Authorization for Departure

No kidding – I have to be authorized by a bunch of bureaucrats and secretaries before I will be allowed to depart!  LOL

I have begun the long and tortuous process of collecting signatures on an “official” piece of paper.  We are in the 21st century, at a “state-of-the-art” campus and I am spending hours wandering around to offices to attempt to get people to sign a piece of paper!

So far I have managed-

• Faculty Services – Miss Louise has to sign off that I have not taken (and kept) books from the Faculty Lounge Library – this one was the easiest, because I KNOW Louise and where her office is!
• Main Library – this SEEMS straight forward, except no-one at the circulation desk seems to know who is authorized to sign the piece of paper.  Three separate people asked for my ID, checked that I had no overdue books or items on reserve or hold and agreed that I am “clear” but no-one would sign the paper!  Finally, one of the staff just signed a squiggle on the line and told me I could go.  The others looked  mortified at the gall of the signator!
• International Phone Office – (no I am not kidding) I didn’t even know there WAS such a place, nor did I have any idea why I needed to go there.  I was informed that the office had to make sure that I had not made any international calls through the University switchboard!  WHAT?  Is that possible?  There’s a switchboard somewhere?
• Chain Supply Office – I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what this office does – it used to be the Business Support office, not that that is any clearer to me.
• Human Resources Office – they, apparently, need to make sure that I don’t owe the University Clinic any money for things not covered by my health plan.  I think the actual reason for the signature is so that they can try to sell you the insurance COBRA coverage.  Sigh.

I still have a number of signatures to get:

• Housing has to come and make sure that I’m not taking home any of their rugs or lamps
• The Dean of SSE and the Chair of Biology have to make sure that I’ve “completed my contractual obligations” to the University before I can be “authorized” to leave
• Payroll (who won’t sign off until everyone else has, but you have to go thru many hoops with them BEFORE you can get everyone else’s signatures)

I am rather bemused at the MASSIVE headaches that must go on for me to LEAVE the institution.  It seems like harder work than getting there in the first place!