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SEPTERMBER 26, 2014 Wednesday High 90, Low 66 Thursday High 90, Low 67
VOLUME 100 ISSUE 16 FIRST COPY FREE, ADDITIONAL COPIES 50 CENTS
NEWS Briefs World KIEV, Ukraine— Ukraine’s leader said Thursday that “the most dangerous part of the war” has passed and that the conflict with pro-Russia separatists in the country’s east is on the wane. Artillery fire, however, still rang out in the region’s largest city. BEIRUT— When the United States opened its aerial campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria this week, its first salvo also hit an alQaida cell it says was planning terror attacks — a move that has injected more chaos into the conflict and could help President Bashar Assad.
National NEW YORK— The price of a gallon of gasoline may soon start with a “2’’ across most of the country. Gasoline prices typically decline in autumn and this year they are being pulled even lower by falling global oil prices. ANCHORAGE, Alaska— A powerful earthquake shook a large swath of Alaska on Thursday morning, knocking things off shelves and causing people to take cover but bringing no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
Texas DALLAS— The University of North Texas should repay the state at least $75.6 million over the next 10 years, the state auditor’s office said in a report released Thursday. According to an investigation by the auditor’s office, the university manipulated its payroll spending so it received extra money from the state over many years.
The Hot or Not list of SMU professors Students, teachers evaluate RateMyProfessor Adriana Fernandez Ibanez Contributing Writer afernandezib@smu.edu English professor Bruce Levy sits in his underground office surrounded by papers and books. As he types away on his desktop one can’t help but notice something’s missing. His shoes. Many of his students remember Levy for his tall black socks. Others recall him as a helpful and highly accessible professor, or so his reviews on RateMyProfessors.com say. Levy’s reviews on the public site recently were close to perfect, with a 4.1 overall grade out of 5. A few, though, weren’t so hot. The site allows students to rate their professors numerically and through comments. It also awards goodlooking instructors chili peppers for their level of “hotness.” Levy says he finds the more negative comments amusing and does not take the website very seriously. He even jokes about the website to his students, telling them there ought to be a rating site to warn faculty about them. His imagined site would give teachers the power to choose who takes their classes. And teachers would rate their students according to their willingness to learn. “Rather than have those hot chili peppers, we should have a beer sty or, like, a bong,” he said. RateMyProfessor.com was launched 15 years ago with the purpose of providing a forum for students to share ratings and commentary about their professors. Future students can then catch a glimpse of what they are in for prior
to enrollment. Since its release, it has published more than a million ratings, all of which are publicly disclosed online and accessed for free. Today the website is tremendously popular. It gets more than 12 times the traffic that an average Internet site in Texas alone. Its layout and interface have been revamped recently to show a more sleek and modern-looking interface. However, the rating system remains the same. Students rate professors anonymously using a five-point scale system in three categories: helpfulness, easiness and clarity. The score is displayed next to a spot for the student raters’ grade in the class. It is very common, however, for students to rate their teacher but omit their grade in the class. Some teachers see that omission as a sign of spitefulness. Math professor Dustin Potter sees many of the negative reviews as complaints and expressions of bitterness. He said he likes to challenge his students and is more interested in students learning than whether or not they like him. He does, however, have his pride. “I was disappointed that I didn’t have any chili ratings,” he said. Student athlete Meghan Klein said she uses the site to make sure she can get the best professor when many teach the same course. She said that she enrolled in one of her classes this semester because the instructor had good reviews. Klein, a rower, finds that so far many of the comments were true of the professor and finds the class both fun and very interesting. “If it’s a huge, boring class then it’s not going to be worth taking
Courtesy of Adriana Fernandez Ibanez
Many students use RateMyProfessor.com to research teachers before enrolling for classes each semester.
even if it satisfies a credit,” she said. The commentary option on RateMyProfessors.com allows students to write about what they liked or disliked about the course and professor. These posts are usually informally written and often include comical anecdotes. Some of the students write in all capital letters, usually about a professor they highly recommend or one they suggest you stay away from. A study performed by the Appalachian State University’s Sociology department in 2009 studied students’ rating criteria when evaluating professors. They concluded that RateMyProfessors. com rating categories are meant to portray students’ perception of their
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teacher’s personality and easiness rather than how knowledgeable, interesting and invested the teacher is in the class. The study shows that 45 percent of remarks are about easiness of workload and more than half of those are negative because the class is challenging. According to the study’s sociologists, students can be compared to consumers who shop for classes. They reward instructors for undemanding courses and punish those who require more work. Spanish professor Betty Nelson believes many of the comments on the site are written in a spirit of vengeance after students receive a bad grade. However, she didn’t
reach this conclusion until recently. Nelson has been teaching for 30 years and had never looked herself up on the site until recently, during an interview with a reporter. Her rating was a respectable 3.0, but she would have preferred a higher score. There were some complaints about her classes’ difficulty level, something she recognizes. “I realize that I’m demanding but I think that I’m extremely fair in class,” she said.
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Library
‘Please don’t stop the music’
Crain encourages music education Campbell Flemmons Associate Online Editor cflemmons@smu.edu Richard Crain spoke to a crowd of 40 about the importance of music education Wednesday as a part of the Young Educator Seminars (YES) in Meadows School of the Arts. Crain serves as President of the Midwest Clinic. He was formerly director of instrumental studies at Houston Baptist University and is currently the orchestra director at Springs Baptist Church. The humble, talented and witty band director shared several personal stories about his career and his advice for future music educators. His advice included everything from the importance of mentors to practical advice on life insurance and retirement benefits for teachers. When it comes to children, he believes that music education is crucial and that they need this
specific education to thrive. "I'll tell you something else about kids," he said. "Don't ever give up on them. Their welfare is our prime responsibility– teaching them how to be good musicians and citizens." During his lecture, he shared the importance of having close mentors. He spoke of his time with different bands, orchestras and groups, and his stories demonstrated the bond between fellow music educators and their willingness to help those seeking advice. "You can really get isolated and maybe even think that you're doing pretty well," he said. "But, you need to attach yourself to a mentor. That's why this thing that you're doing here is so important." He truly believes in fellowship and mentorship between band directors and other music educators. When discussing the lecture series, Crain said, "What you're getting here is priceless and someday you'll realize that."
Courtesy of Trevor Cadigan
A student reads a passage from “The Giving Tree” for SMU’s Banned Book Virtual Read-Out.
Students read for a purpose trevor cadigan Contributing Writer tcadigan@smu.edu
SMU hosted its first banned book virtual read-out in support of Banned Books Week, drawing a number of faculty and students to Fondren Library Wednesday afternoon. The virtual read-out allowed students, faculty and staff to get in front of the camera, pick a banned or challenged book – according to the American Library Association – and read a passage out loud for 30 seconds to show their support for Banned Books Week. The recordings of participants in the virtual read-out were posted to the Banned Books Week Virtual
Read-Out YouTube channel, which features videos from people around the world supporting Banned Books Week. “When you read the words out loud, it has more of an impact than when you read it,” said Info Commons Tech Coordinator Tyeson Seale. “Everyone can hear how powerful these words can be.” Among the books students chose to read were controversy titles such as “Catcher in the Rye,” “Grapes of Wrath” and “The Working Poor” as well as some children’s books including “Where the Wild Things Are,” “The Giving Tree” and “Charlotte’s Web.” Banned Books Week is an annual tradition held the last
week of September – sponsored by institutions such as American Booksellers Association and the National Coalition Against Censorship – that helps readers proclaim the importance of the freedom to read. The event started in 1982 after a large spike in the number of book challenges to schools and libraries. Since Banned Books Week began, more than 11,300 books have been challenged, according to the American Library Association. SMU’s virtual read-out comes after Highland Park ISD banned seven books from its curriculum because of complaints by parents that the material was inappropriate for teenagers.