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

My thesis student was already here today. He had left his software in a disk in my pigeonbox because he said he was going to lunch after waiting for me some time during the morning.

When I passed by in the afternoon before delivering some papers to someone at the gate, he was still there. It turns out he was expecting me to look at the software before he gave the panelists their own copies in the disk.

I'm not the one who asked for the changes, I reminded him. It was the panel. So even if I approve of the additions he made, it's possible that the panel may not. That's why my instructions last Friday was for him to give each of the panelists their own copy for perusal, not to check with me first before giving them their own copies.

He also said his compression software was just an evaluation copy so he couldn't make a self-extracting file. I told him that even his panel would tell him there are other free softwares out there that allow making self-extracting files, rather than accept his excuse.

He asked if he should also make three copies of the final draft to show his panelists. I told him he will have to make three copies eventually for binding. But better to print out one copy now for all of his panel to pass around and approve before binding the copies.

He didn't even know where to get the official paper for binding his thesis, which is at the bookstore.

Lastly, he asked me if, after his panel had all given their signatures for the final copy, he would have to compute for his final grade himself from the grades they give him.

First of all, I told him, I will be the one who will process his change of grade form (he automatically got a zero in the online grade submission when the deadline ran out Friday evening), so he won't be the one to compute his grade.

Second, thesis completion only gets a pass or fail grade now, however the system was when his batchmates finished.

Third, all he has to worry about is getting his software to the panelists for approval.

That's when he started asking me where his panelists were. I told him that's what he has to find out. He knows where they hold office. This student probably won't even think of going to his panelists' house to give his paper if that's what required for him to finish before the deadline.

When I got back to the department after delivering the papers at the gate, he was gone.

I guess his saga really won't be finished until the deadline for change of grades for graduating students, which is on January 5.

That last student in Astronomy also took his finals today, but that's a story for tomorrow.