University of Virginia Library

Rank With Best

Since its inception three years
ago, the Student Council evaluation
has come a long way to a point now
where it ranks with the best in the
country, particularly in light of the
lack of support which it has
received from some individuals. The
College faculty has, as a body
supported the efforts of the
Student Council in this area,
including the use of the data in the
determination of promotion
questions for faculty. Dean
Cauthen's support has been
unwavering. Then again, there are
those departments and faculty
members who rather than
attempting to improve the booklet,
have chosen to attempt to discredit
it as an indicator of student opinion
and have then ignored it with
respect to promotions.

It almost goes without saying
that the evaluation is not always
perfectly reliable. But, it certainly
is a better indicator of student
opinion than informal reliance on
conversations with a few students,
as some departments have admitted
doing in the past.

The biggest headache which the
editor-in-chief faces along with the
Student Council is the financing of
the booklet. While funds have been
sought from several sources in past
years, the entire burden has always
fallen on the Council and it's
already hard pressed funds. With
the high printing costs (this year's
booklet cost over $2700 for three
thousand copies), the burden is
hardly slight. Consequently it is
necessary to have one hundred
percent sales merely in order to
break even.