I'm in control here

In a long and checkered academic career, I've had the pleasure of being "presiding officer" at a final examination exactly twice. The presiding officer is the person who decides what happens if anything out of the ordinary occurs during an exam. The first time I presided, we had a one hour long power failure. Somehow, we managed to move everyone around in a huge, labyrinthine building so that everyone had a seat close to a window and could see well. I think we may have given them a few extra minutes. Nobody complained. The atmosphere was very "Earth Hour." The students and staff talked about it for years afterwards.

The second time I presided was today. Someone pulled a fire alarm. Students were required by regulation (enforced by me) to remain in their seats and continue to work while we tried to ascertain whether the alarm was genuine or false. Of course it was false -- a common exam time prank. What's interesting is that I'm already getting complaints from students who feel they've been short-changed.

Note to self: No more final exams.