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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2000)
ridav.Da" bcember f2000 !er iidhie pxowcer (Off a tecacdhicer (ewailiuiaitdlcoini 'Students should realize importance of evaluations; not underestimate participation ■ CAYLA CARR istandari t states^ are taut; ing add; tte. seta ams. dto Butsciel s final exams hat is :a®&pproac\i, stu- ent deifiocracy is tooo^iig carried out. ■ what t Teias A&M has I a task h-ndii’ted teacher mendati aluations since sented 1-188 and it seems to preside i more productive we can ((/pry pear. Accord- s that areg toEVleasurement and Research Ser in Go cesTMARS), the number of forms l’s chainrompfeted each year has risen from 7,000 Gore; 33(1.000. sh. loci;;, Students followed syllabi distributed isideiK the beginning of the semester, but they renter: e finally encouraged to speak their aeeoui inds in the teacher evaluation. Students simply express their overall inton, dings about the course and the effec- irmerf veness of the professor, oulfedr Students rate statements about a class when k) they can also write comments on the tek of the evaluation. The best part is that the instructor is iquii ed to leave the room and does not jethe evaluations until after ic semester grades are post- |; Students have an oppor- inity to candidly express leir feelings. The director of MARS, i ; , layid Martin, said teacher '^valuations are reviewed (//}(„/; ftUghly anc i Llsec j f or a 1 umber of tilings, including if/pil rofessor tenure and promo on decisions, giving infer- . pCm-lmm about faculty mem- ers to students, and general '“V Hbuck for professors and , dmiuistrators. Sadly, the teacher evalua- atatm* effectiveness is underes- Mted by students. As stu- IC ients complete the , viuation, some take its ef- ^ ^ (’ ectiveness for granted. TnnW Students must not focus > ' l ' mituy one aspect of the :lass. They must critically VlcKemat jvaluate the overall effec- e Natofis ivluess of the professor by ioalspant :otfipleting the form. Teacher evaluations really ave influence. November 1999, the tgou’nJ student Senate passed the Stu- unh] e ' m p a ti n as Reform Bill, which moreK.p n^e it possible for students to itate-p- ea j evaluations on the Internet, choolsc® i lj n tii then, hard copies were, and till are, available at Student Counseling iyices. It takes five general questions from the evaluation form and illustrates the statistical summaries. The information is available at the Measurement and Research Services Website (www.tamu.edu/marshome/rat- ings/results/index.htm), but results are limited because many professors do not request that the information be made available to students. But, according to Martin, grades and ratings are released to the “Pick a Prof’ Website, which is not affiliated with the University, but made available to A&M students. This Website allows students to view evaluated grade distribution, student re views and teacher ratings to help them choose effective professors. Students can base choices of courses, majors and professors on ratings made by other students. Sadly, a small percentage of teachers agreed to have their evaluation results available to students. This should not discourage students from adequately completing the forms, because the professor views results after the semester has ended. Students should realize that their professors read their critiques and take into consideration the complaints, com pliments and ic; ioha' ,ln ,2", too trari help ftf hen, Ed 1 " dley’s K suggestions made by their students. Many times, teachers do not realize their weaknesses and strengths until they are pointed out. Professors are given the opportunity to improve their teaching * skills and improve their course standards by reading and acknowledging students’ opinions of the course and the professor’s teaching ability. The results are first sent to the depart ment heads and then eventu ally professors have the option of viewing them. Professors, toward the end of the semester, alter the syllabus to aid the overall class grade-point ratio. Many times, participa tion and attendance will be worth a higher percentage of the grade. Other times, low test or quiz scores are dropped or de tailed exam reviews are giv en. These are all underlying effects of teacher evalua tions and grade-point ratio standards. Most professors’ primary concern is students and their overall understanding of the lectured material. Professors have different ways of achieving these goals. Whether professors seek stu dent approval, they usually ease up on syllabus standards made at the beginning of the semester. The power of the teacher evalua tion is somewhat misleading. Its main objective is to give profes sors an idea of where they stand with the students. But it also gives other stu dents an idea about the course and grade distribution and sim plifies syllabi standards. The evaluation should not be taken for granted because it gives students a chance to ex press their feelings and con cerns directly to the instructor. It is up to the instructor to take these ideas to heart. This is the beauty of a democ racy: Student| an< J teachers are given an opportunity to voice their opinions and determine which opinions they choose to believe. 'arr is a junior 'iirnalism major. Mail Call .eaving graduation IKnls " ceremony early is isrespectful uatelyop on K-lf lid. "We are sen- oals and. ssaryW ed (ta oesnot' tsdaip. the re-, : group One of the traditions Aggies Id especially dear is our gradua- h ceremony. On these occasions, we cele- ate as each graduate walks ;ross the stage and is handed e actual diploma. Unfortunately, this tradition is risk. In recent years there has been disappointing exodus on the irt of graduates and guests )en they receive their diplomas. These early departures are dis- spectful to the other graduates, d they are embarrassing to Dse who remain for the entire remony. I urge all of you who are receiv- l degrees this semester to plan w to stay through the entire mrnencement ceremony. We realize that the commence- 3nt events are long. To make things easier this se tter, we have added an addi- nal ceremony. TThis addition should reduce s time of each commencement psiderably. I hope this change will encour age you and your guests to stay through to the end. At the end, when you all stand for the last time to sing, “The Spirit of Aggie I and" as students, you will have been true to each other as Aggies can be. Let us make our motto at com mencement Aggies do not walk out on Aggies. Dr. Ray M. Bowen President, Texas A&M University Class of ‘58 Battalion editor in chief reflects on semester, career at Texas A&M A The Battalion encourages letters to the ed itor. Letters must be 300 words or less and in clude the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Let ters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 014 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University 1111TAMU College Station, Texas 77843 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (979) 84SL2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com Columns and letters appearing in The Bat talion express the opinion of the authors only. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administrators, faculty or staff. s a graduating se nior and outgoing Leditor in chief, I have ample opportunities to review my career at Texas A&M at reflect on the lessons I have learned. Being editor in chief is the biggest paradox I have ever (and probably will ever) experienced. It is black and white, right and wrong, good and bad, but it is not nearly that clear cut. Running a newspaper is a combination of business and journalism. Every day, it is man aging a staff, thinking efficiently, choosing between censorship of offensive material and the First Amendment and making difficult ethical decisions. It is constant awareness of advertising accounts, administrators, student leaders, readers and the staff. Working until 6 a.m. on a football special and again for the Bonfire Memorial Special, standing in the rain in Austin to cover an in conclusive election, and returning to campus twice in one night somehow pays off, though, when the paper hits the stands the next morning. It was at one time said that The Battalion was good only for polishing the brass on Corps of Cadets uniforms and lining bird cages. A&M students of the past have called Battalion staffers a heartless breed of non human invaders who descended on campus to aggravate readers and destroy the struc ture of the University. This accusation could have been disproved easily: We invaders never would have chosen to run an anti- A&M campaign out of the basement of the Reed McDonald Building. On a more serious note, I have received countless compliments this semester. Rumors are circulating, saying that professors actually are beginning to accept The Battalion as a credible source for presentations and reports. Apparently, The Battalion also is surfacing in staff meetings as more than just a coaster. This semester has gone well. I have had to run only a few minor corrections during these four months. In fact, one caller a few weeks ago began his complaint with, “I know you probably get hundreds of complaints ...” and I realized just how few we get. So either we are doing a decent job, or our vocal enemies have stopped reading the paper. This semester, The Battalion maintained its award-winning status, design reached new creative heights and The Battalion online en tered into an agreement that will provide in creased interactivity and user-friendliness in the upcoming semester. And, of course, there is the ever-popular crossword puzzle. But I do not deserve the credit for these ac complishments. A staff of about 100 editors, writers, photographers, radio reporters, de signers, graphic artists and Webmasters has made me look good. This group of hard working students dedicated anywhere from 25 to 50 hours per week to producing the newspaper. And of course, appreciation must go to the readers, who make the news newsworthy and our jobs fulfilling. The spring semester will bring new oppor tunities. Jeff Kempf, editor-in-chief-elect, has served two managing-editor terms — a rare qualification. His goals for the semester in clude improving relations with student orga nizations, and some of the major events cov ered will be the presidential inauguration and student body elections. Jeff, I pass the red pen along to you and encourage you to strive continually for im provement. Take the high road when criti cized. Journalists take a difficult path — they make mistakes in public, without the “behind . closed doors” luxury of other businesses. So as I exit the basement, cross the Reed Arena stage and leave A&M, I thank the Uni versity for the education, my fellow students for the life lessons and The Battalion for some of the best times and biggest learning experi ences of my life. Beth Miller is a senior journalism major. Just keep on driving Supreme Court correctly halts checkpoint searches I n a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Nov. 29 that roadway checkpoints for drug searches are unconsti tutional. The American Civil Lib erties Union (ACLU), which brought the case be fore the Supreme Court, ar gued that Indianapolis citizens’ Fourth Amend ment rights were violated by the searches. The Fourth Amendment protects citizens against un reasonable search and seizures. The arguments of the ACLU are valid and the Supreme Court made the correct ruling. Out of l J 00 cars checked, more than 100 ar rests were made. Of those 100, only a little more than half were for drug-related offenses. The roadblocks extended police searches to everyone, not just people under suspicion. The lawyers for the city said the roadblocks were justified because they were set up in high- crime areas, but the Supreme Court did not agree. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’ Connor said, “The gravity of threat alone cannot determine whether the program was constitutional.” These roadblocks were not protecting the public from eminent danger such as drunk drivers. They were specifically hunting for criminals, which is illegal. The police assumed the motorists were guilty until proven innocent. That assumption goes against everything the founding fathers designed the legal system to be. By following that assumption, the police ha rassed innocent drivers. The dissenting justices said these check points are a valuable public safety device. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which brought the case before the Supreme Court, argued that Indianapolis citizens Fourth Amendment rights were vio lated by the searches... the arguments of the ACLU are valid and the Supreme Court made the correct ruling. Yet, they failed to see that the roadblocks were indistinguishable from normal crime control. That is what made the roadblocks un constitutional. By using the roadblocks as a crime-fighting tool, the police could construct these blocks to “prevent” any kind of crime. Every semblance of privacy while driving would be nonexistent. According to The Record, a Bergen County newspaper, these checkpoints make motorists“open to a criminal investigation that presumably would not have happened otherwise.” Totalitarian police tactics have no place in the American criminal justice system. Chief Justice William Rehnquist supported the checkpoints because they also check for drunken driving and license violations. But this line of thinking is wrong because every motorist is hassled, no matter who is un der suspicion. These checkpoints assume that motorists may be guilty simply because they are driving in a high-crime area. But this logic is faulty. People cannot be as sumed to have drugs in their vehicles simply be cause they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kenneth Falk, legal director of the ACLU af filiate that brought the case against Indianapolis, said, “The police cannot conduct a criminal in vestigation without cause.” These roadblocks constitute an investigation without cause. “We are particularly reluctant to recognize exceptions to the general rule of individualized suspicion where governmental authorities pri marily pursue their general crime control ends,” said Justice O’Connor. The Supreme Court’s decision protected the constitutional rights of Americans. The road blocks presumed that motorists were guilty until proven- innocent. While the checkpoints did serve some public good, they allowed police to invade the privacy of the public. Brieanne Porter is a sophomore chemical . engineering major.