Thursday April 29, 2010 year: 130 No. 99 the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com thelantern.com
Slideshows: softball and baseball sports
The diet of an offensive lineman
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thelantern Online evals called ‘ineffective’ JACK MOORE Lantern reporter moore.1732@osu.edu Some students relish the opportunity to give instructors a piece of their mind when they ÿll out evaluations at the end of the quarter, but the numbers say many students don’t bother ÿlling them out. Ninety-two members of the history department, including faculty and graduate students, signed a petition Tuesday in response to concerns about the Student Evaluation of Instruction system, which went entirely online at the beginning of the academic year.
The petition, addressed to the university registrar, Brad Myers and 13 other university administrators, says that the current online SEI process is “ineffective, confusing, disingenuous, and most importantly, detrimental to student learning and the quality of instruction” at Ohio State. Chris Elias, a graduate student in history, helped to organize the petition. He said the low response rate from students was troubling. “Believe it or not,” he said, “people actually read them.” And instructors, many of whom are graduate students, take criticism to heart to become better at teaching, he said.
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In 2008, the average SEI response rate campus-wide was 73.74 percent ... In contrast, in autumn 2009, the first quarter SEIs were administered entirely online, the average response rate was 46.54 percent. Terri Childers head of scanning and surveys for the University Registrar
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I’M THE KING OF THE CAMPUS LEFT: Award-winning director of films like ‘Avatar’ and ‘Titanic,’ James Cameron gives an interview at the Ohio Union Archie Griffin Grand Ballroom just before his first college lecture Wednesday. RIGHT: James Cameron invites students to talk with him after his lecture.
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AUSTIN OWENS / Lantern photographer
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Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The band will play its New Orleans jazz music on Sunday at the LC. Doors open at 6 p.m.
thelantern.com
ANDY GOTTESMAN / Lantern photographer
Runaway cows have 3,000 Facebook fans JAMI JURICH Lantern reporter jurich.4@osu.edu The squad cars have driven away, the cameras have stopped ° ashing and the crowds have dispersed. But tributes to the two cows that broke loose on OSU’s campus last week are popping up all over the place. A Facebook fan page, which named the cows Pedro and Herbert, has been created in their honor, YouTube highlight videos have been made, and the cows continue to be a topic of conversation at OSU. “This is in remembrance of the cows that got
onto the OSU campus on 4.21.2010 and changed our lives,” says the fan page for “Pedro and Herbert: The Famous Cows at OSU.” “It showed us how two cows can outsmart dozens of cops and how awesome and sacred cows truly are.” The page reached 1,000 fans in six hours on Facebook, according to a post on the page. There are currently 2,852 fans, and the number continues to grow. A YouTube video of the same name has also been made in their honor. The video is a compilation of video news clips and student footage of the cows being chased. In addition to the highlight video, nine other videos containing footage of the cows have since
appeared on YouTube. One of the videos was shot by two students and has already received 4,468 views. “Pedro and Herbert stand for everything American. Freedom: maybe they didn’t want pedicures. Standing up for their beliefs: ÿghting back against the police and everyone else who tried to bring them down. Never giving up: even when tranquilized they still fought back. And just a general uniÿcation: both of them broke free, not just one,” fan page creator Alex Slivinski said. “I think that inspired many students and staff to unite in their support for Pedro and Herbert.”
Check out The Lantern Lawmaker backs medical marijuana bill online edition every Friday RACHEL JACKLIN Lantern reporter jacklin.5@osu.edu
Along with pills, treatments and other traditional remedies, patients with certain medical conditions might soon be prescribed a smoke break, as Ohio could become the 15th state to legalize the use of medical marijuana. House Bill 478, which is sponsored by Democrat
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Rep. Kenny Yuko and ÿve other representatives, would allow for the growth, dispersion and use of marijuana to become legal for those with a medical need. “This is an act of compassion,” Yuko said. “It gives people a chance to change their quality of life.” Passage of the bill is said to be unlikely, and Yuko knows it. “I know it’s not going to get passed,” Yuko said.
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Share your argument for medical marijuana at thelantern.com
Sibs Weekend events to include Jack Hanna, Laugh Olympics
mostly sunny
FR 82/55 mostly sunny SA 73/64 t-storms SU 73/55 t-storms MO 69/48 partly cloudy www.weather.com
LAUREN HALLOW Lantern reporter hallow.1@osu.edu Ohio State students should expect to see more children than usual in the next few days for the 2010 Sibs Weekend. This is the 14th year that OSU has dedicated a weekend to siblings, and Ryan Lovell, director of Parent and Family Programs, said he believes it is a weekend that strengthens relationships between college students and their families.
“Sibs Weekend allows those loved ones to meet college friends or colleagues, share in experiences and see the campus environment that a student or staff member now calls home,” Lovell said. Opportunities for families to connect with one another and OSU are important to the success of our students and our university, he said. Events for Sibs Weekend are planned throughout campus for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The weekend kicks off with a “Welcome Night” on Friday at the Ohio Union. Many new events are planned
for this year that incorporate the new Union, including dance classes, cooking classes and a movie night. University President E. Gordon Gee and Brutus will be having a meet-andgreet Saturday, and later that night, Jack Hanna and friends will also be at the Union to present an interactive show about wildlife. Lovell said these new events appeal to older students. “We’ve made an effort to move from many of the arts and craft type activities to more involved programming … to better address that a majority of the students who come
are ages 14 to 17,” Lovell said. “When speaking with student organizations and campus departments, we wanted to be sure to offer events both for younger and older sibs who may be here for the weekend.” One event geared toward younger students, which Lovell said has been a Sibs Weekend favorite, is the Laugh Olympics, put on by the Student Alumni Council. Students and their siblings can come to the South Oval
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