I

6 - Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com


PROFESSORS
From Page 1
tions available for students online
are from two years ago."
Hutchinson pointed out that
many students don't know they
can access course evaluations
online. The Michigan Student
Assembly also offers an online
tool called Advice Online, but
Hutchinson said it's not useful
because it's not updated.
"Some students might not even
be aware that they can access
past course evaluations online."
Hutchinson said. "The problem
is (University's tool is) two years
behind."
Engineering junior Kyle Sum-
mers, MSA chief of staff, says MSA
is aware of the site's obsolescence
and is working to make it more
timely and user-friendly.
"It's a very manual and some-

what technical process to update,"
Summers said. "Ideally, whether
or not we have something new,
(the site) will be updated by the
end of the semester."
Summers added that MSA
wants to ensure that the informa-
tion is distributed with students in
mind.
"We'll be having more meetings
throughout the semester to dis-
cuss more possibilities," Summers
said. "We are really interested
in keeping (the site) very student
'focused and student feedback ori-
ented."
In addition to the University's
and MSA's websites that display
course evaluations, www.maiz-
eandbluereview.com, a Michigan
Daily-sponsored website offers
students course evaluation results
and grade distributions for class-
es.
Mika LaVaque-Manty, an
Arthur F. Thurnau professor of

political science and philosophy
who also received an overall qual-
ity of 4.8, said he thinks Univer-
sity-distributed evaluations are a
better indicator of instructor and
class characteristics than Rate-
MyProfessors.com.
"The official teaching evalu-
ations we use here, they are not
perfect," LaVaque-Manty said.
"They are in fact very far from
perfect, but I take those more seri-
ously because they are a better
representation of the students."
LaVaque-Manty, who some-
times reads the comments on
RateMyProfessors.com for feed-
back, said the numerical rat-
ings are not reliable. However,
LaVaque-Manty acknowledged
that students have no one to turn
to but each other for advice on
classes during registration.
"The University is actually
working on providing teaching
evaluation data to students more

effectively," LaVaque-Manty said.
"Obviously, it satisfies an impor-
tant need. We just need to provide
the information better."
Several years ago, LaVaque-
Manty was approached by mtvU
- the company that owns Rate-
MyProfessors.com - to be part of
a "Professors Strike Back" video
-a segment featuring videos in
which professors respond to stu-
dent comments. LaVaque-Manty
told mtvU that the website isn't
particularly helpful because most
of the reviews are based on how
much students like the professors,
rather than the professors' teach-
ing quality.
"Its obvious problem is selec-
tion bias," he said in an interview
with The Michigan Daily. "It's
either people who totally love you
or totally hate you - usually, the
ones who totally hate you."
On the site, instructors are
rated on helpfulness, clarity,

easiness and overall quality. Uni-
versity of Michigan instructors
received a professional average of
3.28. Hutchinson said she thinks
the rating categories on the web-
site are not useful because they
are too vague and generalized
to offer accurate insight about
courses and professors at the Uni-
versity.
"What does 'easiness' even
mean?" Hutchinson said. "If I give
my students the tools and materi-
als to succeed in my class, does
that make me an 'easy' teacher?"
Still, many University students
find the website to be a useful
resource. LSA sophomores Ash-
ley Nestorovska and Mandy Bro-
milow said they use the site as a
reference during registration to
read about prospective instruc-
tors. Nestorovska added that
though the subject of a class is
important, students' opinions of
a professor could also serve as a

determining factor when selecting
a class.
"Mostly, (I use it) to see if any,
classes are worth taking," Nesto-
rovska said.
Engineering senior Jared Slay-
baugh said the rating system on
RateMyProfessors.com is more of
a reference tool than an indica-
tor of whether the class is worth-
while. Though he said he often
checks the site during registra-
tion, the ratings only occasionally
affect his decision to enroll in a
course.
"I definitely take other things
into consideration other than just
the professor," Slaybaugh said.
"It depends on what I'm looking
to take the class for, too. If it's a
class for my major, I definitely try
to consider the interest level, how
(the professors) are with students,
stuff like that, because I'll put
more effort into it and care about
it more."

I
I


ACLU
From Page 1
is calling for a judge to rule the
policy unconstitutional.
The lawsuit also states that
Coleman's ad should not be dis-
criminated against because of
its controversial nature. Dan
Korobkin, staff attorney of the
Michigan chapter of the ACLU,,
wrote in a press release yester-
day that the case is pursuing the
protection of free speech.

"In a free and democratic
society, we cannot allow the
government to suppress political
speech, even if it is controversial,
makes some uncomfortable, or
stirs our emotions," Korobkin
wrote. "The solution is never to
censor unpopular speech, but to
allow others the same opportu-
nity to speak."
In the press release, AATA
:maintains that Coleman's pro-
posed advertisement breaches
the company's advertising pol-
icy. AATA officials could not be

reached for comment about the
lawsuit as of last night.
According to the ACLU press
release, AATA has previously
run advertisements regarding
race, religion and politics with
messages such as, "In Washt-
enaw County, black babies are
three times more likely to die
than white babies." Korobkin
wrote that AATA's acceptance
of the advertisements suggests
that Coleman's ad should also be
deemed appropriate.
"Once a public agency decides

to allow some people to speak, it
can't pick and choose between
the speech that it likes and the
speech that it doesn't," Korobkin
wrote. "By allowing some mes-
sages, yet censoring Mr. Cole-
man, AATA is doing exactly what
the First Amendment is designed
to prohibit."
In the release, Coleman wrote
that he chose to create the adver-
tisement to "empower" Pales-
tinians and increase awareness
regarding the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.

"For generations, boycotts
have been an effective tool
to raise awareness and effect
change, and I personally believe
that a call to boycott Israel is the
best way to empower the Pales-
tinian people," Coleman wrote.
"However, you can't have a boy-
cott if the government won't
allow you to speak like everyone
else."
AATA CEO Michael Ford
wrote in an e-mail interview
last week that the ACLU had
acknowledged that Coleman's

advertisement maybe offensive.
"The standard is viewpoint-
neutral, and is designed to.
achieve the judicially-approved
objective of ensuring 'a certain
minimum level of discourse that
is applicable to everyone,' " Ford
wrote.
The ACLU initially contacted
AATA in August regarding its
advertising policy, and the press
release states that the company
did not respond positively to
attempts to resolve the issue
without litigation.

4


ASTRONAUT
From Page 1
vehicular activities, including
spacewalks, and spent 19 hours
and 55 minutes in the ISS. He
said being in the ISS is like being
in a regular house, except the
astronauts can use the walls and
ceiling in creative ways.
"You could be, sleeping on
the ceiling, and someone could
be working on the floor doing
work," Herrington said.
Herrington also described the

collaborations between the U.S.
astronauts and Russian cosmo-
nauts at the space station.
"The Russian side feels more
like home; you have meals there,"
Herrington said. "I had Thanks-
giving dinner there, and we had
pork and eggs. The American
side is very pristine and very
laboratory-like. I enjoyed being
trained by the Russian Air Force
officers. There is bonding to it."
Herrington holds degrees in
aerospace engineering, elec-
trical engineering and applied
mathematics and is currently

working on his Ph.D. in educa-
tion. However, during his fresh-
man year of college, he earned
D's in several classes and was
subsequently asked to leave the
University of Colorado. Her-
rington explained in an inter-
view with The Michigan Daily
yesterday that he took that time
off to discover himself.
"I started college not know-
ing what I wanted to do." Her-
rington said. "The year I took
off, I worked in the mountains
as a surveyor on a civil engineer-
ing crew. I was hanging off cliffs

and holding a prism to reflect an
infrared beam of light from my
distance measuring device. The
practicality of math and the guy
I worked for convinced me to go
back to school and major in engi-
neering. And I did."
The University's chapter of
the American Indian Science
and Engineering Society invited
Herrington to speak on campus.
Engineering sophomore April
Yazzie, president of the Univer-
sity's chapter of AISES, said the
reason she joined the organiza-
tion is because Herrington is a

registered member of AISES.
"He's so down-to-earth,"
Yazzie said. "I'm so glad that
John was willing to come out
here and share the importance
of his Native heritage. He's one
of the only two Native astronauts
in the galaxy. We need somebody
like him to share his experience
and spread his success. "
Rackham student An Cao,
who is studying engineering,
said Herrington's address taught
her the importance of following
one's dreams and passion.
"The keynote speech has also

made me realize that I need to
think more positively about chal-
lenges with a better attitude,"
Cao said.
Kurt Hill, an academic adviser
in the College of Engineering,
described Herrington as a per-
sistent motivator who followed
his dreams.
"These heroes who have made
it can teach us that we could take
almost nothing and (make) some-
thing out of it," Hill said. "Persis-
tence and spirituality - that's
what they bring to the table, and
we need to take advantage of it."

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE DAILY'S E-NEWSLETTERS AT MICHIGANDAILY.COM/SUBSCRIBE

! ON NICHOLS ARBORETUM. Rus-
tic setting. Two room efficiency in pri-
vate home. Semi-private entrance. Wi-
fi; cable. $610. 734 662 7924
FANTASIC THREE BDRM FLAT.
Main floor private house. Beautiful cus-
tom wood burning firerplace, full laun-
dry, larger private fenced yard and sun-
deck, hardwood floors and new carpet-
ing throughout. Freshly painted. $1300
month w/ lease. Call 734-478-5730.

***CENTRAL CAMPUS 6&7 BED-
ROOM HOUSES. Great Furnitue/
Decor. Wireless/Cable. Free Laundry,
Parking. FOR RENT NOW MAY
2012. www.horvathproperties.com or
Call 734-972-7368.

RELEASE DATE- Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 70 Murderous 28 GI's address 46 Sung syllables
1 Postseason Stevenson 33 Entrepreneur- 47 Francia neighbor
gridiron game, character aiding org. 49 Bartlett or Bosc
and a rintte 35 Makes believe n50Chicago Fire Mrs.
puzzle theme DOWN 36 Memorial 51 In asty, say
foundin starred 1 Moistens in the structure 52 Examltaker
answers pan 37 Peewee 54 Family matriarchs
5 Baseball card 2 Many John 38 Eucharistic plate 59 Fable
brand Wayne movies 39 Farming prefix 61 Sad
10 Young men 3 President Harding 40 "Look before 63 911 response
14 Tiny battery 4Lion's den you_" initials
15 Well-honed 5Taoist Lao-_ 43 On a pension: 64 Ottoman
1t Vininty 6Well, lookee Abbr. govermor
17 *Sign ofa typing here!"
mistake 7 Road repair ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
19 Dogpatch worker CAL F A T E D Y S
possessive 8 Future do's O R O D I N G R A M
20 Country singer undergrad
Gibbs concentration MANX T B O N E G E N E
21 Ostrich cousins 9 Smarten(up) A T T I N G A V E R A G E
24efore, before 11Desertfeatre U p F O E B A C K A L E Y
25*Indigent's 12 Fashion world T O F D I N O M A
request VIP1
29 Nine-digit ID 13 Los Angeles bay
30 Ready namedforan F L t P R O T T A C K E D
31 Not a good area apostle ODY A R M O R NOS E S
fornonswimmers 18Smooch Y T D H A Z E
32Rehabwoes, 22Turtle'sprotection S A C H E L O R O FA R T S
briefly 26 Salon service I S A O A V A N 7 C A K E
34Al-n oftenpairedwith ATTN G A R D E E XIT
35 Littedemon a mani
38 *Wizard's game in 27 Memo-routing S A S S L E A n 0 I P S
the rock opera abbr. xwordeditoriaol.com 11/28/11
"Tommy" 1 2 3 4 6 8 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
41 owaysellkots
42 SheareruoftThe a4rs 1
Red Shoes"
44 ID checker's 17 1
concern 20 21 22 23
45 Ano iginal
Mouseketeer 2 s 29 27 28
48 Sance sound
50 Make a choice 29 o 31
53 *Street urchin
55 "To Kill a 32 33 34
Mockingbird'
au Ian rpe _" " 3 3 " " *
56 AOL chats 42 a3 4
57 California wine
valey a 8a7 e 49 as 51 5
58 Chuch chorus
60 Playwright Simon 34sa "
62*Chainfor plus-
se woemen's 7 I sa 59
fashion so 81 82 83--I-- ---4--+---I--I----
65 Automaker
Ferrari 66 87
66 "What's in _?":
. Juliet 8 6970
67 Orchard grower
68 Fret By Kelly Clark 11/29/11
69 Pert (c)2011 Tribune MediaServices,Inc.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX (DORMS)
THINK U. TOWERS
AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS
HURRY IN FOR BEST SELECTION
WE ARE NOWTAKING RESERVATIONS
FOR SPRING/FALL 2012
**FOR A LIMITEDTIME ONLY
$100 OFF SECURITY DEPOSIT
+ N0 PROCESSING FEE**
VISIT US AT
UNIVERSITYTOWERS-MI.CM
YOUR ROME AWAY FROM HOME
53R S. FOREST AVE.
ANN ARBOR, MI 48160
734-761-2680
1;rcerity
CENTRAL CAMPUS LOCATIONS
543 Church
Best location in town! Right across
from East Hall. Spacious 4 bdrm
bi-level apts. Updated kitchens
w/dish-
washers, heat & water included,
and all apts. are fully furnished!
www.varsitymanagement.com
! 11 BDRM HOUSE. Corner of
Church and Willard. Across the street
from Pizza House. 2 large sitting
areas,
2 kitch., 3 showers/baths, wshr./dryer
no charge, 8 prkg. spaces avail. Aug.
2012-Aug 2013. CALL: 248-330-0396
***LIMITED LOCATIONS
REMAINING**a
2012-13
1 Bedrooms
515 Lawrence $880
326 E. Madison $925/$945
2 Bedrooms
326E. Madison $1365-1 Left!
411 High $875-$925
734-761-8000
primesh.com
AVAILABLE FALL. FURNISHED
modern two bedroom apartments lo-
cated on Central Campus near the
Busi-
ness and Law School. Call Michigan
Commercial Realty. 734-662-5500.
www.michcomrealty.com

! NORTH CAMPUS 1-2 Bdrm. !
! Incl. Heat/Water/Parking. !
! www.HRPAA.com 996-4992!
! STERLING 411 LOFTS - Reserve
now for 2012 (Spring or Fall). U-M's
best housing sold out early for 2010
and 2011, reserve your space for 2012
today. Look and lease on the same day
to receive a $50 "Dinner on Us". 2
blocks from Central Campus and down-
town. 1 to 4 bedroom, private baths
available. Rates from $660. 734-998-
4400 www.4elevenlofis.com
!!CLASSY 6&7-BR/3-BA HOME
Great Loc. Updated! Fireplace/ bitch,
prkg. Must see! $4500 (313) 215-8115
!!HISTORIC KERRYTOWN
HOME!! 7 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2
kitchens, living room, dining room,
free
laundry and parking, Central Air!
734-663-1370, www.nancylat.com
(734) 332-6000
* www.CarlsonProperties.com
Now Leasing!
*!!!!4 BDRM CONDO N. Campus
area. Free utilities, air cond., laundry,
cable, int. Loaded w/extras.
$598/pp/mo. 4 pax min. 313-838-2629.
*BIG HOUSES: 7 Bdrm Housel129
White St., 5 Bdrm House 1024
Packard. 734-996-1991.
www.cappomanagement.com
2-BD APTS. Great for 4 People!
515 Walnut
2 bdrm, 2 bath bi-levels w/ roof top
pa-
tios near the CC-Little & CCRB! The
apartments are fully furnished and in-
clude heat, water, & parking. Contact
Varsity Management at (734)668-1100
www.varsitymanagement.com
FALL '12 REDUCED RATE!
5 Bdrm, 2 bath. at 811 Sylvan. 10 min
walk to campus. 5 min to baseball field
and track. Appliances. $2200/mo.
734.834.1680.
AVAILABLE FALL. FOUR and five
bedroom duplex in a quiet neighbor-
hood. Walk to football games and
Kroger. Call Michigan Commercial
Realty. 734-662-5500.
www.michcomrealty.com
*AVAILABLE FALL 20110
Large 3 bdrm. house. Walking distance
from campus. 945 Woodlawn.
Contact Mike at 734-276-3876.
811 S. DIVISION 4 bedrooms, 1 bath,
parking, laundry, $2000/month. Avail
Fall 2012. dklemptner@comcast.net

AVAILABLE FALL. STUDIOS,
One, Two, Three bedrrom apartments
loctaed near the U/M Medical Cam-
pus.
Two blocks to Central Campus. Call
Michigan Commercial Realty.
734-662-5500.
www.michcomrealty.com
AVAILABLE FALL. THREE
bedroom house loctaed near the U/M
Athletic Campus and Band Field.
Parking and Laundry. Call Michigan
Commercial Realty. 734-662-5500.
www.michcomrealty.com
CAMPUS MANAGEMENT, INC.
invites you to visit
wtw.CampusMgt.com
the best local website for a wide selec-
tion of apartments and houses. We spe-
cialize in houses and apartments very
close to central campus. All are attrac-
tively priced, most include parking,
many are furmished and some include
utilities. Contact us for details. Com-
plete listing for Fall 2012 available
now! Or call and speak with our Leas-
ing Consultant, Pat at 734-663-4101.
AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS:
Why pay $1500+ for a BED in a
2 bedroom when you can pay $710??
We are now taking Reservations for
Spring/Fall 2012
**ForA Limited Time Only $100 OFF
Security Deposit + NO PROCESSING
FEE**
Visit us at universitytowers-mi.com
ARBOR PROPERTIES. DISTINC-
TIVE Award-Winningrentals inKerry-
town, Central Campus, Old West Side,
Burns Park. Now Renting for 2012.
734-994-3157. www.arborprops.com
FULLY FURNISHED DOWN to
linens private keyed room and share ap-
pointed kitchen, larger bathrooom, fur-
nished living room with two other ten-
ants. Quiet private house. No smoking
or pets. $450/mo. Call 734-478-5730
ON CAMPUS HOUSING
AVAILABLE!
Varsity Management
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Bd apts. & 6 Bdrm Houses
www.varsitymanagement.com
(734)668-1100
WWW.800FULLER.COM
(734) 769-7520
1 & 2 bdrm., modern, clean, quiet
5 min. walk. Free Wi-Fi.
AVAILABLE FALL. STUDIOS,
One, Two, Three bedroom apartments
loctaed on UM Campus. Call Michigan
Commercial Realty. 734-662-5500.
www.michcomrealty.com

JOB HUNTING? PAID BUSINESS
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY.
Paid Business Internship. $15-18 / hr.
Deadline to Apply Dec. 6 Visit ads.
tel-
legeworks.com/applynow2 OR Call
College Works At 800-716-6489
OCCASIONAL BABYSITTER
NEEDED for two boys ages 6 and 3.
E-mail: ababysitterghyahoo.com
STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM
Paid survey takers need in A2.
100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys.:
**BARTENDING** S300/DAY PO-
TENTIAL. AGE 18+. No exp. nec.,
training avail. 800-965-6520x125
AD!
VER
TISE
WITH
THE
CLASS
4IFIEDS
(734)
418-
4115

0