Maybe I shouldn't have started this blog now, not with everything that's been going on.

It’s the day before the deadline for the change of grades of graduating students.

It’s the day my thesis advisee is supposed to re-defend his thesis that he last presented August 21.

It’s 12 noon, and there’s no word from him, the only thesis advisee I know who consults by phone and asks for his adviser’s availability over the phone instead of showing up at the department.

Granted, it is his only subject left, so he has no other reason to go to school. Can’t he get my schedule from the secretary or leave a note as to his purpose? Besides, showing up has its own merits in itself. Phoning it in screams “minimum effort.” And I don’t expect this from a guy who lives less than 15 minutes from the campus.

He can complain that I wasn’t there for him when he wanted me to proofread his new paper chapter by chapter last Friday, right here in one of the computers in school as soon as he typed it. I don’t know if there is a precedent for that, but I don’t like the fact that he’s asking me to be there for him when, other than the times his panel demanded it, I never asked him for a deadline when he should submit things to me. I just figured that the more time he has to do these things, the better supposedly his output would be.

Besides, to give him more time to work on his revision, I decided that I will see his papers at the same time as the panel will.

Except that even for re-defense, he’s supposed to give the paper at least 24 hours before the scheduled defense. And that means last Saturday, unless he goes to the residences of all his panelists.

One of his panelists waived that requirement off as long as he shows up before noon, when she is getting out of the office, she told me.

The chairman of the department (and his panel) was in his office all morning also.

As far as I’m concerned that means he has to re-enroll for next term, because I doubt if the chairman will allow him to defend tomorrow morning and get his change of grade processed in the afternoon.

If he shows up here this afternoon I will tell him to submit his paper to the panelists already so that he can also ask them if they are available for defense tomorrow morning.

I wonder if this will degenerate into the parents coming over here to ask why their son hasn’t graduated yet, or why he wasn’t given a passing grade.

One of my co-teachers is going through something like that right now, with the vice dean of the college (our colleague and former vice-chair) involved.

I’ll give all of the details of that tomorrow, as well as any updates on my thesis advisee and if he shows up or fails to do so.