MMU: Student complaints
Friday, August 26th, 2005 | 5:53 pm @ SK
[UPDATED VERSION] Multimedia University (MMU) is in the wrong limelight, again.
This time, student ELKJ complained about the terrible condition in MMU while student MJL is not satisfied with staff sub-standard service.
However, one good samaritan, who is also an MMU student (or probably one of the MMU staff) wrote in and refuted their allegations.
As for me, I choose to believe that this is a very much case-to-case basic. Afterall, we can’t expect perfect service from every staff in MMU.
You might be right to say that the condition is terrible or probably feel irked by the personal experience, however to undermine MMU reputation in such an irresponsible way is unacceptable, at least in my definition.
As a graduate of MMU, I would like to propose a simple suggestion to the above duo, which is to lodge formal email complaints to the president Ghauth Jasmon, who can be reached here.
Reason wise
Previously during the Bosch scholarship fiasco and wrong faculty admission issue, I commmunicated with the president through email and he responded almost immediately, a privilege which you’ll hardly get to experience in public university.
I’ve to compliment him on his handling over those issues and I believe he will take their complaints seriously if its proven to be true. Afterall, I have trust into president Ghauth that he has the heart,vision and sincerity in working towards creating one of the best university in Malaysia.
As a graduate, I’m proud of him, for the fact that, not even the Government is as spontaneous as him and this is something that they must learn from him.
Less selfish
Now, back to my junior, just be less selfish, will do?
By all means, I really mean it.
*************************
I decided to email the president for further clarification dated Friday, August 26, 2005 1:38 AM. Below is the reply that I received, published with his consent:
From: Ghauth Jasmon (Cyberjaya)
To: SK
Date: 26-Aug-2005 14:52
Subject: Re: Student complaints at Malaysiakini (URGENT)
SK,Thank you so much for your efforts to assist MMU in the onslaught. I deeply appreciate your good heart.As you might know, I will do anything to put right what is wrong. I will also do my utmost best to give more to the student community. If the complainant would see there is an ongoing RM150 million physical development project in Cyberjaya which when completed will give students more eating places, more gym, more rest areas, swimming pool, more library space etc. Not only that, we keep purchasing new text books and subscribe to new journals costing us millions each year. Do they wonder where we get the money from, it is our reserve and bank borrowings!There are problems in the toilets but the origin of the problems are known. Vandalism remains a big headache for us. However I must admit that our staff are far from perfect, neither are all great. But we do go after the underperforming if evidence is given.But be rest assured that despite all the criticisms, we will go on to maintain and make better the facilities for students. We will not be disheartened. It may interest you to know that after nine years running this university I discovered one thing about humans i.e. take one thousand humans and you will find at least one but not more than two that will have reason to be unhappy about anything and they will shout real loud, and sound loudest. At the same time, you will find at least ten who will report the same problem at a courteous decibel level. However, the most interesting about all this is that if you are lucky enough to get the one who shout loudest to sit and talk with you for half an hour, they will at the end of the conversation, leave probably shaking hand with you, smiling a little and thinking much more.Above all, thank you so much for your explanation. The management is not very keen to reply as it may be misconstrued like we like to defend ourselves whenever there is a complaint.Best wishes.Ghauth.
With this reply, I believe the matter should have been laid to rest.
What you think?
August 26th, 2005 at 6:02 pm
go Ghauth~!
All human beings are like that.. they tend to look at the bad things and disregard the good things.. No one is perfect, but i do hope things will get better..
August 26th, 2005 at 6:38 pm
Agree with SK that Prof Ghauth has his heart in developing MMU. Which can be seen that he is reachable by email, prompt response and i personally believe this experience you only get from MMU.
We need to see an incident from two sides. Many people (maybe the authority?) say WE MALAYSIAN only can foresee the bad side, so stop complain, but me myself think that it is undeniable that there are some staff who are not doing their job, or maybe too focus on their job, until you can feel that they sounds so powerful and you must agree and follow their instruction.
During my times, there is no issue such as PTPTN borrowers get barred because of the late payment by PTPTN. One of the reason i can think of is, maybe the junior has sign the ‘Document’ asking PTPTN pay to the student instead of MMU?
To the student: Din’t MMU told you the consequences after signing the ‘document’?
To MMU: Can’t you be more tolerating on this issue? You know when PTPTN transfer the money, right?
for the rest, lets hope for a better tomorrow, at least i believe Prof Ghauth will do it for MMU.
Cheers
:)
August 26th, 2005 at 10:33 pm
a similar reply is here (with reference to the same letter).
another thing i’d like to note - the finance counter in the STC building is crap. it can’t accept credit cards although credit cards are supposed to be one of the methods of payment.
as a result, my tuition fees couldn’t be paid on that day. fine, i thought - probably the telephone-line was down, or whatever.
to my surprise, the next day the same thing happened to my friend who tried to pay by credit card. consequently, no payment was made.
i went to the bank and withdrew THOUSANDS of ringgit in cash, and deposited into MMU account, all done in the BCB bank on campus. it was smooth and swift, all done now.
abit inconvenient, considering u have to result in such a measure. i dropped my bank-in slip at the finance counter so that they can issue me an official MMU receipt. I went to the finance counter more than 24 hours AFTER i dropped my bank-in slip.
To my horror, the lady ‘conveniently’ said “system down lah, boleh dtg balik isnin depan”? WHAT THE FUCK?!
Finance Dept, buck up will ya? Got money to pay also difficult. Late payments will result in us having to join hundreds of other lastminute students who wanna avoid getting barred from finals. As students (if i may also add, CUSTOMERS), we can’t do anything but tolerate such inconvenience.
No choice. MMU must be laughing by now.
August 26th, 2005 at 11:54 pm
This is the first time a president of any organization personally and prompt reply to a complain…in fact this is also what I need to learn. I dont even reply my customers that soon.
Coming from MMU myself, I can see there are a lot of things that is not up to its standard. But somehow I choose to see the good side of things and voila! There is so many good things indeed. Because we choose to look at the bad of things that we never see the good of things.
Before we complain about the labs, let us give a chance to the admin and perhaps you will understand this
“RM150 million physical development project in Cyberjaya…gym, more rest areas, swimming pool, more library space etc..Do they wonder where we get the money from, it is our reserve and bank borrowings”
If we keep thinking the couple of thousands we pay is a great deal, perhaps we might want to sit down and calculate the expenditure and extension cost of the uni. Your lecturers and those admin ppl that serve you need to eat you know!
Maybe the next time we complain abt graffiti and broken toilet, we might wanna look into
“Vandalism remains a big headache for us.”
To me, all my 4 yrs in MMU was great fun. I have great time with my lecturers, I choose to be frenzly with the admins which in my case not getting barred for no reasons and I have my PTPTN creditted correctly. I have a great time studying. In fact, I am kinda missing my times back in MMU!
Perhaps we might want to compliments (as a way to motivate them) what a great job the staffs have been doing sorting out payment, exams, stud affairs and etc for the thousands of students each semester and every year.
Rather than harping on the one or two mistakes that they made. Hey! dont tell me you never make any mistakes. And hey, if you kept focusing on the bad apples, no wonder you are not satisfied with anything, just like what prof said
“take one thousand humans and you will find at least one but not more than two that will have reason to be unhappy about anything and they will shout real loud, and sound loudest”
and by doing that, will you make it better! Are you motivating or demotivating? Think? Will you say things like what Prof said, despite all adversity,“We will not be disheartened” or are you the one who will already started to complain?
Last but not least, after hearing from Prof himself, I really motivated that I was once his student for from the msg, it is clear that he is a charismatic and he knows what he is doing.
Here I would like to thank him for sparking the entreprenuership in me for I remembered that he is the one who told me (actually the whole hall) during a technoprenuer conference that he will looking forward to create more technoprenuer and entreprenuer, and that is real motivation!
August 31st, 2005 at 10:44 pm
Yepp…hope that Prof Ghauth will keep his words….