CYA

When I was studying accounting, especially auditing, one of the most valuable lessons I learned was CYA or "Cover Your Ass." In accounting terms, that means you should keep good notes, keep your workpapers, and keep good backup to your accounting decisions. I'm pretty good at it, because it's one of those things you learn early on -- usually the hard way. At the old job, when the really bitchy fellow staff member used to try to blame her typos on my miscalculations, I would pull out my workpapers and show her that the errors were indeed hers. Such bliss.

Earlier this year at my new job, I did some research on a brand new Veteran's Administration program for reimbursing schools for graduate student tuition. I would have signed us up but there were a few cases where our school would have to write off a small amount of tuition and fees. I didn't have the authority to do that, so I studied it and tried to convince my boss and his boss to check it out so we could sign up to participate.

I couldn't get anywhere. I spoke to another department and suggested they try to get my bosses to check it out, thinking my superiors had just tired of hearing about it from me. Again, no dice. Finally there were a flurry of e-mails where I would make suggestions, they would get shot down with no investigation, I would counter, and then nothing. The deadline to enroll passed with no action.

I was pretty pissed at the time, but I am not stupid. I knew this was going to bite someone in the rear, and I didn't want it to be me. I saved all of my e-mails and documented what happened. Then I waited.

Last week I was approached by someone in admissions who said she had been given my name to ask about the program. Specifically, the university president and another individual way, way up the chain of command wanted to know why we weren't enrolled. The program was win-win for our university, but the people who could say yeah or nay said nay by default. A non-decision was also a decision in this case, and they wanted to know what happened and who dropped the ball. I was more than happy to oblige and send her my e-mails that I had saved where I either got no answer or I got negative replies (which I countered with very specific points). Ha!

Tomorrow the big wigs are supposed to meet to find out what happened. I'm not invited to the meeting, but I think it will be interesting. I would love to hear the backpedaling that I'm sure will happen when my boss is approached about it. I may suffer a bit of backlash from my immediate superiors when they find out I saved and then passed along the e-mails, but I'm ready to take what happens. I was right, I knew I was right, and I couldn't get them to listen. I pestered, involved another department, and still had no luck. I can say (and my CYA proves) that I at least tried. They didn't try at all.

And now I wait.