Classmate asking for a month's worth of notes...?

[Kellydelly]

you can just email her:

"I work for the office of disability services and I am instructed to provide notes for students who have registered with them and meet certain criteria to be assigned a note taker. I didn't get your name on my list of students, if this was an oversight please call the office of disability services at 555-5555 and we'll try to get it worked out."
Honestly that's all I'd say and I'd leave it at that.

This is perfect! I had a fellow classmate in nursing school who would type up notes from our powerpoints and lectures and share them with a few of us before exams. I was not one of her buddies, so I appreciated being included in the few who she gave them to. I never missed a day of class nor didn't take notes myself, hers were just organized in a way that made it easier to study . I would not share notes with someone who you can see doesn't seem to have made an effort, nor are you friends with.

 

[Disney Doll]

Your job is not to provide notes for your class. Your job is to provide a specific service to students who meet criteria set forth by the university's office of disability services.

It is not up to you to determine who meets the criteria, that's up to disability services- but it is also not up to you to decide that someone DOES meet it either. I would just let the office of disability services handle it..what I mean is, you can just email her:

"I work for the office of disability services and I am instructed to provide notes for students who have registered with them and meet certain criteria to be assigned a note taker. I didn't get your name on my list of students, if this was an oversight please call the office of disability services at 555-5555 and we'll try to get it worked out."
Honestly that's all I'd say and I'd leave it at that.

I used to be a note taker as well as doing other work for my university's Office of Disability Services and yes other students DO try to take advantage of services that you are providing to students with disabilities.
They see or hear about you taking notes and giving them to people and they think "awesome, I'll try to get the notes from her and then I don't have to go to class."
Now she may have something that makes it difficult for her, such as dyslexia or anything else but that is not really any of your business, if she starts giving you reasons why she needs your notes I would just refer her to disability services.

Privacy was SO important when I worked for them- when they gave me a list of students who I would take notes for, they did not even tell ME the reason WHY the student needed me. I never knew the student's individual disabilities. I was only providing a service, but the reason why they needed the service was between them and disability services, I was not told any of that due to their right to privacy.
I was also told not to tell anyone else the names on my list. For example I couldn't tell someone, "I'm taking notes for Jen, Rob and Andy, because they're registered with disability services." You know?

So with the girl I wouldn't give out info I would just email her back the part I typed in purple letters are leave it at that.
If she does need the service, then she needs to talk to them about that and not you.
If she doesn't need the service, then she will realize you are not the class note taker. lol

I would do this.
I assume this is a paid job that you don't want to lose.
In that case I wouldn't do something to jeopardize it. If giving your notes out to anyone and everyone would jeopardize your job, then don't do it.
Give this student the explanation stated above and leave it at that.

If she persists, your next statement is "This is my job and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize my job and consequently my income. If you think you qualify based on disability, then get on my list and I'll happily provide you with the notes."

Here's the deal OP. Why she needs the notes isn't any of your concern. Why she missed class for a month isn't any of your concern.

Your concern is what do you have to do to keep your job. Your job is between you & the office of disability services. I wouldn't involve anyone else, including the professor. It's simple....to quailfy for getting your notes, the student has tp be registered with the office of disability services. If she's not registered, she doesn't get them. If she is registered, then you figure out the snafu as to why she's not on your list and you get her on your list and she gets them. If she should be on the list and she's not, this gives her the impetus to get herself on the list.

 

[jgh]

OP are you a registered student in the class yourself (taking it for credit yourself?) If so, how is this different than dealing with a request from any classmate who asks to borrow notes? (That still happens right?) She probably asked you because she knows you are conscientious, take good notes, and type them up.

So just make your decision based on that and decide if you want to give them to her (if you are a fellow student and not just in the class as part of your job). Do you want to help someone who has skipped a lot of classes or do you not?

Yes, I am a registered student. All I do is send my notes to those in class that need them. It isn't really any different from other's asking for my notes, which is the main reason I started the thread. From my experience, people tend to take advantage of the services. I highly doubt it would affect my "job" as a note taker if I sent them.

I don't ever mind helping anyone with a few days of notes. I've just never had anyone ask me for a month's worth. I guess the reason I made the thread was because I felt BAD about feeling angry with her for not attending class and having to send the notes...I also felt bad because I don't know her situation. Though I don't know why I should be angry. I guess I just feel like everyone should put in their own weight, but then again I still don't know her situation.

Hey are you at UGA (noticing your location)? Me too (if you are) I was a notetaker for Disability Services a few semesters ago and this same thing happened to me so many times I lost count, except for me it was people who definitely just couldn't be bothered to come, so my excuse was "Disability pays me to create notes for these students, so I feel uncomfortable giving them out to other people." In this situation that's probably what I'd do. If she were extremely ill or had a family hardship she would have withdrawn by now because I believe they make exceptions to WP/WF rules in those cases.

Yea, it's at UGA. This is a smaller class, so I haven't had too many problems with people asking for notes (a few will send out an email to all the students in the class and I'll forward the notes), it just kind of caught me by surprise that someone would ask for a month's worth of notes. I figure if you're going to miss that much of class you really do need to speak with the teacher (in which case he would have spoken with me about sending her notes, as he has done before) or withdraw. But then again I don't know the situation.

Thanks so much for the input everyone. I know this is a rather awkward thread...but it was just something that frustrated me. I tend to see a lot of people that don't pay attention in other classes and ask for notes later. It's just frustrating. Life is frustrating. What can you do? I will talk to my professor in the morning and see what he thinks I should do.

 

[DVCLiz]

So let me make sure I understand. You took the notes and would have taken them under any circumstances. You don't think this will in any way affect your note taking job. You have the choice to be nice or nasty to this student - it really won't have any real-world consequences to you at all, just a matter of helping out this girl you think has skipped a lot of class.

Really, life's too short. I'd give her the notes and say You're Welcome if she says Thank You. Then move on.

I just think I'd regret being up on my high horse about it later on down the road.

 

[Octoberbride03]

So let me make sure I understand. You took the notes and would have taken them under any circumstances. You don't think this will in any way affect your note taking job. You have the choice to be nice or nasty to this student - it really won't have any real-world consequences to you at all, just a matter of helping out this girl you think has skipped a lot of class.

Really, life's too short. I'd give her the notes and say You're Welcome if she says Thank You. Then move on.

I just think I'd regret being up on my high horse about it later on down the road.

What high horse

Its really not her job to provide notes for every single person in the room. When i was in college i used note takers for my hearing disability. Many times the note takers weren't even assigned to to the class. They got paid to take notes in the class FOR ME AND ONLY ME. I was the only 1 who got those notes. And i had to show on a regular basis to get them.

Life is short, and if i were the OP I'd use 1 of the nice statements given as examples and send it to the requesting student and move on. That particular student needs to learn a new phrase:
"Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine."

 

[branv]

No, I wouldn't give her the notes. She's chosen to not attend class, and is now using you to make life easier for her.

I have a lot of experience with this. When I went back to school, I was a "do over" i.e. went to college at 18, never went to class, failed horribly due to plain and simple laziness. Went back as an older adult, worked my rear off. So I've been on both sides of the coin. I'd still never have done what that girl is doing. And when I was the hard-working student, well over a dozen times I had fellow students try to take advantage of that. My favorite was the person who sent an email the night before a test asking what chapters the test was over and if they could get the notes related to that test. Uh yeah...I don't think so. I never minded handing someone a few notes if they missed a few classes, or helping them edit a fairly complete paper (did that one A LOT), but it almost never ended with that. It almost always escalated. Inevitably, they expected me to do their work for them -- at some point, I don't consider this kind of thing much different than copying someone's answers on a worksheet.

This girl is an adult. If she is having problems that make it hard for her to get to class, she should have already spoken to the professor after the first few absences. If she has problems taking good notes, she could ask for help on organization and note taking. You likely work hard to be a successful student. They should try the same.

So no, don't give her the notes. Don't get mad, don't feel bad; just choose to not be taken advantage of.

 

[DVCLiz]

What high horse

Its really not her job to provide notes for every single person in the room. When i was in college i used note takers for my hearing disability. Many times the note takers weren't even assigned to to the class. They got paid to take notes in the class FOR ME AND ONLY ME. I was the only 1 who got those notes. And i had to show on a regular basis to get them.

Life is short, and if i were the OP I'd use 1 of the nice statements given as examples and send it to the requesting student and move on. That particular student needs to learn a new phrase:
"Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine."

The high horse that says, "I am making a moral judgement about your class attendance and punishing you because of it. I have what you need and I am choosing not to let you have it because I'm making a moral decision about your behavior."

Just my opinion - I'd just give her the notes, maybe roll my eyes, and firm up my policy for next semester. Either make it known that I only provide notes for the disabled students or charge others not on my approved list for the notes.

I just wouldn't make a moral decision about it - I'd just give her the notes and move on. You are allowed to have your own opinion about it, though - just like I am.

 

[tasha99]

I would give the notes and not worry about the reason or the other student's attendance unless the class is graded on a curve. It just wouldn't be worth my time to try to figure out if she "deserved" them or not. I would NOT get the professor involved as that smacks of tattleling, especially if attendance isn't taken. I guess I'm in the minority, though.

 

[DVCLiz]

I would give the notes and not worry about the reason or the other student's attendance unless the class is graded on a curve. It just wouldn't be worth my time to try to figure out if she "deserved" them or not. I would NOT get the professor involved as that smacks of tattleling, especially if attendance isn't taken. I guess I'm in the minority, though.

Me, too.

I'm just looking back on this from a perspective of thirty plus years out of college, thinking, "Gosh, that sounds like something I would have been bent out of shape about - I was pretty self-righteous in those days." Now I would just laugh at myself and think, "What a goody two shoes - why didn't I just give that poor girl the notes?"

 

[RitaZ.]

"I work for the office of disability services and I am instructed to provide notes for students who have registered with them and meet certain criteria to be assigned a note taker. I didn't get your name on my list of students, if this was an oversight please call the office of disability services at 555-5555 and we'll try to get it worked out."
Honestly that's all I'd say and I'd leave it at that.

Excellent response! Professional and non-confrontational.

 

[hereyago]

No I wouldn't. She isn't on the list. She is just trying to catch up for her being a slacker. If.something were going on where she was having personal issues, she could have gone to her professor way earlier.

If you give them to her, then you may be setting yourself up for other slackers to ask you.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

If you take notes for specific students and they have to be qualified with a disability to be on your list, I would not give the notes to any other students. I would direct any student who asks for a month worth of notes to speak with the professor. I would not contact the professor about this particular student. Also, I think I would talk to whomever your supervisor is in the Disability Services Dept. and ask for clarification on other students asking for your notes. If the department says it's not allowed, you can fall back on that for future requests.

 

[SandrA9810]

Do you honestly think a month's worth of notes is going to help her now? Isn't the final a cummulative review? Even my notes don't contain every word the professor says and there would be a lot if missing information. There is one class with a student that has a hearing issue. Her hearing aid picks up on a lot of background classroom chatter. She has a stenotyper type up what the professor says. That person gets paid for only typing what the teacher says.

I wouldn't send them. It's not your problem she missed class. If she has your email back then, she could've asked at the beginning of the month and told why she wasn't going to be there.

 

[RitaE]

If I was just a regular student and they were my notes, then I'd probably share the notes. To be honest, I skipped more than my fair share of classes as an undergrad. Note sharing, and frankly old test sharing were just a standard part of my undergrad life. We all did it and I'm always a little confused when I see the pearl clutching shocks of gasp here when the topic comes up. Tests were pretty much a measurement of learning when I was in college and if you learned the material through whatever set of notes .... well then you learned the material and the box was checked.

But .....since your notes seem to be tied to some sort of job and official process, I can understand why you feel reluctant. I'd just tell her that you really aren't allowed to share those notes outside of official channels and suggest she contact a different classmate.

 

[allison443]

If you take notes for specific students and they have to be qualified with a disability to be on your list, I would not give the notes to any other students. I would direct any student who asks for a month worth of notes to speak with the professor. I would not contact the professor about this particular student. Also, I think I would talk to whomever your supervisor is in the Disability Services Dept. and ask for clarification on other students asking for your notes. If the department says it's not allowed, you can fall back on that for future requests.

I think the OP is also taking the notes for herself-she's a registered student in the class. I don't think she would have this dilemma if a good friend of hers was in the class and asked for the notes, or if she knew the person had a "good reason". I think the dilemma is because this person isn't a friend and only asked OP since she knows OP takes good notes, types them up, etc.

Are you saying OP couldn't share her own notes with a friend in the class if she wanted to?

 

[Tiggeroo]

I would assume the professor has an attendance policy of some sort. Either she has given a valid excuse to stay in the class and giving the notes is acceptable or the notes are not going to help her pass the class. I would give the notes and let it be in the professors hands.

 

[RachaelA]

No way would I give the notes. If she was sick and concerned about the notes, she would have talked to you weeks ago about them. All signs point to her skipping on purpose and just made sure to show up for the mandatory class (the presentation).

Even if you weren't doing this for student disability, I still wouldn't do it. Its not your problem she didn't want to go to class or take the notes.

 

[Erin1700]

If it were for a day or 2, I would gladly share them. But a whole month? NO!
If you do it once, word will spread and you will have her and others asking all the time.

 

[Talking Hands]

Send the notes.

Is she someone registered with disability services? Maybe she doesn't know the 'correct' process.

You don't know what happened and it isn't really your judgement call to make. Maybe her notes were misplaced, maybe her laptop crashed, maybe she was sick, maybe she just blew it off and wants a free ride. My point is, you don't know and it's your "job" to take the notes and provide them when asked. I'm not sure I'd give a fellow student my medical information or a 'reason.' I need them, you have them.

I have to disagree. The OP is note taker for students registered with disability services and is only obligated to give notes to those students. In order to get those notes they must be attending classes on a regular basis and paying attention to the prof. Whatever the disability (CP, deaf, blind, MD) there is a reason that person is unable to take notes for themselves. Now if the professor asks for the notes (many do). it is up to the student to contact the professor to get the notes and explain why they need the notes.
Then it is up to the professor to decide to give or not to give.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I think the OP is also taking the notes for herself-she's a registered student in the class. I don't think she would have this dilemma if a good friend of hers was in the class and asked for the notes, or if she knew the person had a "good reason". I think the dilemma is because this person isn't a friend and only asked OP since she knows OP takes good notes, types them up, etc.

Are you saying OP couldn't share her own notes with a friend in the class if she wanted to?

As stated in the original post, the OP acts as a note taker for students with disabilities. She has been directed by the Disabilities Services dept. to type up the notes and provide them to disabled students who have qualified for assistance through the department and are on the list to receive special services. The student in question is not on the list and did not attend class for a month. A note taker for disabled students is not obligated to provide notes to anyone other than those on her list. She can if she wants to, but she is wrestling with the decision as indicated in her post. My opinion is that she should direct the student to the professor, and get clarification on the policies related to her job from the Disabilities Services dept. for future reference.