Another fine job by NIU administrators! Last spring, a professor informed me that a job as TA for GEOG 105A, Introduction to the Atmosphere, would be available to me, an undergraduate, this fall. Along with teaching a section of this class, I would earn 1 credit hour and a paycheck. So when I visited the geography office, I was all set to meet with the professor about my section and what I would need to do to prepare for the section.

To my dismay, I was informed by the department that during the summer, funds from the state were rather lacking, and to make cuts, undergrads could no longer be TAs. Also, NIU had some sort of problem, for whatever unknown reason, that undergrads teaching undergrads was not really a good idea, no matter how capable the TA is. Why? I don’t know but this is what I was told.

The problem here is why I was not notified by phone or by mail that this new policy was going in effect during the summer. Wouldn’t you think that if a new policy was going to affect someone then that someone should be notified before the policy is enacted? NIU doesn’t. They like to offer more surprises by the minute.

Thank God I’m graduating in May and don’t have to put up with this anymore.

Perry Shafran

Senior

Meteorology