We know he is an asshole!

The problems I had with my stupid advisor made me take my complaints to the department. I thought the people there were logical enough to understand my complaints and help me get out of my mysteries. When I first talked to members of the department's graduate studies committee they all confirmed my accusations verbally. I was advised to document everything and Indeed I have been keeping written details of every meeting.

To give you a background, my stupid advisor was threatened to be sued by a previous student for repeatedly asking for personal favors. He did the same with me. He asked me to drive him to the dentist, wait there and drop him back home. On another occasion he asked me to take him to the hospital, wait for him and take him back. Just to clarify, these were not emergency situations. On each occasion I first said no and then was asked so many times until I gave up and said yes just to shut him up.

He was also banned from teaching undergraduate courses because he showed up half drunk to the class, missed quite a few classes and was extremely rude to students. He told them there were too stupid to become chemical engineers. Undergraduates should be saved from such behavior but apparently it is ok for a person with alcohol problems to supervise graduate students.

Dr. Michael Wong admitted that he has also experienced the paranoid behavior of my stupid advisor and that he is manipulative and tries to change facts to his advantage.  I told him to inform any students who want to work with my stupid advisor to contact me so that I can tell them what mistake they are making and he said he himself will make sure that my stupid advisor won't get any new students. So if he thinks my stupid advisor shouldn't take any new students why hasn't he informed the university? If he is not capable of handling students why should I work with him? Dr. Wong didn't do anything for me though. He "politely" threw me out of his office telling me his time is precious. What about my time? What about my life?

I talked to other faculty members. They made statements like "he is psychologically unstable", "he frequently lies", "he is manipulative", "there has been similar problems with other students", "he is a liability for the university", "he does not understand your experimental results", "your situation is a clear example of abuse" and "my favorite one he is taking very bright students from your country and takes advantage of them". You! Distinguished professor at Rice University! You know that and you watched it happen? You let it happen and didn't do anything about it? I'm speechless.

I also went to the counseling center at Rice and they told me I had a real case.

I was later passed to talk to the department chair, Kyriacos Zygourakis. When I started my complaints, he stopped me and told me I do not need to express my complaints. He has known my stupid advisor long enough and is aware of his unprofessional behaviors. To put it in his words we are used to his you.are.great-you.are.worthless games. You knew his judgement was impaired and you didn't report it? Could you explain why my stupid advisor was allowed to do the same to another student?

All these people knew what an asshole he was and either didn't have the courage or didn't care enough to do anything about it. Mostly though they told me they are willing to help me and be the hero and get me out of my mysteries. They told me I should talk to the dean of graduate studies about my complaints and to Russell Barnes because my situation falls under hostile work environment issues. I will telling the rest of the story which didn't end up having a happy ending in future posts.