« By Jean Chretien | Main | Apology Not Included»
October 15, 2002
Seething, Blinding Rage
Today at 2:00 pm, my STV assignment is due. Basically it's analyzing how technology can help reduce social isolation among the homeless. We were strongly encouraged to work in pairs. I never liked working in pairs on assignments with people I don't know. You can't assume they care as much about getting a good mark as you do. Worse yet, they don't immediately know I'm always right, and try to argue, only to be proven wrong by my superior sense of logic.
Ok, that last bit doesn't happen all that often, but you get my point.
So I decided to team up with this computer engineering student, who will remain nameless, lest she reads this blog (fat chance) and attacks me with some sort of soldering equipment. Anyway, we had discussed it in class, and divvied up the work. We traded email addresses and went on our separate ways. Last Tuesday she sent me her point form notes. I commented, and gave her my phone number. On Saturday I got an email from her stating that she had lost my previous email and wanted me to reiterate what I had said. Fine. The next email I got from her was yesterday. Here's an excerpt:
"Hi. Did you receive my part? I emailed it on saturday night. I think it had about 1400 words. With 3 illustrations."
But I wouldn't know, since I never received it! So I emailed her back. Three times. No reply. This morning I got desperate. I looked her up in the phone book and called. No answer. Not even an answering machine. That's when my right eye started twitching.
So I called the course marker. When I told her who I was, and explained the situation, she replied with "How did you get this number?" I told her I looked her up on the university website. Apparently I was calling her at her other job. I apologized profusely (even though I had little choice but to call her). She told me that I should have had better contact with my partner. However, I was not in the mood to be lectured on the dynamics of group work. She then told me that she will not penalize a late assignment and sent me on my way. I only hope she wasn't just trying to get rid of me.
There are three things I hate about my university life: group partners with no work ethic, teaching assistants who are too busy to deal with students, and paying $150 for a textbook that the used bookstore won't buy because it's no longer used in any course. But that's another rant.