The Vent and Rant Thread

[tirsales]

For the last several month I was working on my study thesis / student research project - a study thesis is kind of a small diploma thesis that I need to accomplish before I start working on my diploma thesis. Normally its a relatively small project - perhaps comparable to a bachelor thesis done for 3 month in part time.
Well - I worked 11 month nearly full time on mine. Its several tens of thousands lines of source code in a relatively complex project. Compared to any published software in this area its faster, more flexible and computes (at least) comparable results. Of course I dont know whether there is some unpublished software out there which is faster.
My idea (and agreed with my tutor) was that I will continue working on this project in my diploma thesis. Well .. first my tutor got another job in a foreign city (this means the project will be harder to do, but still possible), then he told me (in a subordinate clause in an email discussing something different) that this diploma thesis will not be possible (for administrative reasons).
No sorry, no bad luck, just the simple statement.
Well - I tried to get another tutor for this project - and yesterday afternoon I had a meeting with another lecturer from my university (not the first time I tried to meet said lecturer). During the meeting the telephone rang, the lecturer answered (I went out of the office, dont want to disturb). Roughly 90 minutes (of waiting outside) later I was called back in and we settled for a new appointment next week - but: I will not be able to continue my original project.
Why is this really annoying me? Because I worked very hard and long for this project. Because I know that now this project will go to waste - noone will continue it. Because I wanted to continue with another study next semester - but this wont be possible now (a new project means that I will first have to find one, then train myself with it, then work on it - more time then continuing the existing project... and I dont have that time. Not after working for too long on my study thesis).
It would not need much to get this software really good - its already parallelized and network-enabled. It needs some (small) changes to be fully cluster-enabled and it need a better GUI (already has GUI, UI and network interface). As I need to continue with another project I dont have the time to do this.
There were some other annoying points yesterday afternoon, but really it breaks down to: Last chance to continue this project gone, much work gone to waste, last chance to continue my study next semester (or next year for that matter) gone.

[Curly]

Oh no! That is very upsetting and very unfair. Is there a higher authority at the university you can appeal to? So you will not be allowed to continue the course until you have completed your thesis? Would you like me to come over and yell at them?!

[tirsales]

Oh and my dog has just barfed on the carpet.
It's not her fault: we have several small machine-washable carpets from IKEA (really not expensive). Originally they were bought for the dog to get a better grip on the floor, when she was a whelp (the floor is a bit slick, and puppies have some problems with floors like that). When she barfed as a whelp we trained her to go for those carpets.. Less work then cleaning anything else.
Problem is: We have a nice, hand-woven carpet made from my grandmother. And guess which carpet she aimed for today.
Oh well ... carpet is carpet in a dogs world, and she means no harm. Still *sigh*

[ravenne]

O no, tirsales That's really annoying! I can empathize with you. And you won't give it another try, will you? It seems as if everyone you're talking to is just too busy to really listen, so maybe another try would work (meet the guy, lock the door, cut his phone wire, gag and tie him so he won't be able to interrupt )

[tirsales]

Originally Posted by Curly

Oh no! That is very upsetting and very unfair. Is there a higher authority at the university you can appeal to? So you will not be allowed to continue the course until you have completed your thesis? Would you like me to come over and yell at them?!

Thanks
There is no higher authority - whether or not a diploma thesis is accepted is up to the tutor. If he says "no" you can either look for another one (already did so) or get another topic. (Yelling at them might help )

Originally Posted by ravenne

O no, tirsales That's really annoying! I can empathize with you. And you won't give it another try, will you? It seems as if everyone you're talking to is just too busy to really listen, so maybe another try would work (meet the guy, lock the door, cut his phone wire, gag and tie him so he won't be able to interrupt )

I will give it another try next week, but I dont see much chances. At least this times it will be before his normal consultation-hour starts and with (hopefully) fewer interruptions.
As for cutting the phone wire and tieing him up - you intrigue me

[ravenne]

Originally Posted by tirsales

Thanks
There is no higher authority - whether or not a diploma thesis is accepted is up to the tutor. If he says "no" you can either look for another one (already did so) or get another topic. (Yelling at them might help )

O dear, I'm so sorry. And we can't bribe (oooops, I mean persuade him) with anything?

[GeoffC]

tirsales,
If I may say, you write rather calmly about this !!!!

Your original tutor took on a commitment to you and the university - they should not be allowed to duck this responsibility, on at least moral and ethical grounds....
In this technological age you should not accept the argument about 'administrative reasons'....

I wish you all the hope that you can get this sorted without losing all your time and effort.....Go kick butt !

[tirsales]

Originally Posted by ravenne

O dear, I'm so sorry. And we can't bribe (oooops, I mean persuade him) with anything?

Well, the original tutor has moved and there is not much that can be done about this .. the administration of the university could perhaps be bribed to accept an external tutor, but apparently not from a city 700km away with a tutor working in a non-university institution.
I'm still trying to get another tutor on this project, but it might be hard

Originally Posted by GeoffC

tirsales,
If I may say, you write rather calmly about this !!!!

I'm trying hard to actually stay calm. Writing about it in a non-calm way won't help, so I'm doing my best to write calmly

Your original tutor took on a commitment to you and the university - they should not be allowed to duck this responsibility, on at least moral and ethical grounds....
In this technological age you should not accept the argument about 'administrative reasons'....

Perhaps I misstated this - the administration of the university and the deanery of my faculty wont accept an external tutor (some exceptions are possible, but the list (apparently) is closed .. (A rule that, for whatever reasons, got changed February 2009)). I guess it might be possible to get this thesis accepted if my tutor really worked towards it (e.g. applying some pressure towards the dean and telling him about the work done so far) - but he is apparently unwilling to do so.

I wish you all the hope that you can get this sorted without losing all your time and effort.....Go kick butt !

Thanks

[GeoffC]

Let me guess, Feb 2009 was before you started your project ....

Surely you have mitigating circumstances to demand a satisfactory outcome, even if on the financial waste of the past 11 months - to you and the Uni?

[tirsales]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

Let me guess, Feb 2009 was before you started your project ....

It was before I was able to start working on my diploma thesis and way after I started working on the study thesis.

Surely you have mitigating circumstances to demand a satisfactory outcome, even if on the financial waste of the past 11 months - to you and the Uni?

I dont think so - neither has he an obligation to accept my thesis, nor has the university (in addition my original tutor never worked for the university, just for an institution that worked hand-in-hand with the uni). If he was willing to "fight for this thesis" it might be possible to get the deanery to accept the thesis, but there is no way to force him to do so .. (And of course if he is unwilling, the deanery will not accept this thesis .. external tutorship is an exception).
I simply thought that he would tell me in advance if he was going to move before my thesis ends/starts (I'd consider this only fair) and that he already cleared the external tutorship with the deanery prior to telling me "yeah, its fine. You can continue." (Its his job to do so ..). Oh well ... spilled milk an all that.

[Wetdogeared]

Originally Posted by tirsales

I simply thought that he would tell me in advance if he was going to move before my thesis ends/starts (I'd consider this only fair) and that he already cleared the external tutorship with the deanery prior to telling me "yeah, its fine. You can continue." (Its his job to do so ..). Oh well ... spilled milk an all that.

tirsales, this is awful news, but I'm impressed with how you are handling it. I hope all your avenues of continuing the project are not closed. You're original tutor really left you in the lurch. I'm assuming he no longer has any standing or influence at his last job or he *should* be obliged to offer you some assistance in finding a new tutor or persuading the dean that you can continue.

I hate to see any good work go to waste. I hope you will be able to continue this project to completion.

(When your story first started, I thought the ending was going to be that your tutor stole your thesis as his own; this has been known to happen).

WDE

[zelda_pinwheel]

oh little not-hedgehog, i am really sorry for you. that would make me furious. i am glad you are trying to stay calm because i'm sure you can be more efficient that way, but i agree with ravenne, you should fight for this thesis, you have spent so much time and energy on it already it would really be a shame to see it go to waste. i think you should follow her advice, lock yourself in the office with a tutor who could help you, don't let him answer the phone or talk to anyone until you have convinced him. good luck ! halte die Ohrensteif !!

[tirsales]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i think you should follow her advice, lock yourself in the office with a tutor who could help you, don't let him answer the phone or talk to anyone until you have convinced him.

Those offices are awfully small! And staying several hours in the office with an university lecturer? *shudder*

No, I will not let this be rejected so easily, but I guess I better start searching another thesis.

good luck ! halte die Ohrensteif !!

Merci beaucoup Will do

25 to go

[vivaldirules]

I'm with Zelda, not-hedgehog - keep trying. But even if you lose, you should keep your thoughts on other ways you can use what you've learned and worked on and even expand on it. It may have value to you in other ways that you haven't thought of yet.

[tirsales]

Thanks - for nice words, good advice and .. just reading.
You're an awfully nice lot of people in here