diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteConditional.cpp b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteConditional.cpp
index df21e47b0..7f5dde3e5 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteConditional.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteConditional.cpp
@@ -94,7 +94,8 @@ Potentials::ADT DiscreteConditional::choose(const Values& parentsValues) const {
     pFS = pFS.choose(j, value);
   } catch (exception&) {
     cout << "Key: " << j << "  Value: " << value << endl;
-    pFS.print("pFS: ");
+    parentsValues.print("parentsValues: ");
+//    pFS.print("pFS: ");
     throw runtime_error("DiscreteConditional::choose: parent value missing");
   };
   return pFS;
diff --git a/gtsam_unstable/discrete/Scheduler.cpp b/gtsam_unstable/discrete/Scheduler.cpp
index 293f249e7..34532e488 100644
--- a/gtsam_unstable/discrete/Scheduler.cpp
+++ b/gtsam_unstable/discrete/Scheduler.cpp
@@ -257,7 +257,12 @@ namespace gtsam {
   /** Eliminate, return a Bayes net */
   DiscreteBayesNet::shared_ptr Scheduler::eliminate() const {
     gttic(my_eliminate);
-    DiscreteBayesNet::shared_ptr chordal = this->eliminateSequential();
+    // TODO: fix this!!
+    size_t maxKey = keys().size();
+    Ordering defaultKeyOrdering;
+    for (size_t i = 0; i<maxKey; ++i)
+      defaultKeyOrdering += Key(i);
+    DiscreteBayesNet::shared_ptr chordal = this->eliminateSequential(defaultKeyOrdering);
     gttoc(my_eliminate);
     return chordal;
   }
diff --git a/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingExample.cpp b/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingExample.cpp
index 9c22586fd..3de997b0f 100644
--- a/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingExample.cpp
+++ b/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingExample.cpp
@@ -53,6 +53,17 @@ void addStudent(Scheduler& s, size_t i) {
 }
 /* ************************************************************************* */
 Scheduler largeExample(size_t nrStudents = 7) {
+  char cCurrentPath[FILENAME_MAX];
+
+   if (!getcwd(cCurrentPath, sizeof(cCurrentPath)))
+       {
+       return errno;
+       }
+
+  cCurrentPath[sizeof(cCurrentPath) - 1] = '\0'; /* not really required */
+
+  printf ("The current working directory is %s", cCurrentPath);
+
   string path("../../../gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/");
   Scheduler s(nrStudents, path + "Doodle.csv");
 
@@ -156,7 +167,9 @@ void solveStaged(size_t addMutex = 2) {
     gttoc_(eliminate);
 
     // find root node
-    DiscreteConditional::shared_ptr root = *(chordal->end()-1);
+    chordal->back()->print("back: ");
+    chordal->front()->print("front: ");
+    DiscreteConditional::shared_ptr root = chordal->back();
     if (debug)
       root->print(""/*scheduler.studentName(s)*/);
 
@@ -309,7 +322,7 @@ void accomodateStudent() {
   DiscreteBayesNet::shared_ptr chordal = scheduler.eliminate();
 
   // find root node
-  DiscreteConditional::shared_ptr root = *(chordal->end()-1);
+  DiscreteConditional::shared_ptr root = chordal->back();
   if (debug)
     root->print(""/*scheduler.studentName(s)*/);
   //  GTSAM_PRINT(*chordal);
@@ -321,6 +334,8 @@ void accomodateStudent() {
   // get corresponding count
   DiscreteKey dkey = scheduler.studentKey(0);
   values[dkey.first] = bestSlot;
+  values.print("Values: ");
+  root->print("Root: ");
   size_t count = (*root)(values);
   cout << boost::format("%s = %d (%d), count = %d") % scheduler.studentName(0)
       % scheduler.slotName(bestSlot) % bestSlot % count << endl;
diff --git a/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingQuals12.cpp b/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingQuals12.cpp
index 05a305422..3a7ea4d2a 100644
--- a/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingQuals12.cpp
+++ b/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingQuals12.cpp
@@ -183,7 +183,10 @@ void solveStaged(size_t addMutex = 2) {
     gttoc_(eliminate);
 
     // find root node
-    DiscreteConditional::shared_ptr root = *(chordal->end()-1);
+//    chordal->back()->print("back: ");
+//    chordal->front()->print("front: ");
+//    exit(0);
+    DiscreteConditional::shared_ptr root = chordal->back();
     if (debug)
       root->print(""/*scheduler.studentName(s)*/);
 
diff --git a/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingQuals13.cpp b/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingQuals13.cpp
index 35217942b..0b5238783 100644
--- a/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingQuals13.cpp
+++ b/gtsam_unstable/discrete/examples/schedulingQuals13.cpp
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ void solveStaged(size_t addMutex = 2) {
     gttoc_(eliminate);
 
     // find root node
-    DiscreteConditional::shared_ptr root = *(chordal->end()-1);
+    DiscreteConditional::shared_ptr root = chordal->back();
     if (debug)
       root->print(""/*scheduler.studentName(s)*/);