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Students' ODinion can he
Slue- ! : ? have opinions on a tot of subjects.
. One of f i m is university professors. ' :
. 1 The tr irk is to gather these opinions and
use then to raise the qual'ty of education at
UNL. improved methods of student evalua-.
" tion of isaching might be the answer.
In the past, most UNL faculty members
have asi 1 1 their students to evaluate how
well they have taught the course. Unfortun
ately, tn-e completed evaluation forTrti often,
are stashed in some file cabinet and never ,
leaked at again. '. .''.:'"; :'
Instead. "evaluations should be: used to
determine how to improve UNL and to
reward Teachers who are outstanding. In
addition, students should have access to the
statistic! results of the evaluations. .
Last year four student advisory board
members studied the evaluation of teaching
by students. They found that UNL's
evaluation attempts were "scattered, Ineffec
tive and lacking in coordination."
Although the Faculty- Senate In 1871
committed itself to "systematic procedures"
for student evaluation of teaching, . evaluation
forms in each department still range from the
Inflation h&redimry
President Gerald Ford spoke in Lincoln last week,
and I would like to share a few of my reflections on that
appearance: :
Hess Dyas, Democratic candidate for the 1st
District congressional seat, informed the world prior to
the President's visit that Congressman Charles Thone
was hoping Ford's Lincoln appearance would help him
in the November election. My, my . . . Isn't Hess a
brilliant political observerl I wonder if he thought that
whole thsnq out by himself, or if hl3 staff helped him?
Dyas' enure campaign seems obsessed with proving
he is a t.onafido contender for Thono's seat in
Cong res i. That obsession has spilled over Into his
palling procedures, causing, his private poll to show
Dyas running considerably better agallnst Thone than at
nonpar tiar- public poll taken at the same time does.
The obsession also is shown In Dyas' campaign
literature Across the front of his literature, Dyas has
splashed a Lincoln Journal quotation Calling him a
threat to Thone's Incumbency. No endorsement, no
praise of his positions on the Issues, nothing but a
statement that Dyas Is a threat. How expropriate.
buDaradeUNLt
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very simple to the super complex.
Student evaluations must be put to good
use. Provided forms are well designed, the
evaluations can have many benefits:
" They can provide feedback which the
instructor might not receive on a face-to-face
basis.
They can provide ' standards for the
department and for the university against
which Individual faculty rating can be
pleasured.
' They can suggest areas where under
graduate teaching is weak and can help
evaluate new courses and programs.
They can help the student select his
courses.
This last point is possible only if evaluation
results are available to students. The
advisory board students have suggested that
the statistical results be published every two
years. Students could see what percentage of
students ranked an instructor in what
category (excellent, good, fair, etc.) on
several questions about his teaching skill.
Student evaluations are the only direct
Information about a faculty member's
teachinq. Other evaluators must make their
judgments on the basis of brief classroom
visits instead of on day-to-day contact.
Of course, input from persons other than
students is important in judging teaching
competence. But student input should be
given the place it deserves.
It should play an important part in
decisions on faculty promotions, salary
increases and tenure. Excellence in teaching
is at least as important as the amount of
material a faculty member has published.
Who is better qualified to judge his
excellence than the student?
Perhaps some instructors fear evaluation
results will be nothing more than a popularity
contest. Today's students seem too sophist
icated for that. Most can recognize that
someone might be "nice guy" but a poor
teacher.
Usino, student evaluations to upgrade
teaching at UNL would show that the faculty
and administration take students' opinions
seriouslysomething that has been lacking
for too many years.
Jane Owens
mark b rasmiiissen
How wonderful it would be If people would stop
hating people with different Ideas, even If they only
stopped for a Utile while. About 5,000 persons came to
see and hear the President. Unfortunately, some people
only could see Ford. About 100 demonstrators less
than 2 per cent of the crowd chanted and heckled
- throughout most of the speech, making It about
impossible for some of the spectators to hear Ford, One
young mother drove in from outs tats with her two
young children for the occasion.' It W24 sad to see the
protestors ignore her when she asked them to be quiet.
The dTDiay generated lil.' feeflngi, nd a simple
petition mould have been presented, Instead of
present)? i only a lessonMrt bad 'niriftered futility.
Ford encouraged the crdwd to work for the election
VI iiiiKiiiuii iiymeia. rwyio mo vttwe awvui mio
Impact of WIN buttons and the appropriateness of his
31 -point program concerning the economy, but his
suggestion must be accepted prt the basts Of its Inherent
truthfuine':; The time Is long past dus to throw the
; spendthrit. dement of Congress out on its collective
ear. ? ?;K'
In this d v, of political candidate's lip eervlce against
Inflation, the problem is to determine which candidates
are the real inflation fighters, ; ' 1 : . '
John MrColllster and Char!ey,fhoh both can pin on'
their models as congressional', combat veterans In the
war on inflation. Nothing their 'opponents 'have said
about inflation comes even .remotely -close to balng a
' just reason to remove them from effica, '
Way u west, Republican Mrs. Haven Smith is
squarir , off against Wayne Zlebarth for Nebraska's
3rd District congressional scat. Zlebarth's recent
foot-in-mouth statement about women belonging In th
home probably didn't endear his candidacy to the
women of the constituency h hopes . to represent.
Perhaps he forgot women got the vol way beck when.
Personalities tend to' dorr. ! nets In this contest, snd
Smith, ;sv gusty little lady, emerges the clear-cut
winner in my book.
As a general rule by which to. Identify inflation
fighters, remember the Democrats havn controlled
Congress for 40 of the last 44 Inflation-spawning years.
If Congress' inflationary spending syndrome Is to be
stopped, we should start . by riisentrcnGhlna that
heredit-'.
inflationary Dembcratlc majority.
r
to the:
Dear Editor; For all students who
were unable to attend the Lincoln
rally for Ford (Oct. 16), you denied
yourselves an intense experience in
the inequities forced upon those who
disagree with the powers that govern.
Upon arrival at the airport, all
persons carrying signs immediately
were confronted by two Secret Service
men (in the proverbial sunglasses).
They forced protestors to remove the
sticks from their placards and put
them in a designated area beyond the
perimeter of the protestors' con
finement. This was enforced on the
pretext that "sticks are dangerous
weapons."
Dissenters were herded, like so
many cattle, into a roped area several
hundred yards from the President's
podium, without a view of the stage.
There were at least as many Secret
Service men as there were Lincoln
police in attendance. The men in
sunglasses and Ivy League suits took
pictures of dissenters during the
rally. For this purpose, dissenters
were confined.
Citizens were allowed to enter the
protestors' area to offer their insults,
3Ut dissenters were not allowed to
eave the area for similar reasons.
We were told if we left our signs on
the ground in the area of confine
ment, we could enter the area labeled
"General Public," yet when we did
to elbow, and attempted to restrict us
from joining the "General Public."
It is curious to discover the nature
of what must be so heavily and
fiercely protected against the dissent
of less than 100 people. What lies
behind the fear that represses the
civil rights of a handful of young
people, forced to lay down their
"dangerous weapons", left armed
only with their moral convictions? ,
The symbolic import of Wednes
day's events are but the thinnest
veneer that separates dissenter and
silent majority alike from the dis
covery of naked fear.
You really should have been there.
DeLana Cromer
Wasteful thinking
Dear Editor;
After hearing President Ford's
speech on television Oct. 15, I was
prompted to write this letter. Ford's
plan to cut down waste is needed and
shoud be followed, but as a UNL
employe, I know the University does
not follow such a plan.
I understand UNL's policy is to
"throw away" good useable material,
rather than give or sell such material
to someone who needs it. I know that
good ceiling tile, doors, desks,,
cabinets, etc. have been hauled to the ;
dump.
Why can't the University let
students or employes have these
furnishings? Or better yet, take them
to the Good Will or Salvation Army?
From the foreman to the super-,
intendent, all the way up the pole to
the administration building, the
answer is to throw it away.
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page 4
daily nebraskan
monday, October 21, 1974
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