In my four years here at University, I have had many great and inspiring professors and graduate student instructors, but I have also had many very bad teachers. I write this not to name anyone, but to tell my fellow students to really take care when filling out the evaluations at the end of the year.
I see too many people hastily filling in bubbles without taking the time to write any real feedback. If you had a good professor, tell him or her what you liked so they will keep working hard. Too many professors get burned out and think of teaching as a burden. Each of my professors and GSIs who have been bad teachers know how I thought they could do better after reading my evaluations. Each of my good teachers were told what their best qualities were as a teacher.
Every student needs to tell their teachers what they are doing right and how to improve. I have used the Advice magazine before, but I think it needs to expand to include more information and more teachers. I also think we should be able to pick our GSIs when we CRISP, not just "Staff." I am an anthropology/zoology major and I am willing to comment on any professor or GSI that I have had as a teacher. Just e-mail me esme@umich.edu.
Also, if you have any information on good and bad classes and teachers, please contact me. Thank you.
I expect the most for my time and money; I deserve good teachers.
Every student at the University deserves good teachers.
Laura Wilson
RC senior
I am presently a medical student at Wayne State University. I have been actively involved in cancer medicine for several years before deciding to attend medical school. Many cancer patients have surgery as part of their cancer treatments and require large volumes of blood by today's standards. These patients include AIDS patients.
Believe me, the Red Cross is very interested in every donor it can get. Period. But, they have to be as safe as we know how to make them.
I was deferred as a donor for three years following travel to a country where AIDS is epidemic (along with a few other nasties like malaria and encephalitis). There are many reasons the Red Cross defers donors, none of which are even remotely concerned with what is fair to the donor. The Red Cross is very grateful for its donors, as are the recipients of blood, which may save someone's life.
The issue here is not about fairness, selfishness or anything of the kind. AIDS, hepatitis, infections or possible exposure to avenues for infections, such as having your teeth cleaned within days of a donation, are all reasons for deferring a donor.
While you may not think that epidemiological screening is "fair," it truly is a mechanism that places the public health first and foremost in deference to the feelings of individuals. The problem is that the viruses are sneaky critters and they often elude our attempts to test for them until someone has had the disease for sometimes up to a year.
I assure you that the Red Cross couldn't care less how you answer the questions it asks - other than to determine if you (and thus the blood you are carrying) may have a myriad of disease agents including - but not limited to - HIV.
Walt Roberts
Wayne State Medical School
I am writing in response to your editorial ("Waving off women," 12/6/96).
In particular, you assert that "an overwhelming amount of research has shown that silicone breast implants are dangerous."
Exactly where was this research published, and by whom? To my knowledge, not only is there not an "overwhelming amount of evidence," but there is in fact no scientific evidence establishing a link between silicone breast implants and disease.
While anecdotal reports of illness blamed on these implants may seem convincing, they are not science.
I suggest that in the future you check the facts before making claims about what science has or has not proven.
Jeff Withey
Rackham
While I myself normally only pick your newspaper to read about the past and upcoming sporting events at our University, I decided to flip through your latest Weekend, etc.
It was what I expected it to be, a lot of reviews of this and that, but I felt the most interesting aspect of it was your photographers' favorites.
While I enjoyed viewing the majority of the pictures, the photo chosen by Joe Westrate was inappropriate.
Why in the world would I want to look at a picture of Michigan football falling on its face to a rival like Northwestern?
When I look at our athletic program I want to be reminded of our successes, not our failures! I felt that the pictures by Warren Zinn and Mark Friedman better exemplify the great tradition that Michigan athletics has sought to establish.
Go Blue!
Brent Barbour
LSA sophomore
This is in response to a letter that appeared in Thursday's Daily ("'U' buses do not serve students' needs," 12/5/96) written by a student expressing his frustration with the University bus system.
At first glance, it seemed the typical confusion that comes with being a freshman. But, no. This was written by an Engineering senior who should know better. He should know better than to run late to a 9 a.m. bus to catch a 9 a.m. class.
Five Bursley-Baits buses passed him empty at 9 a.m. because the passenger traffic at that time of day is going from those dorms into Central Campus. Later in the day traffic goes the other way.
He waited 14 minutes for door-to-door service rather than hop on one of those empty buses, get off at the Pierpont Commons and get to his class in a four-minute walk. But obviously, he's not the only one who hasn't figured this out, because his bus is so crowded he has to stand.
I have been driving a bus almost forever and can say with some certainty that there is no certainty. We get held up by trucks backing into loading docks, by passengers needing directions or help with strollers and kids, by yet another student running frantically toward an already-late bus. I would encourage Richard Hofer to try to leave for class a little earlier and maybe engineer a remote-control device that would make the world run a little more smoothly.
Barbara Brown
Transportation Services