Research Rants

As some of you know, I'm trying to conduct my own Psych study at the U this fall. I'm currently applying for IRB approval (the ethical board at the University) as the approval is required for me to interact with human subjects for my study.

After jumping hoop after hoop (complications are that I'm not faculty or a student at the University, also that although I'm a researcher at the University, I'm with the medical school rather than the Psych department), I get this email:

Dear Tracy, Could you please clarify why you are conducting this study? Also, could you please clarify the role of [omitted name 1] in this study? Kind regards, [omitted name 2]

To which I replied:

Dear [omitted name 2], [omitted name 1] and I conducted a study while I was an undergraduate Psychology student and she was a graduate Social Psychology student here at the University. We are currently working on publishing our previous study and wish to further our research on romantic relationships. [omitted name 1] will be conducting some of the research at Rutgers University (she is a faculty member there and will also be mentoring me), but because I am the principal investigator on this study, I would also like to take part in conducting experiments. I do plan on researching romantic relationships further in graduate school, but for now I am not an enrolled student. I am working for the University, hence, my desire to conduct this research at the University. [omitted name 3], a faculty here, has graciously offered to act as a resident faculty here and to mentor me on this project as well. I hope this answers your questions. Please let me know if further clarification is required. Thank you, Tracy

Sometimes, I just hate this University.