Astronomy Lab Rules (long)

[StarSong]

I feel your pain! For my grad school assistantship, I had to teach a music appreciation class to undergrads. All of their homework assignments (reading, mostly) were listed on the syllabus. I told them that just about every day the first week of class.

Fast forward to the first test. A kid comes up to me and asks,

K: Will the test be based off the material in the textbook?
Me: Yes, as well as the lectures.
K: Uh, well... I don't have my textbook anymore. I sold it back to the bookstore.
Me: Why?
K: Well, I thought we didn't need it?
Me: Why?
K: We didn't have any reading assignments so I assumed we didn't need it.
Me: Yes you did.
K: Well you never told us!
Me: They. Are. In. The. SYLLABUS!
K: I don't want to buy it back!! Can I borrow yours?!
Me: No!
K: Why not?
Me: First of all, I need it to make your test. Second of all, because having your textbook is YOUR responsibility. Third, because it's not my problem that you didn't pay attention in class!

Sorry if that was a thread jack...

[looney_librarian]

Well the good news is that Fedex is reimbursing the university for the broken mirror. All it took was for Erskine Bowles to call the Fedex CEO. Now all we have to do is wait for a new one.

[Soulstealer]

I'm actually going to be a TA for a professor this fall and I'm excited about it. Thanks for telling me what to watch out for.

Luckily I'm a poli sci major so they can't break any telescopes. Although if they do that will be interesting explanation to hear. (I'm claiming freak accident and a solid alibi)

[Metody]

At my department office we will leave at 5:00, so they can either turn in a half finished assignment or they can not turn it in at all.

Sometimes a teacher will give students a due time earlier in the day (3:30 is common). We time stamp everything, so we'll get kids who are ten minutes late begging us to write down an earlier time. Yeah, we don't do that.

I'm also one of the office workers, as it happens. We, alas, don't timestamp things. There are times I wish we did.

Since I often have classes at 6, I've stayed over a few times for when professors urgently need something copied or an important phone call is about to come in - but never more than fifteen minutes. The professors are very good about that.

The students....not so much. I've actually been yelled at by people for, you know, working the hours I'm paid for. I especially love it when they say they'll close it up after I've left. Right.