Graduate Summer Session Epi | U of Michigan Mug Gift

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the experience of receiving a mug from the University of Michigan, which commemorates a Graduate Summer Session in Epidemiology, along with a note indicating that a certificate can be requested. Participants share their thoughts on the unusual nature of receiving a mug instead of a certificate and reflect on their own experiences with summer courses.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant humorously suggests that the mug could serve as a substitute for a certificate in future discussions about education.
  • Another participant expresses surprise at the decision to send a mug instead of a certificate, questioning the practicality of the choice.
  • Some participants speculate that the university may be trying to clear out excess inventory of mugs.
  • A participant recounts a previous experience where they received a certificate at a party, contrasting it with the current situation.
  • One participant shares their positive experience with the summer session, mentioning a personal connection to the subject matter.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the wording in the thread title and playful banter regarding the mug and its implications.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that sending a mug instead of a certificate is unusual, but there is no consensus on the reasoning behind this decision. Multiple competing views on the appropriateness of the university's actions are present.

Contextual Notes

There is uncertainty regarding the process for obtaining the certificate and whether it implies enrollment in the course or completion of it. Some participants express confusion about the nature of the mug's distribution.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in academic traditions, university practices, or those who have experienced similar situations with educational institutions may find this discussion relevant.

hypatia
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Today in the mail came a mug from U of Michigan.
On the mug says...Graduate Summer Session in Epidemiology. And a short note with it says ..a certificate will be sent on request. So if I don't send for it, years down the road, if anyone asks me about continued schooling..I just show them the mug!
Do other schools do this?



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:devil: Hits hypatia on the back of the head with her mug.

Glad it was only a ceramic mug. :smile:
 
jeez, yea a steel mug would of killed me! But honestly, the last time I took a summer course, they had a little party and handed you the cert. They could send me a mug, but not a 8x10 piece of paper?


{crosses Teddy Ruxpin off the list}
 
hypatia said:
{crosses Teddy Ruxpin off the list}
:cry: :cry: :cry:

NOOOOO!

I just hit you out of relief that you hadn't been actually harmed. :rolleyes:

It is pretty funny that they sent a mug and no certificate. They couldn't have packed them together?

<send Evo a Ruxpin>
 
Evo said:
:cry: :cry: :cry:

NOOOOO!

I just hit you out of relief that you hadn't been actually harmed. :rolleyes:

It is pretty funny that they sent a mug and no certificate. They couldn't have packed them together?

<send Evo a Ruxpin>


Oh I see, I was wacked cause I wasen't actually..ummm wacked?
Ok your back on the good girl list.:rolleyes:
 
Sounds like they're in a hurry to get rid of them.
 
:smile: That's the oddest thing I've ever heard. They'll go through all the trouble and expense of mailing a mug, but not a certificate that could have been tucked inside a normal envelope? Maybe they tried selling the mugs to last year's class and realized they just have to give them away to clear out the closet space they're taking up. :smile:
 
Hmm Maybe some high pressure mug saleman got to them.:smile:

does it say "made in china" on the bottom of the mug?
 
When you title your thread, "I've been muged!", what do you expect us to think?!

All I could think was, "I never even huged her!" And that just really buged me. I thought, "I would have luged a sled down an ice coated chute to have seen her."

Then my dog tuged on my ear and I snapped out of it.
 
  • #10
hypatia said:
Ok your back on the good girl list.:rolleyes:
You've gone dyslexic again. That should read "Okay, you're on the list of girls who are good on their backs."
 
  • #11
got any extra mug ?:eek:
 
  • #12
hypatia said:
Today in the mail came a mug from U of Michigan.
On the mug says...Graduate Summer Session in Epidemiology. And a short note with it says ..a certificate will be sent on request.
I don't get it. Did you actually take this course, or is it some kind of ad for the course? Like, if you send in for the certificate do you get enrollment papers, or did you actually already complete the course?
 
  • #13
Yep, took it over the summer, it was a fantastic session. I became interested after someone I know contracted, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
 
  • #14
hypatia said:
Yep, took it over the summer, it was a fantastic session. I became interested after someone I know contracted, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
God, that's tragic.

Anyway, to be sent a mug with the notice that your certificate will only be sent upon request is just plain weird.
 
  • #15
zoobyshoe said:
Anyway, to be sent a mug with the notice that your certificate will only be sent upon request is just plain weird.
Hey, it's the U of M - what did you expect? Reasonable behavior? :rolleyes:

When will these people learn?
 
  • #16
Gokul43201 said:
Hey, it's the U of M - what did you expect? Reasonable behavior? :rolleyes:

When will these people learn?
:smile: Fortunately I was only there for a post-doc and managed to escape with my sanity, but only after I entered a recovery program in Ohio. :smile:
 

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