and I still do not understand the point of the end of semester surveys.

First of all, why do the professors have to leave the room, in case we all talk about what we are putting on our individual surveys? Let me clear this up, that does not happen. We just sit there silently thinking back to all the things we like or don’t like about the professor. 

Secondly, bubble sheets? I thought we were done with “fill in the bubble” tests after the ACT. Apparently at the end of every semester they want to remind us of what we hated so much in high school. How do they scan these and give the professor a score? “Congratulations, you averaged a 4.2 in amount of work you give out!” 

Next, I really would like to know who all sees these pieces of paper. We take 10 minutes out of the review day before finals and we get told that the dean, the Pope and Prince George, all see these surveys and then after grades are done, they give them to the individual professors. I am pretty sure that other than the professors still praying for tenure, no one cares what we, as students, think about a certain course.

Lastly, the entire idea that professors do not know who we are, filling in the surveys is ridiculous. If we write in the comments, there is a good chance that depending on what we write, they will know it is us and even if grades are done, if it is in your major, you will have this professor again and they will know how you feel about them.

Okay, one more thing, the professors that bribe students with extra credit for filling them out, or bring treats before finals and it just happens to fall on the day of the survey? Just stop. 

We as students do not feel like our voice matters in the first place, so making us fill out a bubble survey about either how great our professors are, or how terrible they are won’t matter. No one cares how we, as the paying students feel, so stop trying to make us feel like we have a voice and just accept the fact that as long as the teacher gives the right percentages of A’s, B’s, C’s and then fails a few, nothing else matters. 

Amanda Siefken is majoring in political science. She can be reached at [email protected]