Students critique professors on Web
"It's potentially a good tool for professors to learn how to teach and critique their own performance...”
MICHAN
CONNOR
graduate
American
Studies
Academics: Student Senate launches new site that allows students to preview classes before registering
By STEVEN JONES
Staff Writer
Starting today, USC students can become reviewers of a subject they know intimately — their professors.
Student Senate has launched Senatecourseguide.com, a Web site that will allow students to critique
their professors. It also provides a compilation of other comments about a professor.
Working manually, Senate officers entered around 1,400 professors, said YiShaun Chen, Senate chief of staff and a senior majoring in psychology.
The site is a revamped version of the course guide Senate has,pub-lished over the past few years. Senate tries to compile information from the end-of-semester evaluation forms they distribute to each class and put it in the form of a booklet, said Hema Patel, Senate
president and a senior majoring in international relations and political science.
When Senate published the booklet, the officers asked officials at each department for their information and waited for the school’s Faculty Council to vote on its release, she added.
The guide was converted into an online form for spring 2000 and the 2000-2001 school year. It was discontinued because academic departments would not release information, Patel said.
When the School of Letters, Arts
and Sciences backed out of the proj-	Pmil'Cft
ect last year, other schools followed,	UUUI96
and it became too difficult to publish	PHppkc
the guide, she added.
Some professors are against hav-	—♦—
ing their evaluations published	Students can
because they do not think it is fair. The	type in
grades professors give students are	professors’
not published, and professors feel the last names to grades students give them shouldn’t	look up their
be published either, Patel said.	numerical
Professor evaluations are not	ratings and
comparable to student grades because	comments
the course guides goal is to help stu-	based on end-
dents with their classes, she added.	of-semester
I see Courses, page IS I	evaluations.
Coming Up Short Again
Men’s basketball loses another nail-biter, missing chance to sweep UCLA for first time since 1992 / 20
DM TROJAI
Student newspaper of the University of Southern California
THURSDAY
--------♦-------
February 7, 2002
Of interest...
Mike Tyson’s violent past could endanger boxing’s future if he gets a shot at the title belt / 4
News Digest	2	Opinions	4
Lifestyle	7	The Buzz	7
Roundup	IS	Classifieds	16
Crossword	17	Sports	20
vol. CVL, no. 21 www.dailytrojan.com
Security strategy hard to define
Event: Defense official from nations capital discusses protection of homeland
By REMA CHRISTY
Contributing Writer
“Homeland” is nearly impossible to define. It can apply strictly to the 50 states as much as it can apply to embassies and other U.S. properties in foreign nations, said Raymond J. Decker, director of the Defense Capabilities and Management Team of the U.S. General Accounting Office, at a discussion Wednesday night Because “homeland” is so difficult to articulate, devising a security strategy is complicated and time consuming, but the U.S. government must develop a detailed, assertive plan to manage terrorism, Decker said.
He credited former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge for effectively dealing with the difficulty of this process.
"Prevent when you can, mitigate only if you can’t” Decker said, referring to the way the U.S. government is approaching the terrorist threat Visiting from Washington, D.C., Decker presented the issues and concerns facing GAO employees to more than 100 students. Analysts from GAO’s Los Angeles team joined Decker in discussing homeland security, risk management and future challenges in light of Sept. 11.
The “risk-taking model,” which is the only way to develop a plan to combat terrorism, is the primary method in managing homeland security, Decker said. There are two different types of the model, and I see Decker, page 17 I
Sample touts benefits of Greek life
Speech: Life in fraternities and sororities promotes involvement, president says
SHERRY ANNE RUBIAN0
Contributing Writer
Through his positive experience in the Greek system at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USC President Steven B. Sample learned to cooperate and take responsibility for other people, skills he still uses today, he said Wednesday to leaders of USC’s fraternities and sororities.
One of his favorite experiences was the great fly-catching escapade, he said, during a Greek leadership dinner at Town and Gown Wednesday night
The members of his pledge class had to capture five flies and turn them in before he went to class, Sample said. Some people had an easy time catching the flies, but it was a problem for him and other students who were athletically challenged.
Through realizing that all that mattered was turning in 125 flies, Sample said he learned a valuable lesson about working together and a sense of taking responsibility for other people.
“Isn’t that a wonderful metaphor for Greek life?" Sample said.
Aside from talking about his personal experiences, he also discussed many of the other ways that the Greek system had a great impact on his life and how it continues to impact its members.
Fraternity and sorority members get the best out of the college years through their involvement in the Greek system, Sample said.
“You are some of USC’s brightest and most ambitious students,” Sample said.
Sample recognized the fraternities and sororities for their involvement and expressed his continuing support for them and their efforts.
“Greeks make a remarkable contribution to USC’s community service," Sample said. “More than 50 organizations ... benefitted from your efforts.
“Imagine the difference you are making in the lives of these students,” Sample added.
Sample said he was proud of Greek members’ efforts to reach out
to incoming students, especially through the CD-ROM the Greek community distributes to incoming students. It is a creative way to let new students know the opportunities that are available to them at USC, Sample said.
The main focus for the university is improvement in quality, Sample said. The Greek system will help achieve this, he added.
Sample’s appearance and speech showed his support for the Greek community, students said.
He recognizes that the Greeks make a positive difference to the university, said Derrick Abe, a senior-majoring in business.
“I've heard he’s one of the only presidents ... who encourages men I see Sample, page 17 I
Crystal Lauderdale I Daily Trojan
For Beta or worse.
Speaking to members of the Greek system Wednesday night at Town and Gown, USC President Steven B. Sample shares his experiences as a fraternity member during his college years at the
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
He also talks about his support of USC’s Greek system and its continuing growth. Sample is a member of the fraternity Beta Theta Pi.