly, I was able to detain the photograph of the jumbo screen AFTER Convocation had already started. This is now the second clock run by the University that declares me to have arrived at 9:59.
Finally, I was inside the venue before the music started. I do not consider this to be a point of reference but instead a personal interjection that should be noted.
I ask you this question: Who is punishing me, RA, OR Liberty University? When fines are designated for reprimands where does the money actually go to? Certainly if I am out of dress code, I do not pay the Resident Assistant who wrote me up. If I am caught kissing a female, do I then give the RA cash? Absolutely not. The University is the ultimate figure of authority and RAs and RDs are simply agents of the University, doing the work the University has required.
In this case I have not one but two sources from the University declaring my non-tardiness, both of them digital. On the other hand you have the word of an agent of the University declaring me late, even though I was in the building before the music began. Although the music started before I checked in, my "tardiness" according to RA's "Satellite Clock" is a direct result of the differences between University Time and RA Time. Had the University Clock had said 9:59, I would have ran to my seat, so that I would be on time. Because I had a minute, and it does not take more than a minute to move from Gate 1 to Section 104, I did not rush to check in with RA.
In the end I hope you will see my side of the story. I have two clocks proving my punctuality according to Liberty University, and as that organization is the source of the reprimand, so should that be the standard of innocence. If I was tardy, it is only the result of misinformation given to me by Liberty University itself.
- By Tothehoopyall1
- By Purple Haize