That really sucks, and I don't think it's anything against you Liz, so don't take it to heart. It does suck for those newbies, and we were ALL newbies at one point or another, who are responsible and on time.
Like Pepper said, she's switching from newbie-friendly to references only on account of all the bullshit. I don't blame her, or anyone, for not putting up with it; I know I wouldn't! But if she had changed her policy a few years back, I would have lost my first reference which allowed me to get into the door of the hobbying world, so to speak. It's getting harder and harder for newbies to find someone to see on account of more and more of them showing up and causing more cancellations, which ruins it for the honest guys who don't waste time.