How I was almost barred from going abroad...

Text Message:
From: Mommy!
Received: Thursday, Jun 10 1:04pm
Message: "Urgent ur application to study in ghana has be rescinded...letter received today"

Kenyon almost got burnt the hell down.

I called the Kenyon Office of Global Engagement after receiving this text message. It was 1:06pm when I made the phone call. I had a rehearsal at 1:00pm (more on the show I'm working on in a later post).

Anyone who knows me knows that it takes a lot for me to be late to a rehearsal.

I called, and the conversation went like this:

Scene: Lobby of NYU Tisch School for the Arts. Rainy Thursday Afternoon. The room is filled with the chatter of artsy NYU theatre & film students.

Jamal (attempting to be calm/cool): Hi, this is Jamal Jordan. My mother got a letter today saying that you rescinded my OCS [Off-Campus Study] approval? Could you...explain this please?
Person on Phone: Yes. I have your file right here, actually. It says that your GPA for this semester is too low.
Jamal: But my GPA is [none of YOUR damn business, dear reader].
Person on Phone: Well, according to our records, your GPA is 2.23.
Jamal: ...That's not my GPA.

Then I called the Registrar.

Jamal: Hi,the OCS office has the wrong GPA for me. They say my GPA is 2.23. It's not 2.23. Could you fix it?
Person on Phone: I'm sorry, I don't understand.
Jamal: The OCS office has the wrong GPA for me. I assume it's your fault. Fix it. [I didn't say those actually words, but that's effectively what I said...]
Person on Phone: If you purchase another transcript, we can send it to them, and that should--
Jamal: No thank you. Bye.

Then I called the Center for Global Engagement again.

Jamal: Hi, I just called you 10 minutes ago.
Person on Phone: Yes, I remember.
Jamal: I'm panicking. Is there anything I can do while I wait for someone who can actually help me to show up?
Person on Phone: No there isn't.
Jamal: Ummm...
Person on Phone: Okay. Bye!

Eventually (15 painful minutes later), they fixed it.

I still don't know how they thought my GPA was 2.23.