Scott Kerr: I hope this a joke.  When I read it all I could think was “Hey, you sound like a major a-hole.”

I’m with the author here. Educators must constantly make decisions about whether or not to address the entitlement and narcissism which is undeniably rampant in the current generation of young adults. Many choose to simply ignore inappropriate forms of address in the interest of maintaining smooth interactions, but that doesn’t necessarily prepare our students for expectations in the professional world. Try starting your next job interview with “Hey” and see how that goes.
As for Mr. Kerr, when I read your post all I could think was “Hmm, he didn’t proofread his first sentence.”
 
 

Jonathan Badger: If you respond to “Hello” or “Hi” you should logically respond to “Hey”. “Hey” is really “Hej” (pronounced the same, the “j” is “y”) which means “Hello” in many Scandinavian languages. English is full of such horizontally transferred words…

Really?  You don’t see any difference between, say, “Good day” vs. “Hello” vs. “Hi” vs. “Hey”? — they all mean the same thing, technically.

Morgan Langille: Why are you considering enforcing this policy now that you have tenure? Why not enforce it before if it was that important? Is it a status thing?

No, not a status thing.  And it’s not *that* important.  It’s just one of those minor irritations that you don’t have to put up with once you get tenure.