Venting frustrations over careless classmates

[fatty]

I don't usually like to make venting posts but I'm busting at the seams here.

I've got a presentation to give next Wednesday, 30-40 minutes, on a topic in Canadian defence policy (if you are interested, it is about the 1987 Challenges and Commitments white paper). The presentations summarize the WP but mainly delve into some of the surrounding literature that pursued the WP, critiquing it or building upon it.

So I rolled into the library Friday afternoon to pick up the course reader and start preparing. The course reader is a package of readings assembled by the professor and kept on two hour reserve at the front desk. You can take it, photocopy it, read it, whatever you want, but you must return it within two hours. It contains all the literature that comments on the various topics (including my presentation on the WP).

I asked the clerk to go find it for me. She types a little on her keyboard and then wrinkles her nose. "It's been loaned out." Okay, fair enough. Worst case I will have to kill two hours until whoever has it returns it, but it will probably only be 30-45 minutes. I ask her to check when it is due back... turns out the reader has been overdue since last wednesday at 8:30 PM. As of now that's about 92 hours overdue. There is a second reader, which I assume is a duplicate, which has also been missing since the same time. They charge late fines by the hour, so if somebody has both they're looking at $184 in fines.

Yikes, so I am out of luck for now. I e-mailed the professor Friday evening to ask if he had a copy I could borrow until Wednesday, but no joy yet. It's a graduate level seminar so nobody in the class is so stupid that they'd sign it out and forget or even lose it. Not much I can do for now, can't prepare a presentation without material

[Penelope_Grey]

Well I can only say that its not your fault. You have at least covered your back and tried to discuss it with the professor at least and attempted to sort it out, so given that... You have no reproach I think. You'll just have to hope the library are good at chasing people so you can get it back later and get the reading materials.

[Onkel Neal]

That sounds very frustrating. Irresponsible people, rrrgh.

Now you know that you cannot count on others to be responsible.........welcome to the real world. My suggestion is that you do some internet work on the White Paper and compose your presentation based upon your own interpretation of your research. I don't know your professor, but his readings may be one sided any way.

Do your own thing based on your own investigation. That is real life.

Good luck.

wg

[fatty]

Originally Posted by waste gate

Now you know that you cannot count on others to be responsible.........welcome to the real world. My suggestion is that you do some internet work on the White Paper and compose your presentation based upon your own interpretation of your research. I don't know your professor, but his readings may be one sided any way.

Do your own thing based on your own investigation. That is real life.

Good luck.

wg

Thanks wg. The point of the exercise is to weigh in the (contrasting) arguments presented in the supplementary articles and from there provide your own assessment of them and the original piece. I'm trying to do the best with what I have but we'll just have to see what happens