Fields is hoping to get back partial credit and use of her ocular nerves.
This past Wednesday, sophomore Sarah Fields lost multiple participation points and the function in both of her eyes for failing to wear protective goggles during her organic chemistry lab.
“This is just a consequence of a complete lack of respect for laboratory safety protocols,” explained GSI James Hinata. “Sarah constantly leaves her goggles off. It was only a matter of time before her grade and her optic nerves suffered for it.”
Personal Protective Equipment is governed by many safety measures to shield lab students from potential harm. Its use is compulsory in chemistry labs, and failure to wear PPE at all times can result in loss of points, or, in certain cases, critical ocular organs.
“I feel awful for Sarah,” said Henry O’Brian, Fields’ lab partner. “She lost so many points and her corneas yesterday. I think she’s still doing okay, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she has to end up retaking the course.”
“I thought the punishment was probably too harsh,” O’Brian continued. “Goggles aren’t even worth twenty points and two hundred million photoreceptors in the rubric. I guess the GSI was just fed up.”
“You have to understand, I’m doing pre-med,” said Fields in response to the allegations. “I want to be a doctor someday, but it would be way harder without a good GPA or the sense of sight. I would be furious if I lost both, just for the tiny mistake of forgetting to put goggles on.”
At press time, Fields had left class without washing her hands.
