My continuing quest...

It doesn't sound like much but I've been on a mission these past two weeks to get my Staff card updated. Like many places, you need your staff card to swipe your way into the library and the teaching labs. Fact is, mine has never worked since I got a new one and I've always knocked on the door and had students let me in - but enough is enough, eh? While taking some students around on an Open Day, and not getting into the library *again* (I rarely go btw, as I request stuff from document supply or get it electronically), I asked "Why doesn't my card WORK?". Turns out, it had a number missing, and that the barcode thus didn't match. After the hassle of making it, it turns out that I had 599765 underneath, not 599765-1. So, I went over to Admin - far far away across campus - and got a new one. I also asked if I could get it changed from Mr James Jackson to Dr James Jackson - well, you would if you had the opportunity, surely? No, oh no, we can't do that - they said. Why not? Well, this was University Human Resources, not Faculty Human Resources. Only they were allowed. Anyone can change it, but only Applied Science and Technology Human Resources were allowed to do so for me. So off I went - all the way across campus. Now, I actually know these people, so I asked to be upgraded on the system. Of course, they said. I remember you handing your completed PhD in. Well done. Do you have any proof? But you know I passed! Yes, but we need proof... So I stomped back to the department. Find PhD, photocopy PhD, get it signed by Head of Department - took a while to find him - and then back to Faculty. Updated, yay! Can I get my new card now? No, sorry. It takes 24hrs for the system to be updated, you'll have to wait.

So bugger that, I left it for a week. I went this morning (back to University Admin all the way across campus). Guess what? This very morning, they're moving the card generation/printing software to another server so it can't be done. "Can you come back tomorrow??"

Argh!!