Good luck on your final, yikes I bet that is a tough one! Maybe be could start a review

drnick07,

As a former mailroom worker I have to thank you for all the positive comments that you made about the service and advice you received at the mailroom. ALthough it is TERRIBLE that this was taken away this is something that has been threatened for years! When I arrived in Grenada over 4 years ago the threat was there. So this is definitely a long issue finally coming to heads.

On a positive note, I would like to just add although the extra money was nice to have, the mailroom job is not going to MAKE or BREAK the decision of having him or her come down. THe 1st two terms I was there I made $6 US/ hour and only worked 2 days a week- 8 hour shifts. THat's a whopping $96 a week and you ONLY have to go to work two days a week...... The managers / asst manager made slightly more with a few more hours but there's only 1 mgr and 1 asst and 4 other staff members.

Yes, that's better then NOTHING but for those up and coming SO's don't let this get you too upset there's other ways to make a few bucks.As far as "keeping Busy" there are plenty of things you could get involved in. TONS of volunteer opportunities and if you're ambitious and/or creative you may find other ways to make money. I spread my name around campus for babysitting....I babysat for some profs and also for alumni or visiting prof who brought their families. I also started a playgroup for preschool aged children and accepted "donations" for my time and supplies (that is still up and running now). I had a friend who made creative artwork from calabash and sold them to students (he made as much as I did working in the mailroom). I also knew girls in the beauty industry who made some extra bucks.....one bought a pair of clippers and would cut hair in her apt....she was busy and made good money. ANother brought stuff to do manicures, pedicures and waxing. SHe also worked out of her apt and was BUSY! You have to be low key but word about American customer service gets around FAST! Plus there still are the other jobs on campus....DES demonstrators and tutors, calling students, Physican Extenders (must be a nurse or paramedic) and when I was there they hired SO's during orientation week.

Don't get me wrong, it is very upseting that the SO's lost this....both for students and SOs. It will NEVER be the same. With SO's in there it truly was run by the students too. We always got the tests and notes from our hubbies and their friends. We knew from them studying and using the study guides what was good and what wasn't!! WHose going to supply that stuff now??? It won't be the same. Are students going to trust Grenadians to leave there DVD's with them??? I don't think so and that was a GREAT system. And of course, we ALWAYS had the scoop! I was just trying to shed a positive light on a negative situation that is beyond our control.....it's a done deal. Would it be too positive to say there are some decent Grenadians....Frank the courier who got all the students' packages was dependable and efficient and I had a GREAT maid!

To the future SO's..... go with a positive attitude and you'll get positive results.

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SO of 3rd year SGU student

It is unfortunate that the SO's are losing their jobs. Many of my friends on the island had SO's who worked in the mailroom etc. They provided us with a great service in a way that no Grenadian can.
That being said, I don't want people to get the wrong idea about Grenadians. There are some who understand the meaning of "on-time" and "service with a smile". One has to remember that you can't expect "good ole american" service when you're outside of America. You can't expect the rest of the world to stop and cater to you just because you're american. There have been some negative things said about Grenadians in previous posts and I think we owe them a little bit more respect than that. Remember that we're visitors in their country.
Even so, I think the administration is making a HUGE mistake if they take away the jobs that SO's have in the mailroom. A grenadian cannot handle the responsibility of those jobs and would not understand the importance and convenience of those services to students. It would be another source of frustration for students on the island. This seems like such a trivial thing to anyone looking in from the outside but understand that the mailroom provided services like: transcribing class notes; which are of utmost importance for some classes (whose profs base alot of the exam questions on what is said in class). They also provided convenient services like package pick-ups etc which can save the student alot of wasted time and hassle (which could be spent studying)
Anyway, that's my 2 cents.... SGU's admin makes some really stupid decisions at times and this seems to be one of them (if it is true).

HG

sgu administration may be under political pressures you and I are not aware of. I agree its a very poor decision for the well-being of the medical students, but there may be more to it than mere whim. As for the commentary regarding Grenadians, that was just surreal.

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

First off....Congrats Steph! A round of applause to you. You deserve it. Now on the comment on Grenadians, of course not all grenadians are "as described in previous post, but you know what, it is sad to say most are. My land lord was Grenadian, but spent most of her life and was educated in England. They came back just a few years ago, and were disgusted with the hospitality of their culture. Ya, not every place is America, but most of the world is "Americanized". An American Eagle pilot said it best, the Island is beautiful, the people are not!" THe caribbean is just a different place.

Your oppinion's are shaped by your experiences with them. I had a dell laptop stolen, Camcorder, $$, you name it. My wife woke-up one night when I was gone studying with 2 "locals" just stariing at her in her underwear ( in her room), and when police were called, we she got the, "Sorry ma'am can't leave my post". Geeze glad she wasn't raped or anything. AAAhhhh the memories, just love those people. Give me chills just thinking about them. But with the help of intense psycho therapy, and a little Paxil, where over it.....

There are other things for SO's to do, it's the students who will suffer most. Who do you think brought all the merchandise into the country. The SO's when they came for x-mas break or start of the semester. Try getting the nice pencils and pens in down town St. George's......and good luck getting your packages now. But students will survive. they always do.

The money was a little better than 96 US a week. It paid my rent every month. that is huge. But who cares anymore. Like Steph said, the school was pressured, and they caved (probably had to). Just wait, DES is next. You know its only a matter of time!

i have to say that actually i found most grenadians very nice. Not out-going friendly, certainly much more reserved than americans and most europeans but perfectly nice. Are there low-lifes? Absolutely; i see them also here in baltimore and in nyc; also in dublin where i spend time. Scummy people. The difference? In nyc and baltimore im in my culture- its not a strange place where i feel like the different one and so i dont take the acts of a small group of folks to be representative of the norm. Now I agree things have changed in the last 10 years for the worse- Grenada is going through what my husband insists ireland (mostly dublin) went through a few years ago (and still is) and what I know nyc did in the 60's and 70's where there is a breakdown of the old intact mores and frankly- and youll love this- its in large part to the "americanization" you've talked about. There is small scale corruption etc. But you know what? americans come across as ugly for our differences as sometimes grenadians do to americans.

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

You've seen low-life grenadians in dublin? haha

andy

What can i say; they get around.

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

You can't say Grenada is "Americanized" until they open up a McDonald's.

speaking of which I had a McGriddle today. it was nasty, the goooood kind of nasty

andy