Ewu Summer List Glitch Registers Groans, Not Students Greeting On Wrong Number Makes A Pass At Those Who Just Want To Make The Grade
Go ahead, just try to call the 800 number listed on the brochure for Eastern Washington University’s summer session.
A sultry-voiced woman breathes heavily and says, “Mmmm-mmm. I’m so glad you found me. My friends and I want you to join us right now. Get in on the action … And get it any way you want it.”
Excuse me? I was just trying to enroll in “Current Issues in Early Childhood Education.”
Robert Herold, EWU’s vice provost of academic affairs, said he knew he had a problem Thursday when a number of perplexed callers contacted the university. They couldn’t figure out what that woman had to do with summer school.
The telephone number showed up in the education department’s summer session brochure, which arrived in mailboxes Thursday.
“They put an 800 number on the flier,” said Herold, who runs the university’s summer sessions. “But it was a number that was apparently used three or four years ago. It’s no longer used by us.”
Boy, is that the truth. It’s used by something called Unite Line, which uses this free number to promote its for-pay number, which deals with - how can we put this? - an entirely different kind of educational experience.
Fortunately for EWU, the 800 number is fairly tame. The taped message consists almost entirely of a woman encouraging the caller to dial the forpay number.
By the way, the people at EWU said the correct number is (800) 999-8363. At least, they think it is.
xxxx Getting it right The correct number is (800) 999-8363.