thursdjy, rnsy 6, 1977
Stud onto ova
luQtsonj
a step toword qui
'lily
Its that time of year for which we have til '
been waiting. Besides being tims for finds,
summer jobs, saying good-bye end selling books,
it is time to fill out teacher and course evalua
tions. Academic excellency and how close UNL is to
it have been topics of conversation in many
sectors of the university. It was an issue among
ASUN presidential candidates. ASUN President
Greg Johnson then suested that ASUN imple
ment student evaluations of all classes which
would be compiled into a booklet and distribut
ed to students.
, Such a booklet would be helpful to students
and could give students more incentive to fill out
the evaluations at the end of each semester. Many
students think the evaluations do no good and
that no one reads them or considers their comments.
It is discouraging to hear about a poor
instructor year after year in your major, and talk
to students who consistently give him poor
comments on the evaluation. Then the same
instructor continues to teach the same class the
same old way. It seems like the evaluations have
no effect on the quality of teaching, so the
inspiration to fill them out is lost.
However, students who foil to fill out the
evaluations seriously are approving the status quo
and not attempting to improve the future quality
of their education.
Student evaluations of teaching are like voting.
It is a student's one chance in which he or she is
invited to comment on the quality of an
instructor, course, department, school or college. .
Some students keep track of a professor's strong
and weak points all semester in anticipation of
those evaluations.
Those thought-out evaluations probably are a
more credible source to those who read them
than those filled out by students whose
instructors hand them out the last five minutes of
class so students have to rush through them to get
to their next class.
So this semester, take time to fill out those
evaluations because they are one of the few
sources of input we have.
letters
3rd DliTtonslon
This is to explain to students what has become of 3rd
Dimension, the biweekly Tuesday magazine of the DaUy
Nebraskan. (Feb. S, Risks of the Insurance Game, March
1, Delectable Delights, March 15, Up Against the Law.)
The Third Dimension was forced to cease publication.
On Tuesday, March 8, there were two choices; 3rd
Dimension would stop or it would become a Daily Ne
braskan insert.
Wednesday, March 9, there was no choice. At a meet
ing with the Daily Nebraskan business manager, the
advertising manager," 3rd Dimension editor and the Daly
Nebraskan editor, the latter explained reasons for ceasing
the magazine: 1. it was losing money and not supporting
itself; 2. "not one good thing" had been heard about 3D;
3. there is no need for magazine writing.
In defense, the 3rd Dimension editor said since it was a
supplement of the Daily Nebraskan it should be supported
by them.
Proof of its worth and budding popularity were letters,
manuscripts and talk about it among students. People
were reading it. No one can live on a steady diet of news.
To kill it was useless and an editorial decision that
caused more pain and harm in the long run than its intent
to wipe out problems.
For one thing, the magazine as it was, was the product
of several semesters of effort to attain a separate publica
tion date and a magazine format. Only three of the six
issues, established via job contract, were produced.
It was catching on. Why stop it in the middle of the
semester? Why spoil the investment in time, money,
employment and creativity instead of carrying it. through
until it is on its feet?
Arthur Kcppo
And what about the readers? Still wondering it wed
lock is a deadlock.
And what about the writers and staff. They were on a
job contract. 3rd Dimension took the matter to Publica
tion Board, the governing board of the Daily Nebrsskan,
On March 17, they reversed the editor's decision and
commanded that 3D continue. However, the Daily Ne
braskan editor was to have complete power over it.
The 3D editor position was dispensed with; the writers
and former editor could write if they wanted. TTie
supposedly new 3D would be produced by the news desk.
Nothing like a magazine. In the mean tL"r.e plans on its
new image were stalled;' no stories were ass!gned or
written. Yet it is to come out; if only in a mock effort to
satisfy Pub Board. Where is it? Ifitb corning out, there
certainly has been a delay since the Pub Board's decision.
Along the way 3rd Dimension writers were told the
magazine and its writing were not good. Yet they in
directly were offered jobs as Daily Nebraskan reporters.
Four out of five did not go back.
The situation: four writers, and an editor out of work
because the job they were doing was dissolved. Promised
salary for a semester's work was not paid. An editor was
supposed to make a jump down to reporter, and, like a
lamb, let the magazine die a silent death.
Never.
TerriWillson
former 3rd Dimension editor
, E&rt Note: Escape the 3rd Dimension nssafee was
teszzj ismly $7C3 ca tee for tha Daily Nebraskan,
which is partly Exported by Etsdsat ffeas, the separate
msjpztee was dbcor.th'jtd. In tdi&son, fcecasss 3rd
Dimension was cot the quality istssazlne that was hoped
for, a decMsn to cease psMlcaba was made by the
etor-in-chief, who was supported by Vr.t ether Daily
Nebraskan senior editors. The idea of a 3rd Dimension
section to the pptr was continued, and it is present in
today's paper. The Daily Nebraskan has received no letters
from UNL studects, faculty iaesabeFs, administrators or
staff members asking &ut the disappearance of 3rd
Dimension. The writers and editor cf the magazine were
paid for the three issues they produced. They were not
on a written contract.
x ri
ocioloais
This is interesting. A sociologist who
analyzed 52 hours of tapes recorded in the
apartments of middle-class couples reports
that men don't listen much to women.
Consecjuently, says Pamela Fishman of
the University of California at Santa
Barbara, women flutter about from topic
to topic, ask three times as many questions
as men and hopefully preface their remarks
with such phrases as, "Do you know
what?" or, This is interesting." .
nds men don't listen much to women
simple human mind. The 1S00-C AMR was Mrs. Drebbing's key words italicized for
his answer. emphasis:
He brought it home to test its capa
bilities on Mrs. Drebbing. Herewith a trans
cript of that historic conversation with
"Did you have a nicedayV
"'Wonderful, darling, but tell me about
yours. I can't wait."
innocent
bystander
No wonder the institution of marriage is
on the rocks. But do you know what? Help
is at hand. Last week, Dr. Hermann
Drebbing of the Stough Computer Center
unveiled the amazing new 1800-C Auto
matic Marital Responder.
Unsurprisingly, necessity was the
mother of Dr. Drebbing's invention. His
wife, Cora, had been about to throw him
out of the house.
Like most husbands, Dr. Drebbing had
evolved a complex technique for listening
to his wife. He listened solely to the tones
of her voice and geared his responses
accordingly. This enabled him to read the
paper while keeping the conversation roll
ing along with, "Whatever you think," "Is
that so?", "Imagine that!" and the like.
Tested hzn
Unfortunately, Mrs. Drebbing grew
suspicious and began testing him. He
flunked the following: hzt was the
salami doing in the medicine chest?". "I
smell someone burring" and "I'm throw
ing you out of the house!" his answers,
respectively, bctig these lied above.
Dr. Drebbing realized that automatic
responses rhust be -keyed to words, not
tcnes, zzi tils ws a feat fsi letter per
formed by a complex computer thsa a
gill m?ien tf X tca
TJ3H CSCff0 3 Z fcM tS
cea vm, lb))- i y i
"It was aw fid!'
Toordear."
"First off, the sewer broke. I couldn't
rsdse any rspeimen. , ."
"You're right, they're all a bunch of
thieves."
"You should see the back yard. It's
going to be a tremendous clean up job."
"You're such a marvelous housekeeper,
dearest." : '
"Then I answered the door in my bath
robe and curlers. Oh, did I ever look
terrible in those things!"
"No, I think they're most becoming on
you, darling. You. never looked prettier."
OnlytfeSIai
"And standing there, wesring only a
skimpy bikini, was that awful Dclores De
Uglit from next door."
"Poor dear."
"Imagine! She wanted to know if one of
our children could babysit.
"And after aH you've done for them;
how could they do that to you; you're .
such a good mother."
"But the point is I simply have to get
some repairmen in because remember? -my
whole family's corning over tomorrow."
"You're right, they're all a bunch of
thieves."
The conversation went steadily downhill
from that point, but Dr. Drebbing said he
. was satisfied. So was Mrs. Drebbing. She
threw him out of the house, saying she pre
ferred tilling to the lSOGC AMR, instead,
bugs 2nd alL
"Frankly, I could kH him," she said.
"I love yea! I lore you!" scresirtcd the
(Copyright ChrofV3 Ca. 177)