All students have had to fill out teacher evaluations the last three weeks.
To some, filling them out is a break from lecture. To others, it's a complete waste of time - something that has no effect on the teachers' job status; something that leaves students questioning whether their voices are even being heard and if the evaluations are even worth filling out.
But Judith Zachai, test officer at Chico State, says these evaluations do matter, so long as students put in the time and effort to express their concerns.
Zachai told The Orion that the office of testing and research reviews evaluations before handing them to the individual departments the professors work in. From there, the department can use the evaluations to make a decision to renew the professor's contract.
A bad stream of negative evaluations can even affect tenured teachers, who get reviewed every five years, Zachai told The Orion.
"Every year (students) ask, 'Do they matter?' but every year I see faculty being let go, faculty not being rehired," she said. "They do matter."
Students need to take the evaluations more seriously. Simply writing that a teacher sucks doesn't work. Instead, students should provide specific examples. The testing and research department goes through the written responses and checks the validity and relevance of each answer.
If students really have a beef with certain professors, they should exercise their right to voice their opinion and let the university know why these professors are not asset to our university and should not be rehired. And if professors are doing a good job, students should to let the university know just how great they are.
The Orion can be reached at opinioneditor@theorion.com
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