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Thursday, April 28, 2016

Northern Star

815-753-5606 H @NIUNorthernStar H NorthernStar.info/Opinion

NIU should permanently allow no permit parking after 5 p.m.

NIU must continue green effort

Editorial Board Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board; columns reflect the opinion of the author alone. Editor in Chief & Publisher: Jackie Nevarez Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-0105

Stuart Nissenbaum SA Director of Environmental Affairs

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Hanna Markezich | Northern Star

NIU lacks transparency with course evaluations

All course evaluations should be online so students won’t miss them

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Perspective

Read more at bit.ly/26vHWjs. See what’s a pass and what’s a fail as judged by Perspective Editor Angela L. Pagan.

Kaylyn Zielinski Columnist

NIU needs more transparency when it comes to how course evaluations are handled so students can understand what kind of impact they have. At the end of the semester, students are asked to evaluate how they think their professor performed throughout the semester. The course evaluations arrive in the classroom encased in a manila folder and eventually end up back in that same folder disappearing out of the classroom and students’ minds. Students should know what is going to happen to the evaluations and how the evaluation will affect the professors.

NIU’s first ever Earth Week is officially in the books and I would like to take a moment to reflect on where we go from here. I would first like to personally thank everyone who helped make Earth Week a success as this was a major collaborative effort. The purpose of Earth Week was to create an awareness that was previously lacking on this campus. We want to encourage people at NIU and in the surrounding community to use #GoGreenNIU in social media to help strengthen our environmental presence. While Earth Week was great and full of interactive and informational events, it is my hope that this environmental momentum extends beyond just one week. This is a movement and a call to action. For decades, issues surrounding climate change, such as the growing population, access to clean water and unsustainable agricultural practices have been put on the shoulders of “future generations.” We are the future generation.

I think that [course evaluations] provide an opportunity for students to give feedback in a way that can be frank and open... .” Kathryn Cady Communication associate professor

Erica Ogunleye, senior corporate organizational communication major, said she was not sure what happens to evaluations once they are completed. “I want course evaluations to be handled seriously,” Ogunleye said. “I don’t know what they can do about negative [evaluations.]” It is the responsibility of those engaged in personnel decisions to recognize the values and the limitations of student evaluations and to use them only in conjunction with

Pass

Town hall turnout shows involvement

Faith Mellenthin | Northern Star

all other available indicators, according to NIU’s website. Tenured and tenured-track faculty will receive a merit score — one of the components of a merit score is the professor’s course evaluations. The merit score can then be used later on to decide whether a professor will be rehired, promoted and/or possibly get a raise, said Michael Day, First Year Composition director. NIU should make this information available to students; the current description on the NIU website is confusing and so many students may not understand that their evaluations are part of a professor’s merit score. While NIU’s website was a bit unclear as to what specifically happens with course evaluations, it was much easier to find at the University of Illinois at Springfield’s website. The University of Illinois at Springfield has established policy requesting and using the opinions and input of students in the evaluation of faculty for personnel reviews, including reappointment, promotion and tenure, according to the first line of Policies and Procedures – Faculty Course

Evaluations on the University of Illinois at Springfield’s website. NIU Testing Services receives the course evaluations after they are finished by students. Testing Services Director Gregory Barker was unavailable for comment. “[Course evaluations] are an opportunity to learn more about our students experiences of our classes so that we can continue to improve them,” Day said. The way course evaluations affect faculty is different depending on the department, said communication associate professor Kathryn Cady. “I think that [course evaluations] provide an opportunity for students to give feedback in a way that can be frank and open. Hearing that always helps up think about how the course is working and if the course is confusing,” Cady said. If students were made aware of the effects their evaluations had on their professors, they may take them more seriously. The university should make it clear as to how student input will be used and how it will affect their professors they are evaluating.

The town hall meeting Wednesday had more than 200 people in attendance, which shows that the NIU students and faculty want to take program prioritization seriously. I applaud all those in attendance for being actively concerned with how program prioritization will affect them and the organizations they are part of. This matter is important to understand and by attending the town hall meeting NIU community members have shown they potentially want to give feedback on how various university programs will change.

Fail

Bill postponement wastes Senate time The Student Association Senate postponed a bill that would combine two positions at its Sunday meeting and by doing so are wasting valuable time. The bill that was postponed would have combined the director of Public Affairs position with the director of Advertising position. SA Senate Speaker Dillon Domke said he was not sure why the majority voted to postpone the bill or why it would be necessary to postpone the bill. This seems like a straight forward issue, either the positions should be combined or they should not.


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