I e idiga rail
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Friday, September 12, 2008
michigandaily.com
A CAREFUL DESCENT
COURSE EVALUATIONS
Starting
this fall,
evals go
Switch will save paper, money,
but some worry students won't
make time for web questionnaire
By JACOB SMILOVITZ
Daily Staff Reporter
After more than 30 years of use, the University's
system of paper course and instructor evaluations is
being replaced by an online evaluation set to debut
this semester.
But while some have touted online evaluations as
more efficient and eco-friendly, others are worried
that students won't take the time to complete them.
Studies conducted at other universities revealed
that participation rates for online evaluations were
about 20 percentage points lower than their paper-
based counterparts.
James Eulik, director of the Office of Evaluations
and Examinations, said the possibility of a drop in
participation rates is a "big concern" for University
officials.
"We're doing everything we can to try to get the word
out to students that their opinions matter," he said.
Sherry Liu, a junior in the Stephen M. Ross School
of Business, said she doesn't think students will par-
ticipate in the online evaluations.
"People will definitely not do it, because there is
no incentive at all," she said.
LSA senior Cardin Collins said that while the
evaluations serve a good purpose, students are less
likely to fork up their own time to complete them.
"People just might not care to do it, unless they
really have a strong conviction either for or against a
particular instructor," he said.
Kulik said that in the first test of the new system,
which was implemented in an engineering class sev-
eral years ago, response rates were "just about the
same" online as on paper. Kulik said e-mail remind-
ers had a positive impact on participation rates and
See EVALUATIONS, Page 7
SAM WOLSON/Daily
Military Science students rappel off the top of a parking structure behind the School of Dentistry. The exercise was an effort to help students overcome their fear of heights.
GREEK LIFE
SFC to crack down on guest lists
Policy restricts how
many non-Greek
students can attend
fraternity parties
By JILLIAN BERMAN
Daily StaffReporter
In ongoing efforts to create a safer
environment at fraternity parties, the
University's Interfraternity Council
has shifted focus away from a "bring
your own alcohol" rule toward a policy
restricting how many students outside
the Greek system may attend house
parties.
At a meeting Wednesday night, the
council voted to step up enforcement of
a policy limitingnon-Greek attendance
at fraternity parties to one-quarter of
the total turnout and requiring that all
non-Greeks be on a guest list to enter
the party.
Though a clause limiting the number
of party attendees already existed in
the council's four-year-old Social Envi-
ronment Management Policy, it was
usually overlooked, IFC spokesman
Ryan Spotts said.
Spotts said he doesn't expect any
backlash from fraternity leadership,
but is concerned the guest list might be
tough to enforce at parties.
"The only issue that we're probably
going to run into is people trying to get
this or that guy in who isn't onthe guest
list," he said.
In an e-mail to The Michigan Daily,
IFC President Jose Nunez said frater-
nities must now borrow a laptop and
a scanner from the IFC before holding
a party and use it to check the Greek
identification cards issued to members
of the Greek community.
Nunez said this system will improve
safety at parties because it will effi-
ciently tally the number of people
at events and provide an attendance
record "in the event of an emergency."
Business School sophomore Emily
Tischler, a member of the Delta Phi
Epsilon sorority, said she doesn't think
the system will work, adding that she
doesn't know where her Greek identifi-
cation card is.
"I've never been asked for my Greek
ID," she said. "I don't know why they
would check Greek IDs."
LSA sophomore Jessica Klotz, anoth-
er member of the sorority, also seemed
pessimistic about the plan.
"I'm pretty sure it won't work," she
said. "I feel like that's so elitist and
dumb. A guest list for frat parties? Get
real."
The move towards strictly monitor-
ing party attendance is part of a larger
effort by the IFC to make their parties
safer.
The IFC attempted to enforce its
two-year-old "alcohol check" policy
last spring.
See GREEKS, Page 7
THE LARGE HADRON COLDER
'U' researchers awaiting
atom-smasher's results
More than 70 faculty BY THE NUMBERS
and students helped
develop experiment 8 000
The total number of scientists
By ELAINE LAFAY who have worked on the Large
Daily StaffReporter Hadron Collider project
MIDNIGHT MADNESS
STU ENT ENTREPRENEURS
Contest offers
cash for fresh
business ideas
In a flurry of anticipation, sci-
entists activated the Large Had-
ron Collider - the world's most
powerful particle collider - early
Wednesday morning.
Amongthose onthe edge of their
seats were the 23 University sci-,
entists and researchers and more
than 50 University undergraduate
students who contributed to the
development of the collider.
University scientists and stu-
dents make up the largest del-
egation from any United States
institution to contribute to ATLAS,
a 6-story-high particle detector
that is one of four main compo-
nents of the collider.
Sometime next month, the col-
lider will smash beams of protons
together to simulate the moments
after the Big Bang, providing clues
to what happened at the earliest
23
The number of University
research scientists, engineers,
post-doctoral students and
graduate students who have
contributed to the project
50
The estimated number of the
University undergraduates who
have worked on the project
soURCE: UN IVERSITY OF MicHIGAN
moments of the universe.
At $10 billion, the collider is the
most expensive science experi-
ment in history.
The LHC is operated by CERN
See COLLIDER, Page 7A
$1,000 prizes part of
drive for innovative
culture on campus
By CAITLIN SCHNEIDER
DailyStaffReporter
Have an idea for a microbrew-
ery in India? A flash-freezing ven-
ture in Peru? Or maybe a website
that makes it easier to find student
housing in Ann Arbor?
The University is offering cash
to hear your ideas.
The Center for Entrepre-
neurship, a University program
developed by the College of Engi-
neering, recently launched "1,000
Pitches," a pontest for Univer-
sity students and faculty aimed at
encouraging new entrepreneurial
ideas.
Students and faculty can sub-
mit a 3-minute video to pitch ideas
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
To learn more about the contest, visit their
wehsite at:
http://www.1000pitches.com
for new inventions, businesses or
non-profitorganizationsonavari-
ety of topics.
Engineering Prof. Thomas Zur-
buchen, director for the Center for
Entrepreneurship, said the contest
will encourage students to apply
whatthey learn in the classroom.
"I think it's important at the
University of Michigan for our
students to recognize that we're
not just here to get an education
- we're here and we're getting
that education because we want
to affect what surrounds us," he
said.
There are seven submis-
sion categories: global business,
See CONTEST, Page 7
The National Pan-Hellenic Council held its annual Midnight Madness event on
the Diag last night.
WEATHER HI: 72
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Vol. CXIX, No. 9 OPINION... ........... . .4
2008TheMichiganDaily ARTS............. . 5
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