Please God, forgive me, for I have sinned.

Well, OK, I’m being dramatic. I don’t know if everyone would agree that my actions were sinful, but I’m certain that if I ever did have a secured place in the land up above, it may currently be in jeopardy.

This whole situation arose when I stopped by the Financial Aid office in the Student Wing to inquire why, after we were two weeks into the semester, I still hadn’t received my refund check. Now, generally I consider myself a level-headed person, never one to cry over spilled milk. If the cashier at Wal-Mart overcharges me 10 cents, I will not go ape shit on her ass.

That said, when I pleasantly questioned the receptionist at Financial Aid last week and she responded that it could “be up to three weeks” before I’d be seeing any of the refund money, and she “wasn’t sure why,” I had a huge lapse in my characteristically docile personality. That’s when I decided to start the scene of the century at Binghamton and yelled, “This is fucking ridiculous!” while throwing my body around and walking out the door.

As I stomped out of the Financial Aid office, I became conscious of the fact that my “scene of the century” hadn’t accomplished anything. I still didn’t have my money, I would never be able to look that receptionist in the face again and the few other students that happened to witness my tirade would forever mark me as “that girl who blew her cool.”

I guess I do feel some remorse over the whole situation, but I honestly think I had every right to be pissed. From prior experience with “office people” at Binghamton University, I really should have known that all I would leave Financial Aid with was a headache. Personally, I’m of the opinion that there is a lack of ventilation circulating through the administrative buildings at BU, which is having some seriously negative effects on the employees that work in them.

When I visited the campus this summer, I discovered, from my handy dandy “self-guided tour” sheet, that I was able to preview one of the campus rooms in College-in-the-Woods. Not knowing exactly how to access these rooms, I asked a kind janitor where I should turn for help and he pointed me in the direction of the Residential Life office. It was an ill-fated suggestion.

Not only did the woman at Res Life YAWN as I walked in and started talking to her, she also began ROLLING HER EYES when I asked if she knew who could show me one of the rooms. MY GAWD. I should have known right then that everything I did here would be an uphill battle. While I didn’t learn my lesson that day, I sure know it now.

On one positive note, I finally DID receive my refund check late last week, and when I went to go open an account with the M&T Bank on campus, I was presented with a complimentary 150-CD rack for my membership. Granted, as I’m writing this, the CD rack is still sitting in a heap on my computer desk because there were more bolts and screws in the box than Frankenstein had in his head, but it’s still nice to know that I finally got something I deserved out of this school without a hassle or a profane word.

This rant might not accomplish anything, but I would really like to know if anyone else has run into any problems like this. Are they just expressing prejudice against a middle class white girl from upstate New York, or should the ventilation problem seriously be investigated? I just might make it my personal crusade to visit all the offices at Binghamton University and discover if anyone other than the employees at M&T Bank have a soul. To be fair, and to protect my life, I’ll leave the Sodexho offices off my list. After dealing with Aaron Akaberi for the last three weeks, the receptionist might just spear me with a non-metal stake and throw me on a plate of organic lettuce, and that, my friends, would just be completely fucking ridiculous.