Important issue

I’m writing in response to a letter published in Monday’s edition of the Star about the publishing of teacher evaluations. It’s not true that SA presidents only raise issues such as this when they need to demonstrate that they are working for the students. However, I feel that this issue is something that these presidents should continue to bring up, because it’s more important than one might think.

The publishing of student evaluations first of all, gives the teachers a chance to at least get a feel for what they are doing wrong. It gives them a chance to see exactly what the students think should be changed and also what the students feel should not be changed. I’m not saying that the teachers will actually change their programs around because of what a student feels, but an honest opinion is sure to at least draw some attention.

Probably even more important in publishing these evaluations is the fact that students can actually see that what they say counts. These evaluations have been filled out for years and personally, I’ve always felt that they were just thrown straight in the garbage. Like I said, whether a change is made or not, publishing these evaluations at least lets the students know that his/her opinion meant something and could contribute to a better education.

Sure, there are more important issues on campus that should be addressed, but since it seems that these bigger problems (state funding, tuition hikes) will never be solved, the SA might as well deal with the little ones first.

Vaughn McClure

Senior

Journalism