Faculty Senate is considering better signage on both campuses.

In a banner meeting, Faculty Senate evaluates evaluations

By: Derek Simons

Posted: 10/22/07

Those who grade sometimes get graded themselves.

The Missouri legislature passed an omnibus education bill (SB389) in the spring.

Faculty Senate Chair Dr. Gary Ebersole said many in the University of Missouri System "held their noses" while supporting the bill as, besides the good things it contained, there were also many unfunded mandates.

One of the requirements Ebersole listed is for all public universities to post certain consumer information on their Web sites. This includes the academic credentials of every instructor from graduate teaching assistants up to the highest levels of professors and their respective student evaluations.

In an agreement signed recently with the Missouri Department of Higher Education, each campus will be able to design its own questionnaire for the evaluation.

"Faculty across the state resisted the idea of putting up something that would be the equivalent of Pick-a-Prof," Ebersole said.

He recommended meeting with representatives from the Student Government Association.

"This can be very simple," Ebersole said. "Maybe only five questions that ask about things the students actually have the ability to judge. For instance, was the course challenging or not? Did a professor show up for class, or not?"

Because student participation will be voluntary, Ebersole said he will press for a statement on the site indicating the results of the evaluations are not scientifically accurate.

Senator Dan Hopkins, College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), voiced concerns about the online evaluations.

"Even if these comments are anonymous, shouldn't they still count as libel?" he asked. "With some of the nonsense they [the students] write on those forms."

Senator Bob Schubert, Staff Council representative to the senate, asked if the Web site would encounter problems with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

"In several venues, I have publicly argued that this violates the privacy rights of faculty and that we need a FERPA for faculty," Ebersole said. "I think we will get to the point with more and more regulations coming down the line that we may have to begin lobbying for something of that sort."

The Web site must be active by fall 2009. Failure to comply with the mandate could result in loss of state funding, according to Ebersole.

Senate poll on banners

People driving past or through the two UMKC campuses may not always be aware of where they are. This is what the Faculty Senate seems to think can happen.

Banners on street poles could help solve this problem, according to Schubert. He proposed a resolution to examine the benefits of signposting the campus in a more visible manner.

The senators passed the Sense of the Senate resolution, but only after a 17-minute discussion of the various possibilities.

Schubert's plan identified 78 poles on the Hospital Hill and Volker campuses.

"A very rough guestimate is $1,000 per pole," he said. "Banners have a shelf life of maybe two to three years. Then they would need to be replaced."

Schubert passed around only four color photocopies of his banner designs to the more than 30 senators, in what he said was an effort to save money.

He said work would need to be done to identify who owns the poles and who owns the land. Neighbors would need to give permission for banners in front of their properties.

Ebersole said he remembers banners on Rockhill Road in 1996.

"They looked very nice," he said. "Nelson-Atkins has them heading up Rockhill, so it is doable."

Schubert proposed four categories of banners: UMKC logo banners, banners for temporary events, banners identifying all the different schools and banners listing all the departments in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S).

Senator Hali Fieldman, Conservatory, said something simpler might avoid car accidents.

Hopkins proposed putting the money into more permanent signage.

"Banners look flimsy," he said. "It would resemble the Country Club Plaza."

Faculty Senate Vice Chair Steve Driever echoed these sentiments, suggesting pillars and plaques at street corners as being classier.

Senator Jerry Knopp, Computing and Engineering, said he liked the blue lights projected on many hotel and building walls around Christmas time.

"You could really sell the campus at night," Knopp said. "The firm that does this is local and might be able to help us out."

Schubert challenged anyone to identify the main entrance to the Volker campus. He said there is a sign at the corner of 50th Street and Troost Avenue indicating the campus main entrance.

"If you follow that sign you end up at a dead end with no idea of where to go next," Schubert said.

dsimons@unews.com