Two sides of the chase

As the movie He’s Just Not That Into You has informed us, men give women signals all the time that should provide us with enough clues to give up and move on. He won’t call you after a first date; he uses cheesy overproduced lines; he “doesn’t want to put a title on it.” The list goes on. Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely loved the book and movie because it illustrated exactly what we put ourselves through when rationalizing the motives for his less-than-promising actions. But it also brought out my inner feminist. Don’t we deserve more than his “into us” factor? In these times, when women can have it all, can’t we be the choosers, the ones who just aren’t that into him?

And even if this wish were granted, and we were to gain control of the dating game, is it really what we would want? Let’s not forget that there is nothing more intriguing than being told that someone is interested in us; in feeling chosen or singled out from the pack and shining brighter than the others. Do we forfeit romance when we choose to pursue men rather than be pursued? Are we either powerlessly waiting by the phone or so selective that the thrill of being pursued is lost?

Pursuing the man of your dreams could land you the guy you’ve always thought you deserved, someone who has all of the qualities that makes you feel confident, happy and complete. “Falling” for a man who was not even remotely on your radar means compromising your ideals, dealing with flaws and learning to love each other. So who is happier? (Let’s not forget that these are situations when love is obtained; being rejected by the man of your dreams can make you feel unworthy and undeserving, while settling for a man who pursued you can leave you feeling like you came up short.)

Ladies of College Park, I leave you with a few thoughts: So what if he’s just not that into you? Is pursuit truly the key to happiness?

Nicole StinesSophomoreLinguistics and Spanish Double Major

Evaluating Evaluations

This past semester, 12,000 university students did not submit any course evaluations through the CourseEvalUM system. This is the official online evaluation process requested by the Student Government Association and approved by the University Senate. It is a confidential system that allows students to provide feedback on faculty performance in what is their most important role on campus, teaching students. The results are reviewed by instructors, deans, department chairs and the Provost in order to make decisions to improve the quality of instruction for students. As integral members of this academic community, students hold a number of important responsibilities, one of them being the evaluation of their academic course experiences.

Our office would like to hear from you if you are part of this 33 percent of students who aren’t participating in this process.

We have already heard from some students who tell us “No one does anything about the results” – this is not true. In fact, not only do the faculty members themselves see your comments and summaries of the results, but their supervisors use these results in hiring, promotion and merit pay decisions, with real consequences. You can see results on Testudo for courses across the campus, too, if you submit all of your evaluations.

We want to hear from the third of you who aren’t submitting evaluations about why you aren’t and how we can engage you. Please e-mail CourseEvalUM@umd.edu. Thanks for your time and consideration.

Renee Baird SnyderCourse Evaluations Coordinator Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment