$4000/course as an undergrad TA arbitrated as short changed.

[Parasaurolophus]

What I don't understand, in this day and age where everything is done by computer, why we still use simple binary threshholds and things of that nature that make this kind of nonsense happen. Prorating things using some sort of formula could be just one tiny part of the payroll algorithm. Same thing goes for government tax calculations, etc.

Why is the government the only organization that doesn't actually use big data????

FWIW, it absolutely does this for means-tested benefits. The case workers just have to make sure to put the numbers into the right column in their spreadsheets (and, of course, make sure that they're counting the things they should be counting as they should be counting them). Unfortunately, recipients are not allowed to have access to the same programmed spreadsheets. And when you do the math yourself, you invariably get a number that's inexplicably a smidgeon off--like, say, 5$.

I assume that's because it's acceptable to lie about your taxes--you're encouraged to!--but lying about income for benefits-related purposes is a strict no-no.