Whether used for social or academic purposes, e-mail is an indispensable tool of everyday life. E-mail aids students in getting into classes when ISIS is crazy, inquiring about a grade or letting a professor know they are going to be absent from class.
But what happens when professors refrain from responding to students' e-mails?
Electronic mail is not like a telephone call; a student can leave multiple messages on an answering machine or talk to a secretary, but it is less acceptable to write multiple e-mails repeatedly making the same request. If a professor doesn't respond, the student is in a difficult situation, especially if he or she doesn't know the professor's office hours or doesn't want to annoy the professor any further.
Many students don't have a problem with their teachers not responding to their e-mails, particularly because they believe the response rate depends on school and major.
"I'm in the Comm School, which is fairly small, so my teachers are pretty responsive," fourth-year Commerce student Martha Kid said.
Other students said they do have a problem with delayed responses to e-mail, however. They acknowledged the fact that a deluge of e-mails and the necessity of responding to all of them can be a daunting task, but they also believe it is imperative that professors do so.
"I can see how it could be kind of annoying when students write teachers tons of e-mails," third-year College student Alison Taylor said. "But it is frustrating when professors or T.A.'s have so many expectations for you, but then they're irresponsible and don't respond to e-mails you write them."
Professors said that disgruntled students must look at their teacher's situation and realize that in addition to researching, delivering lectures and advising students, they also have to respond to large numbers of e-mails sometimes every day.
"Unfortunately for me, I always respond to my students' e-mails, and it takes a long time to do so," Italian instructor Monica de Simone said. "I always respond within one day, unless I'm on vacation or in Italy."
Students who complain about late responses to e-mail are luckier than some students, who don't have the option of using e-mail to communicate with their professors.
"One of my teacher's doesn't even use e-mail, which is really annoying," third-year College student Raymond Forthuber said.
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