GNomatic

"Fields", "Departments", "Colleges", Schools", "Communes", etc. ad nauseum. WTF? Both UC Davis and Cornell, and others (OSU), Have this horribly convoluted, twisted, system which requires support staff, hundreds of professors, and thousands of rules. Can't they just simplify this? You apply to a specific professor(s), they accept you if you meet the school's requirements and seem like a good fit for the school and their lab? Cornell's grad school alone has over twenty staff on the main contact us page, including two (2) Administrative Assistants, and both an "Associate Dean for Inclusion and Professional Development", AND an "Assistant Dean for Professional Development". Is this really necessary?