Campus Voice
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e thwichitan
Wednesday — December 5, 2012
thewichitan.com — your campus / your news
e thwichitan
Are teacher evaluations effective? our View Evaluations are a great way for students to contribute in the success of this institution. Each semester the university basically asks students, “How are we doing?” This is a perfect opportunity for individuals to speak what is on their minds, yet students are seriously lacking in participation. Instead they are doing the bare minimum. Department deans and chairs have spoken openly and explained evaluations are tools used to gauge how well individual professors are doing in the classroom. Something the faculty takes seriously. The Wichitan thinks the concept of evaluations is a great idea in theory, unfortunately due to a lack of students taking the process seriously, classroom quality remains stagnant in many situations. We are curious why students aren’t taking the evaluation process seriously. It might be how the evaluations are presented to them in class. At most big university’s their course/professor evaluations are all online.
When we took a closer look at the student evaluation itself, we noticed the lengthy statement of intent, which we are sure no students read. It states – in all caps – “It is your responsibility to contribute to the improvement of this university by taking time now to think seriously about this evaluation and to give a clearly reasoned analysis of your instructor’s teaching.” It also states that the evaluation’s purpose is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of instructors and to help improve their teaching skills. All of this sounds all good and dandy, yet when it comes down to it, how many students actually read the 20 statements, in which they rank the instructor from poor to excellent? We bet not many. What professors probably do get the most out of is the comment section on the back which asks what went well in the class and how could the course be improved. Students have to physically write a reply to these questions and no matter the length, at least professors are getting some form of participation and critical thinking. If the university really wanted to
analyze a professor’s teaching skills, administrators would alter how we do professor and course evaluations. First, can we discuss why the university is still shelling out money for these paper evaluations? It is no secret that this university is suffering from being years behind technology wise from its competition and this is a perfect example. This student evaluation should be administered online. Apparently years ago this was how the university did evaluations. They were all online, but they stopped doing that and went back to the paper form because student’s weren’t filling them out. So instead of thinking ahead, the university took the step back into the 80s. We have a suggestion – make students want to fill out the evaluations. Make students feel like they matter! Why? Because they have found a way to make it profitable to them. We suggest the university make filling out the evaluations a requirement. With the new student portal system being released next semester, this shouldn’t be hard to do. There should also be a conse-
quence if students do not fill out the form. Say if the evaluations are done via Webworld – if students do not fill out the course evaluations they won’t be able to sign up for classes the following semester or will not receive their grades for the current semester if it isn’t complete. Another suggestion would be for the online evaluation itself, don’t have ranking questions. Lets be honest, students aren’t going to take that seriously. If college deans really want feedback, they should suggest every question on the student evaluation result in open-ended short answer responses. Only then will they know how a professor is really translating to his or her students. In this economic climate and during the university’s current budget woes, we don’t understand why administrators aren’t looking at any and every reason to cut spending, even if it is by a few hundred or thousand dollars. So MSU lets step into 2013. If Midwestern wants to compete with larger university, it needs to start improving and upgrading how they operate.
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editorial board EditorS-in-Chief: Brittney Cottingham, Hannah Hofmann Op-Ed Editor: Sarah Long A&E Editor: Orlando Flores Jr. Sports Editor: Damian Atamenwan Photo Editor: Meghan Myracle PRINT Advertising manager: Rachel Bingham ONLINE ADVERTISING MANAGER: Brandi Stroud COPY EDITORS: Kelly Calame, Kristina Davidson, Mallory Gruszynski, Icis Morton contributors: Tolu Agunbiade, Nicole Barron, Ruth Fitzgerald-Black, Johnny Blevins, Kirsten Caskey, Kerri Carter, Ashley Darby, Shelby Davis, Shanice Glover, Makayla Kinney, Hanwool Lee, Icis Morton, Cody Parish, Madison Stanfill, Bekah Timm, Novelle Williams, Akeem Wilson, Erin Wrinkle DELIVERY: Stefan Atanassov adviser: Bradley Wilson Copyright © 2012. The Wichitan is a member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. The Wichitan reserves the right to edit any material submitted for publication. Opinions expressed in the Wichitan do not necessarily reflect those of the students, staff, faculty, administration or Board of Regents of Midwestern State University. The Wichitan welcomes letters of opinion from students, faculty and staff submitted by the Friday before intended publication. Letters should be brief (350 words or less) and without abusive language or personal attacks. Letters must be typed and signed by the writer and include a telephone number and address. The editor retains the right to edit letters.
‘Text to Hillary:’ Run for president in 2016 brittney cottingham editor-in-chief
Political junkies are scratching their heads trying to figure out what Hillary Clinton will do when she steps down as President Obama’s secretary of state. While New York City major Michael Bloomberg has stated how he would love for Hillary, a former New York senator, to consider taking his job when he leaves office next year, fans of Hill’s are dying to hear five words come out of her mouth – I am running for president. Since announcing that she will be leaving her position of secretary of state next month, Hillary hasn’t given concrete plans for her future. Even if VP Joe Biden decides to run, which is unlikely since he
just turned 70 this month, she is slowly becoming the front-runner for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. So despite the fact that she has said she will not run again, her aids and supporters are already planning her presidential campaign. Her husband, 42nd president Bill Clinton, has said publicly that he believes his wife would make a great leader, but he has “no earthly idea” what her future plans are. Bill knows. Clinton’s are smart. They are plotting. Like any candidate, Hillary has pros and cons to her candidacy that might hinder her. First, lets face it – Hillary is likeable. According to White House of-
ficials, her approval rating is 70 percent – her highest in her 20 year political career. While being secretary of state, she has been embraced by foreign leaders, which many thought was unlikely due to her gender, and has a strong global following. Demographically, surprise, surprise, Hillary has a strong female following. Both working women and stay-at-home mothers respect her. Hillary has the ability to relate to both voters because she has lived two very different lives. On one hand she can identify with the “housewife” voter because she embodied that persona as First Lady. Most importantly to those maybe conservative women, she knows how to stand by her man. When Monicagate broke in
Reassessing final exams SARAH MUSCHIOL staff writer
It shouts from every corner on campus. It haunts students like a nightmare and keeps them from sleeping, before they have even begun – finals. They keep coming back every semester like sticky gum under your shoe, you know it’s there anywhere you make a step, but the best thing is to just pretend its non-existent. It would be nice, if it was just as easy with the most dreaded time of the semester. Finals mean for every student stress, sleepless nights of studying and vulnerability to all the sicknesses floating around, which no one can afford to catch before the big “F”-day. Every semester it seems like a new surprise that every professor asks for a ten-page essay and a comprehensive two-hour exam worth 50 percent of your final grade. This raises the question, why do students have to carry all the pressure to condense a semester’s worth of work into just a two-hour period? The pressure is there and the snowball-effect begins rolling after too much caffeine and deprived sleep: the last exam ends in an unwinnable war with your heavy eyelids and the only thing to remember the next morning
is: please let me never have to go through so much stress again, and a promise to oneself that next semester will be different. Every semester starts out with a positive attitude of acing your classes, keeping up with your reading and homework, studying before your tests, so the hump of failing or passing a class does not have to be made at final judgment day. But suddenly it hits one all out of the blue, the stress, the stacked cups of cheap instant coffee spilling over your desk and hidden five-hour energy bottles under every seat and pillow. So why do we not change the procedure? Why do finals have to be so important and always end in a big mess every semester? The most ironic thing of all, professors and staff despise the last week of the semester just as much as any student. For professors it means to read and grade all these exams and final papers and in the end wishing, they only would have demanded eight pages from each student. But even if every professor would have decided to teach less material and require a shorter research paper, it would have not changed the outcome. Finals week will always be stressful, and if it were only classes that
were taught instead of testing and grading, who would remain on campus? Probably nobody would still attend classes, if it wasn’t for final grades, which can change the final outcome of all grades. For the eager and zealous students on campus, who were working hard all semester, a bad day at the end of the semester can make the difference in between an A or a B. For students who struggle through college, a final exam means earning a passing or failing grade, but how much does this system really contribute to a successful learning environment? All semester long students fight through every test, quiz, exam and homework to maintain a good grade. The argument is, students who had been doing well during the semester, will also do fine on the final, while students who have been struggling receive a last chance to improve their grade. So optimistically spoken finals week is not about stress and frustration, but only a significant opportunity to improve yourself. That said, we can be proud of the most attentive and ritualistic tradition of colleges in the country and the so often repeated phrase, “Good luck on your finals!” I am sure we all need it.
1998, the country assumed that the moment her husband lied to the American people by saying “I did not have sexual relations with that women,” that she would take her daughter Chelsea and leave him for good. Yet, she didn’t. She pulled “The Good Wife” and stood by his side during the entire scandal and his impeachment. When she was running for president back in 2008, it seem that their marriage was stronger than ever. Women who vote primarily on family values will sure vote for a woman who is a survivor. Hillary was able to pick herself up again after Bill’s affair while still keeping her marriage in tact. Then there are the working women who compete daily in a male-dominated world. Clinton has been ridiculed and mocked by the right-winged media over the last few years about everything she does and say, from her array of colorful pantsuits to her acting like a “bitch.” Well, Tina Fey on the SNL stage in 2008 said it best – “bitches get stuff done.” And Hillary has gotten a lot done since being First Lady. Working women will also identify with Hillary as well young females will view her as a role model. Simply put, like Obama’s landslide victory with the black vote during the 2008 and 2012 election, women and feminist alike will be standing in line for a chance to make history to vote for the first female president in 2016. If Hillary decides to run, in the next few years expect Hillary to speak up more on current issues and slowly reveal her political platform. This week, MSNBC reported Hillary would be coming out in favor of gay marriage when she
leaves Obama’s cabinet next month. It’s all strategy people. In 2008 during the primary’s, Hillary lost the young voters to Obama so by 2015 don’t be surprised if Hillary starts opening up more on social issues that are important to young people. Politically, Hillary is liberal, but she is very bipartisan. Her foreign policy resume is top notch. Unlike in 2008, she hasn’t stepped foot in Congress in years so she has a fresh outlook and what might be the best way to handle congressional problems that the Obama administration has been facing. Speaking of the Obama administration, they have a lot to do with whether Hillary will run in 2016 or not. Mrs. Clinton is a smart lady. She doesn’t lose – not again. So, if she does announce she is running for president it is pretty much a guarantee that it is because she strongly believes that she can win. It is Politics 101 that if Obama doesn’t pull the economy out from under that voters will question if voting for another Democrat is a good idea. (See the 2008 election: after George W. Bush’s eight years of president, the last thing voters wanted was another republican). If Obama doesn’t win over more Americans during his second term, it won’t matter if Hillary is the best-qualified. She won’t run because she knows the likelihood of her running is slim. When it comes to the cons on why Hillary might not run for president or her list of reasons why she might not win the election, the top reason resolves around one man, her husband. Obama’s motto during his reelection was obviously, “where there’s a Bill, there’s a way.” Many say that it was Bill Clinton’s speech at the 2012 Demo-
The Wichitan now offers free online classified ads. Placing them is so easy, even Snooki could do it.
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cratic National Convention that persuaded independent voters. It is no secret that President Clinton is one of the best and most importantly most liked president in history. With that said, his likability and questions about their marriage could help Hillary in the long run. The relationship between Bill and Hillary have been plastered on news broadcasts and magazines since the 90’s and one can only think what influence the former president will have on her campaign. During her 2008 campaign, some were worried that Bill’s influence would be too overwhelming and that we would have “copresident.” This is still the mind set of many republicans and if they spread this view to the independents Hillary will have an uphill battle. Despite what some republicans might want to believe, supporters of Hillary know that Bill will be as far from her campaign as possible. She has proved that she doesn’t need to use her husband as a political crunch. Hillary has her own political wits and experience to reply on. Plus Bill will be too busy planning his life as American’s First Gentlemen? Man? Hubby? Whether she selects retirement to play wifey and grandmother or go back to being a senator, lets just hope she continues to let photographers take pictures of her holding a cell phone for some more “Texts From Hillary” meme-goodness. Either way, whatever she decides she will remain one of the most powerful and influential women in the world.
