the daily collegian editorial opinion If a professor wants to get tenure at Penn State, he or she must teach adequately. No one here says otherwise. But how should a professor's teaching ability be measured? It's a good question, ranking right up there with measuring the sound a tree makes when it falls in the woods or the sound of one hand clapping, or counting the sips of brew in Beaver Stadium on a Saturday afternoon. The University Faculty Senate is stuck with the responsibility of setting a policy for measuring teaching quality as part of the University's tenure and promotion policy, PS-23. What's PS-23? If you ask, you're not a faculty member here. PS-23 provides that candidates for tenure are rated according to their records in four areas: research and publication, service to the University and community (such as membership on the Faculty Senate), advising and teaching. Candidates for tenure are reviewed by three, sometimes four, committees: commonwealth cam pus, department, college and university. The way teaching evaluations are done now, each department has its own way of evaluating teachers. Some use peer evaluations, some rely primarily on student evaluations. Some use detailed question naires, some use interviews. Some rate teachers on a scale of 1 to 10, some use a scale of "poor" to "very good." Many faculty senators say this disjointed, decen tralized way of evaluating teachers is unfair. When the University-levdl tenure committee has to make a tenure decision, the candidate's teaching ability is impossible to measure on a University-wide scale. So, in effect, the University-level committee has to depend largely on the recommendations of the lower-level committees, who know better what evaluations mean and know the faculty member, but also might be more prone to political ploys than the University committee. So the senate Faculty Affairs Committee has recommended that a few standardized comprehen sive questions on the overall quality of instruction be included on teaching evaluation forms through out the University. The recommendations will rebel's rebel Fighting tirelessly for Angolan Jonas Savimbi is one of those indepen dent-minded Third World leaders against whom the odds are so great that the mere fact he is alive must be seen as a major victory. Savimbi, a 46-year-old Angolan, has been living in the brush and fighting an anti-colonial war for 15 years. His oppo nents have not always had the same faces. He began by fighting the Portu guese, who ruled Angola for 400 years, but he is now fighting the Russians, Cubans, and Germans, who have ruled Angola for the past five years. W.k. ,100 /L S/ gr 7 •-,,,,.., c\e(4'l. Se r 2. or:at 4610) The Marxist government has never been popular in Angola; it is an intellec tual, urban-based movement led by Westernized mulattos who cannot even speak an African language. They are kept in power only by relying on Russian money and Cuban soldiers. The Russians have advisers in every government ministry; they control the fishing industry and have direct com mand of the armed forces. The East Germans are in charge of the railways and intelligence. In the days of the Portu guese, this would have been labeled colonialism. Angola is a divided country; the Rus sian stooges control the cities, the oil fields and the important communication routes, but Savimbi's forces control the fields, the villages and the hearts of the native black population. He runs the schools, agricultural settlements and hospitals. In the past he has accepted help from the CIA, South Africa and Mao- Tse Tung, and he would accept help froni, the devil if it meant independence for Angola. One of the most impressive features of Savimbi's army is the fact that it con tains no mercenaries. Out of 20,000 troops, there are only about 500 Portu guese, and these were born in Angola, dh4Collegian Thursday Sept. 10, 1981—Page 2 Paula Froke Editor Business Manager BOARD OF Fr"T`.`"R • Manning Editor, Phil Gutis; Editorial Editor, opinions Tenure trauma One way not to measure teaching ability dente. But the Marxist-dominated MPLA fac tion had no intention of allowing these elections, and in August 1975 they at tacked the compound which housed the FNLA and UNITA ministers. Fighting spread to the rest of the country, and FNLA and UNITA pulled out of the coalition government. The Portuguese were demoralized and had no desire to continue the war, which was devouring half of Portugal's budget. As fast as the Portuguese were pulling out of the coun try, Russian, Cuban and East German advisers and troops were pouring in. When independence day came to Angola, the Russians were in control of Luanda, the capital, and the rest of the country was at war. Relying on a large base of popular support, Savimbi seized most of the southern portion of the country and came within 150 miles of Luanda, while at the same time Roberto, backed by a $2B million gift from the CIA, seized areas of the north and came within 20 miles of the capital. While the U.S. Congress was busy ratifying the Church Amendment which prohibits the U.S. government 1981 Collegian Inc. Debby Vinokur and they receive the same pay as the black Angolans: nothing. The Swiss-educated Savimbi founded the National Union for the Total Liber ation of Angola. Along with two other groups, the pro-Western FNLA and the pro-Marxist MPLA, Savimbi spent nine years from 1965 until 1974 fighting the Portuguese colonial army, South West Africa People's Organization guerrillas, Katangan police, South African long range penetration units and the Rhode sian Air Force. After a group of left-wing officers seized control of the Portuguese govern ment, Savimbi approached the leaders of the two other guerrilla groups, Holden Roberio . of the FNLA and Agostinho Neto of of the MPLA, and the three agreed to form a united front in order to negotiate for independence. In January 1975, the three leaders signed an agreement that was later en dorsed by the Portuguese. The three re bel groups were to divide the cabinet portfolios among them until elections were held immediately after indepen- come up for a vote at the senate meeting next month. The effect of the standardized questions on the tenure review process is not exactly clear. It would probably give more of the responsibility for teach ing evaluation to the University-wide committee, whose members cannot possibly know particular faculty members as well as department heads. But that point aside, this proposal is not the way to measure teaching more accurately. Standardized questions cannot possibly be the way to better evaluate teachers. Students' attitudes toward their instructors vary widely between large classes and small, required courses and electives, introductory courses and honors courses. As one professor pointed out, someone teaching Math 161, which is required of engineering majors, might want to be tough with students to get them to learn, but someone teaching an introductory litera ture course wants students not only to learn, but to like the subject enough to come back for more. And space does not allow listing the myriad of ways teachers can "rig" student evaluations, even if a neutral proctor adminikers them. Standardized questions would only give Universi ty-level committees the illusion of objectivity. Real information on the quality of a teacher can come only from those who know the teacher firs thand students and other teachers. And that information cannot be gathered with standardized forms. Perhaps the Faculty Senate could consider differ ent kinds of University-wide• standards, such as interviewing students and sending transcripts of interviews to the tenure review committees. Or, better yet, tenure committees could interview a teacher's former students whose opinions are less likely to be colored by a teacher's personality. Sure, these methods are a whole lot more cum bersome than standardized questions on evaluation forms, but no one ever said measuring teaching quality would be easy. The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is determined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor-in-chief holding final responsibility. Tom Boyer; Assistant Editorial Editor, Becky Jones; News Editors, Cindy Deskins, Dave Medzerian; Sports Editor, Mike Poorman; Assistant Sports Editors, Sharon Fink, Ron Gardner; Arts Editor, Elaine Wetmore; Assistant Arts Editor, Judd Blouch; Photo Editor, Stelios Varias; Assistant Photo Editors, Janis Burger, Renee Jacobs; Graphics Editor, Lynda Cloud; Wire Editor, Maryann Hakowski; Copy Editors. Cindy Cox, Karen Konski, Denise Laffan, Jackie Martino, Iris Naar, Lynda Robinson, Leslie Zuck; Campus Editor, Joyce Venezia; Assistant Campus Editor, Chuck Hall; Town Editor, Rosa Eberly; Assistant Town Editor, Margaret Ann Walsh; Features Editor, Scott McCleary; Weekly Collegian Editor, Neil Axe; Assistant Weekly Collegian Editor, Charlene Gowarty. independence from assisting any anti-communist group in Angola the Russians began a round-the-clock airlift, flying in tanks, heavy artillery and a 20,000-man imperi alist army of Cubans. • With Cuban troops, Russian tanks and MiG fighter planes, the Luanda govern ment soon brought the anti-Marxist oppo sition to a halt. Roberto packed his bags and went to Paris, where he lives in luxurious exile. No _ one could have faulted Savimbi if he did the same after his capital fell in January 1976. With the United States forbidden by law to support Savimbi and Andrew Young hailing the Cuban troops as a stabilizing influence in Africa, the South Africans (who, along with the Chinese, had supported Savimbi) were afraid of being diplomatically isolated. They with drew their troops from Angola, and the world wrote off Savimbi as a loser. The situation is now a stalemate. The Marxists cannot penetrate the country side because Savimbi is too powerful, and Savimbi cannot capture the cities until he gets heavy artillery and aircraft or until the Russians get tired like the Portuguese and go home. Jonas Savimbi is not the kind of man who can go into exile and spend his days hanging around the delegates' lounge at the United Nations in a three-piece suit whining about human injustice. He is a big, barrel-chested man who struts on the balls of his feet like a panther. He knows that old Africa is gone and new Africa is hopelessly ensnared in European ways, but he believes that Africans can adapt these ways and make them suit their culture. In spite of his European education, Savimbi's heart and soul are helplessly entwined in the hot dusty brush of rural Angola. He has a home in Morocco that was given to him by King Hassan, but spends at least 10 months of the year in Angola. He has been hardened by 15 years of combat living, which left him little room for ideological claptrap. Instead of an ideology, he has a dream, and that dream is negritude a belief in the people and traditions of black Africa. Sean de Hora is a graduate student in history. His column appears on Thurs days. Neglected advisees can find help By KIM NURICK 7th-general arts and sciences • Two years ago on a hot August afternoon, I pulled out my trusty map that every freshman would be lost without and double-checked the location of my adviser's office build ing. Can't be late, I thought, because, after all, the advisers of the University are there to help us (Naive Freshman Mistake 1). When I arrived at the math professor's office I was handed my pink slip with a smile and, with a slight shrug, my adviser said, "Well, that's it." No signed number 2 card, no explanations about the courses I didn't get —. nothing. "Don't worry," my Resident Assistant said. "There are advisers on the registration floor to help you." Great, I thought. They'll surely know what a first-term pre-med student should take (Mistake 2). After about an hour on the floor trying to arrange a schedule, I went to the advisers at the College of Science table to make sure it was O.K. "It's up to you," the man told me with a blank stare I decided then to make an appointment with my assigned adviser to set up a tentative schedule for the year. I'd just find out when his office hours were (Mistake 3). Not only was he not present during office hours, but I soon found that all of his students' affairs were handled by his secretary. I began to learn from my mistakes and for three terms I arranged my own schedules on pre-signed preregistration forms obtained from the faithful secretary. But I began to grow very tired of taking one science course after another, with nothing in between. This may be all right for some, but not for me, I thought, and I knew something had to be done. I camped out in front of the Hi, I'm 7th-entomology. And you? A scene in a State College bar: A man takes a seat next to the woman he has been scoping all evening. "First, engineering," he whispers breathlessly into her ear. "Tenth, liberal arts," she mutters and quickly moves to the other side of the room. After all, the last engineering major she went out with wasn't worth the trouble, and anyway, first term men just aren't her style anymore. Maybe this has never happened to you, but it could become a reality for any Penn State student. We have been trained to identify ourselves by term and major so often that its usually the first thing one student says to another at an initial meeting. The results could be devastating. Imagine the student who is majoring in entomology and must explain to everybody that entomology is not some obscure Far Eastern language. Or worse yet, a student with a double major in developmental and remedial reading and reading communication and language education won't even be able to spit out one of his majors before losing everybody's attention. First term students are naturally labeled as naive freshmen, even if they are 25 years old. Twelfth term students are admired because they've almost made it. As for me, I think I'm in a rut. I'm eighth term sort of stuck in the middle and tired of saying "journalism and Spanish" to identify myself. I've always wanted to try a different major to see how it sounded. Something like dairy science always sounded interesting to me. New acquaintances picture a woman who knows Mix to milk a cow and isn't afraid of a little hard work. Or how about music? I've always wanted to be a singer anyway and even if I'm not good enough I can pretend I'm living out a fantasy. I'LLHAVE TWO SLIP! BURGERS, LARGE CIiERRYPIE,EIANAN SHAKE ANA--. roLIENNILI eigb - ,\ET forum S. I'M TINS KNOW. 7 7/ 11 ..,,,,,,, .. , ~ secretary's desk one morning at 7:30 I could nab my adviser when he came ill. As he poured his coffee, he told me that he had a lot of papers to grade, but if I asked questions, he could either answer them with a yes or no. It wasn't what I had in mind, but he mumbled "yes" when I wanted to add Spanish and drop chemistry. The secretary had already signed my drop-add slip without glancing at it, so I was set. Set, that is, until the following term and the one following that. I was becoming increasingly unhappy in my major, but there was no one to guide me or help me to go about changing it. Situations such as this are extremely common among students of all majors and term standings throughout the University. Unfortunately, however, many cases are met with much more apathy. Some are not even met at all as in the case of my friend Jane. Her adviser had office hours (or, rather, hour) one period a week. Because Jane had a class during that period, she tried to set up an appointment at a different time. No dice. He was much too busy, he said, and besides, if he made special hours for Jane, he'd have to do it for all his advisees. To many, the situation appears hopeless. Yet, hard to believe as it may be, there are a few knowledgeable, concerned, available people left in the University. These select few have been known to give tremendous help in guiding students toward their future. But they don't seek out students. If you are one of the many students assigned to an adviser you don't even know or wish you had never met it's up to you to remedy the situation. And how to do it? Talk. Talk with other students. Talk with your professors, or a department head, or the dean of your college. Go to the Career Development and Placement Center and talk with the counselors. They'll give you names of people to talk with. You have a right to be advised. Get to know the people who know how to do their job, to provide guidance. Get to know them and let them get to know you. And your future will look worlds brighter. Or better yet, let's abolish the entire term and major way of, identification and try something else instead. First names would be a good idea, or better yet, social security numbers since that's what the University knows us by anyway. While at home this summer, I started some new friendship; without ever revealing my term and major. We asked more thought-provoking, crucial questions of each other, such as, "What are you doing with your life? Do you still live with your parents? and been to any good concerts lately?" It didn't matter if we had terms, or majors for that matter. We weren't stereotyped immediately as freshmen, grad. stu dents or brains. But now I'm back in State College and back the familiar term and major classification system. However, the next time I see you on the street don't be surprised if I rattle off some obscure classification such as 10th-going through life one day at a time. After all, it adds a little variety to the conversation! Iris Naar is an Bth-term journalism and Spanish major and a copy editor for the Daily Collegian. 'You have what in your dorm room? ' Last week, as I dragged my carpet up four flights of stairs for the fourth year, it suddenly occurred to me that I was an violating yet another University policy. r I'd also be committing a violation later when I played Frisbee in the quad or made a cup of coffee after work. To those freshmen or naive upperclass men who are totally confused by my illeghl actions, allow me to clarify: if you have carefully read the "Terms, Condi • tions and Regulations" concerning dorm living, you will be surprised to learn that just about every student residing on campus is a 'violator " in one way or another. I have found that reading that small white booklet is an uproariously hilarious •. experience. And so, with due respect to Housing and the Administration, I wish to "dedicate" the following rules to cer tain people (some names have been shortened to protect the guilty): • Students are permitted to use small non-washable rugs. Additional fur s nitu re is restricted.: In honor of my room-size rug and my roommate's hope chest, rocking chair, wooden table, floor lamp and ironing board. • Students may Ave overnight guests of the same sex in their rooms.: In honor of Jeff and other guests who have "camp s ed out" with us throughout the year. •Arrangements (for guests) should be made through the area coordinator's office, and charges should be paid . in advance at the area post office.: You mean we had to pay for guests?! e. •Do not use the lawns and seeded areas adjacent to the residence halls.: In honor of the hundreds of students who play Frisbee, baseball and other sports in the quads. • Pet anima►s are not permitted in residence halls.: In honor of the German *shepherd who lived down the hall, the kitten who lives upstairs, the tarantula and snake who live across the street and the bird who attended our parties. • Mattresses are to be used on bed frames provided and not on the floor; only bunk beds specifically approved by the University may be used in student rooms.: In honor of my entire house last year who decided that "platform" beds were in style, and for friends like Kathy who have devised shifty and shaky con traptions made of chains, wood, etc., to replape their bunk beds. • • Use of study lounge furniture within student rooms is an infringement on other floor members and is strictly for bidden.: Does that mean L. has to return her study lounge couch? !. • Liquid-filled beds and other liquid filled furniture are not permitted:: In honor of Bob's water bed. • Because of fire or sanitation haz ards, no electrical appliances may be used in student rooms, including such items as hot plates, hot pots, ovens, toasters, .. . multiple outlets . . . strings of lights, etc..: In honor of Laura's hot pot, Deb's toaster oven, Kathy's multiple outlets and my Christmas lights. • Irons must be used only in desig nated ironing rooms.: In honor of Laura, who would rather iron in the room on a towel than go down the hall with her Noxema on. •A single serving of fresh fruit . . . may be taken (from the dining hall.): In memory of the many dinners we have had upstairs in our room. o Napkins, chinaware, silverware, trays, paper cups, and other supplies may .not be taken.: In honor of my 92- piece Food Service china set and my neat tray sled for the winter. • Acts of "horseplay" are not per mitted because of the possible injury to others in the dining room.: In honor of the four food fights in Simmons dining hall last year. • To protect draperies, sills, and flooring from rain, snow or dampness and to help conserve heating fuel, win dows should be closed when you are not in your room.: In honor of my old room, which registered approximately 99 de grees even in the middle of winter and which forced us to keep the window open all year. • Pictures, additional bulletin boards, and decorations ar to be hung from picture molding with picture hooks . . . . The use of tape, adhesives, putty, glue, paste, nails, tacks, staples, and screws on walls, furniture, doors, or other wood work or glass is not permitted.: In honor of all the adhesives and nails used to hang up my framed pictures. • Dart boards are not permitted.: In honor of S. and K.'s dart board. 1 No papering of rooms is permitted In honor of S. and K.'s papered room. • The conducting of any business en terprise for personal profit is prohibited in or around University-operated units.: In honor of my Avon lady. • Your meal ticket may not be used by another person.: In honor of all my guests, male and female, who have posed as Joyce Venezia to get a meal. • Candles or other flame-emitting ar ticles may not be burned in residence halls.: In honor of the various candle-lit sessions held in my room. • The University reserves the right to cancel or deny a contract to a student . . . if that student . . . violates University rules and policies, and/or the terms and conditions of this contract.: In honor of my fourth year in the dorms. Long live the University's dorm contract! All hail as it flies into my garbage can! Joyce Venezia is a 10th-term journalism and American studies major and is cam pus editor of The Daily Collegian. BREWED AND BOTTLED IN CANADA; Imported by Martlet Importing Co., Inc., Great Neck, N.Y. ,sPo"i Illustration by Lynda Cloud y~:(lY f- \\)') These alumni dinners would be better if they served Molson. ...... . • ..,..„... . ,„..„....:..,:„. ....„ :.:.:„....., ..,..:.:„. • ....... - ... ..........44, :44. -4.....,,, ............, • .............. ~....4..... 4.. .4- . 4444 , 44 , '" - x " .... ' - ""- • :„..„,.....„.....„.. ..„ ~,,,,,... ..,...., ...,,,,.....: ..,,,. ..,. ....we,. ,:a.. I : .::liiilii:i . ): a.......V. ~ .Z.: ......... 29,,,,' ~........, ~... ..., ........w, 'v.v.'. ~..,:',.... ....,......... ..,,, ~... .........., • ...W.,' ''',.....•••:. •"':,...,::::,:. ~,:•:;;;•,;;;•. • ',N.V. , ' • •••••••••• ••••,,,,.. ...,,,,,, •........“.' ..,.....:„4,:. .........•-• ~..,........ ' .......,......• ...,•••••,. -—' • • • - • ..• •.• :',:f.041..i. ....,,:::::•••isi.:•.:.:, ..,..„.:•:„7;:gpi,'. ‘,4. . .. .. . BAG LUNCH BAG LUNCH BAG LUNCH BAG LUNG, 2 U Z. -4 0 <C CO BAG LUNCH $2.25 Choice of: Italian, Turkey, Ham or Roast Beef Plus: Potato Chips and Tasty Kake Pi: at the P S U. Mobile Food Unit (Parked in front of Shields Bldg.) 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday, September 12, 1981 BAG LUNCH BAG LUNCH BAG LUNG BAG LUNCH ...„. .... ,- 0 1 1, D EN The Daily Collegian Thursda FOOTBALL SPECIAL ....menessatettit tow..
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