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“Miss Peterson, I need to speak to you”

“Of course” Christa obediently followed the professor into her office

Professor Barini left the door ajar before sitting behind her desk

“I’d like to thank you for taking my advice about Professor Pacciani I noticed that he didn’t make the short list” Christa nored the coh its contents Then she looked at Christa over the rilasses “You’ve run into a problem”

“A problem? What kind of problem?”

“You’re supposed to choose three professors to sit on your oral examination committee, but I’ve been notified by the faculty that no one is willing to do so”

“What?” Christa’s dark eyes greide

“This has never happened before As the chair, I cannot compel a faculty member to serve on your comness to participate indicates that they don’t think you’ll perform to their satisfaction”

Christa couldn’t quite believe her ears It was unthinkable that every faculty member in the departiven her even the slightest indication of that kind of antipathy

(At least, to her face)

“What does that hed “Ityou a terminal MA as of May and that you will need to apply elsewhere to pursue your studies”

“You can’t do that!”

Lucia closed Christa’s file with a snap of her wrist “There are regulations about a student’s satisfactory perfor to the faculty, you are not perforeous!” Christa sputtered “I’ve corades No one has offered me any critical feedback You can’t siram on a whim!”

“We don’t have whims here at Columbia, Miss Peterson We have standards While it’s true you’ve been passing your seminars, you still have to take the oral exa coraure a way out of her predicao see the professors on my own and plead my case”

Lucia shook her head “I can’t let you do that At this point, they’ve added a letter to your pero to them after the fact, they’ll view it as harassment”

Christa scowled at the i to harass the look “Be that as it may, I can’t let you speak to theained slip through her fingers

(It didn’t occur to her that this must have been how Professor Eht before the disciplinary committee in Toronto)

“It’s too late for raan to wobble

“Not necessarily Many programs receive applications until March My assistant can help you identify those progra to Canada”