diff --git a/app-proto/src/assembly.rs b/app-proto/src/assembly.rs
index 615b010..5c926ca 100644
--- a/app-proto/src/assembly.rs
+++ b/app-proto/src/assembly.rs
@@ -134,12 +134,11 @@ impl Element {
 
 impl ProblemPoser for Element {
     fn pose(&self, problem: &mut ConstraintProblem, _elts: &Slab<Element>) {
-        if let Some(index) = self.column_index {
-            problem.gram.push_sym(index, index, 1.0);
-            problem.guess.set_column(index, &self.representation.get_clone_untracked());
-        } else {
-            panic!("Tried to write problem data from an unindexed element: \"{}\"", self.id);
-        }
+        let index = self.column_index.expect(
+            format!("Element \"{}\" should be indexed before writing problem data", self.id).as_str()
+        );
+        problem.gram.push_sym(index, index, 1.0);
+        problem.guess.set_column(index, &self.representation.get_clone_untracked());
     }
 }
 
@@ -202,14 +201,12 @@ impl ProblemPoser for InversiveDistanceRegulator {
     fn pose(&self, problem: &mut ConstraintProblem, elts: &Slab<Element>) {
         self.set_point.with_untracked(|set_pt| {
             if let Some(val) = set_pt.value {
-                let subject_column_indices = self.subjects.map(
-                    |subj| elts[subj].column_index
+                let [row, col] = self.subjects.map(
+                    |subj| elts[subj].column_index.expect(
+                        "Subjects should be indexed before inversive distance regulator writes problem data"
+                    )
                 );
-                if let [Some(row), Some(col)] = subject_column_indices {
-                    problem.gram.push_sym(row, col, val);
-                } else {
-                    panic!("Tried to write problem data from a regulator with an unindexed subject");
-                }
+                problem.gram.push_sym(row, col, val);
             }
         });
     }
@@ -268,11 +265,10 @@ impl ProblemPoser for HalfCurvatureRegulator {
     fn pose(&self, problem: &mut ConstraintProblem, elts: &Slab<Element>) {
         self.set_point.with_untracked(|set_pt| {
             if let Some(val) = set_pt.value {
-                if let Some(col) = elts[self.subject].column_index {
-                    problem.frozen.push(Element::CURVATURE_COMPONENT, col, val);
-                } else {
-                    panic!("Tried to write problem data from a regulator with an unindexed subject");
-                }
+                let col = elts[self.subject].column_index.expect(
+                    "Subject should be indexed before half-curvature regulator writes problem data"
+                );
+                problem.frozen.push(Element::CURVATURE_COMPONENT, col, val);
             }
         });
     }
@@ -611,7 +607,7 @@ mod tests {
     use super::*;
     
     #[test]
-    #[should_panic(expected = "Tried to write problem data from an unindexed element: \"sphere\"")]
+    #[should_panic(expected = "Element \"sphere\" should be indexed before writing problem data")]
     fn unindexed_element_test() {
         let _ = create_root(|| {
             Element::new(
@@ -624,8 +620,8 @@ mod tests {
     }
     
     #[test]
-    #[should_panic(expected = "Tried to write problem data from a regulator with an unindexed subject")]
-    fn unindexed_subject_test() {
+    #[should_panic(expected = "Subjects should be indexed before inversive distance regulator writes problem data")]
+    fn unindexed_subject_test_inversive_distance() {
         let _ = create_root(|| {
             let mut elts = Slab::new();
             let subjects = [0, 1].map(|k| {