diff --git a/application/modules/bulletin/controllers/ViewController.php b/application/modules/bulletin/controllers/ViewController.php
index f620281f1604139858d7226fdf242f13bb24f85b..a01ef797c19990bd3bc72e21288e1beacd4f2b7e 100644
--- a/application/modules/bulletin/controllers/ViewController.php
+++ b/application/modules/bulletin/controllers/ViewController.php
@@ -149,18 +149,20 @@ class Bulletin_ViewController extends Requests_ViewController
             $contents = $repo->getFileNotes(
                 '/data/' . $repo->getFilePathForSection($section), $parentCommit
             );
-            $contents = Bulletin_SectionModel::getBodyHtml($contents);
-            //$contents = UNL_UndergraduateBulletin_EPUB_Utilities::format($contents);
-            $contents = UNL_UndergraduateBulletin_EPUB_Utilities::convertHeadings($contents);
-            $requestOriginalFileContents[$request->getId()] = $contents;
 
-            $contents = $repo->getFileNotes(
+            $originalFileContents = $repo->getFileContents('/data/' . $repo->getFilePathForSection($section), $parentCommit);
+	    $originalFileContents = Bulletin_SectionModel::getBodyHtml($originalFileContents);
+            //$originalFileContents = UNL_UndergraduateBulletin_EPUB_Utilities::format($originalFileContents);
+            $originalFileContents = UNL_UndergraduateBulletin_EPUB_Utilities::convertHeadings($originalFileContents);
+            $requestOriginalFileContents[$request->getId()] = $originalFileContents;
+
+            $proposedFileContents = $repo->getFileNotes(
                 '/data/' . $repo->getFilePathForSection($section), 'request-' . $request->getId()
             );
-            $contents = Bulletin_SectionModel::getBodyHtml($contents);
-            //$contents = UNL_UndergraduateBulletin_EPUB_Utilities::format($contents);
-            $contents = UNL_UndergraduateBulletin_EPUB_Utilities::convertHeadings($contents);
-            $requestProposedFileContents[$request->getId()] = $contents;
+            $proposedFileContents = Bulletin_SectionModel::getBodyHtml($proposedFileContents);
+            //$proposedFileContents = UNL_UndergraduateBulletin_EPUB_Utilities::format($proposedFileContents);
+            $proposedFileContents = UNL_UndergraduateBulletin_EPUB_Utilities::convertHeadings($proposedFileContents);
+            $requestProposedFileContents[$request->getId()] = $proposedFileContents;
         }
 
         $this->view->requests = $requests;
diff --git a/application/modules/bulletin/models/RepositoryModel.php b/application/modules/bulletin/models/RepositoryModel.php
index 2cad2ec60275c3322cbb92675c64b5f2cf7b135f..f0d79cee6677f370723811b7e55dcc5b74110a7c 100644
--- a/application/modules/bulletin/models/RepositoryModel.php
+++ b/application/modules/bulletin/models/RepositoryModel.php
@@ -64,10 +64,13 @@ class Bulletin_RepositoryModel
     public function getFileNotes($path, $branch = 'master')
     {
         $object = $note = '';
+        $filepath = $this->_repoPath . '/' . $path;
 
         $this->_checkout($branch);
-        $this->_git_exec('hash-object ' . escapeshellarg($this->_repoPath . '/' . $path), $object);
-        $this->_git_exec('notes --ref=creq show ' .  escapeshellarg($object), $note);
+        if(file_exists($filepath)){
+            $this->_git_exec('hash-object ' . escapeshellarg($filepath), $object);
+            $this->_git_exec('notes --ref=creq show ' .  escapeshellarg($object), $note);
+        }
         $this->_checkout('master');
 
         return $note;