OLD GOLD&BLACK W A K E
F O R E S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
T H U R S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 0 7
VOL. 91, NO. 4
“Covers the campus like the magnolias”
Groves Stadium renamed BB&T Field By Martin Rickman | Staff writer
Wake Forest University and BB&T Corporation reached an agreement last week to change the name of Groves Stadium to BB&T Field. The 10-year deal was announced Sept. 5 and was honored between the first and second quarters of the Nebraska game Sept. 8, with Athletic Director Ron Wellman, President Nathan Hatch and chairman and chief executive of BB&T John Allison present at the ceremony. “This is two leading institutions which are well-respected who are creating a partnership that will be mutually beneficial,” Wellman said. “It sends a strong message about what both institutions want to see and what both organizations believe can happen in this community with this partnership.” The deal is just another in a long line of steps to increase the profile of the Demon Deacon football team, which capped off its 2006 ACC Champion-
Deacon Tower, which began construction in late 2006, will be seven stories tall and will give the stadium a new press box and a club section, as well as box seats. It is reported to cost around $45-million. There is also a seat-licensing program being implemented in the Deacon Club for next season, as Deacon Club season ticket holders will have the option to reserve their seat for 15 years and up to 25 years for a donation of between $500 and $2,500. The stadium, which has already undergone a face-lift on the brick facing as well as an new field surRoger Kirkpatrick/Old Gold & Black face, also hopes to undergo a dramatic Groves Stadium has been renamed BB&T Field. Paraphernalia change in the team’s locker room and the parking lot area, as well as the now covers the stadium showing the new partnership. concession stands, which had a difficult time supplying ice and water ship season with an impressive show- announcements but will not officially needs to overheated fans during the ing at the BCS Orange Bowl against be changed over until the beginning Nebraska game. Louisville last season. of the 2008 season, which coincides The stadium will be known as with the new Deacon Tower, slated See BB&T, page A3 BB&T Field in all publications and to be completed in July.
Wikipedia use ignites academic debate
Evaluations impact future of professors
By Molly Nevola | Senior writer
By Caitlin Kenney | Editor in chief Every class starts with a syllabus and ends with an evaluation, and the latter often influences the former. But professors aren’t the only ones who see evaluations and class content isn’t the only thing affected. In fact, course evaluations can play a huge role in the future of faculty at this university. “Tenure and promotion, as well as raises, are influenced by the quality of teaching,” Deborah Best, dean of the college, said. “Likewise, good teaching leads to good raises, tenure, promotions and recognition via teaching awards.” Department chairs and reviewing bodies use the evaluations when considering whether to renew professor contracts. “For those who are not tenured, they (the evaluations) are used in evaluating performance for reasons of reappointment,” Byron Wells, chair of the romance language department, said. “We really take the student and peer assessments seriously.” Non-tenured faculty include assistant professors, visiting professors and lecturers. “Teaching is their primary responsibility to the department, so evaluations play a very large part in their reappointments,” Wells said. Faculty members who are on tenure tracks, for example associate and some full professors, are under two-year renewable appointments. Evaluations play a role in these appointments as well. According to Wells, while evaluations are still important, there are other considerations involved in their reappointments, including their research and scholarship. “They have to create a balance between effective teaching and a record of research and publication,” Wells said. Perhaps more importantly for students, course evaluations can give faculty suggestions of how to improve classes and modifications are often made if evaluations overwhelmingly suggest changes. “If a chair sees problems with a class, changes would be made by the department and faculty members,” Best said. Department chairs might also suggest struggling professors work with excelling professors in their department to improve and perfect their methods. The Teaching and Learning Center is also a resource for professors working to improve teaching practices. Students aren’t the only ones who evaluate professors. Departments also arrange peer reviews to assess teaching effectiveness and performance. Randall Rogan, chair of the communications department, said that peer evaluations offer an important second angle on professors, since some students could be influenced by their See Course evals, page A2
INSIDE:
“Welcome to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit,” greets the Web site. A non-profit venture launched in January 2001, Wikipedia is the largest encyclopedia in the world, and is written and edited by volunteers. With entries in over 250 different languages, not to mention 1,997,619 articles listed in English, it’s no doubt that Wikipedia is today one of the most popular and continuously growing information sources on the Web. But does the service have any accountability or place in the world of serious research? Countless universities have explored the
validity of the Web site only to find that professors across the nation are split on the Wikipedia debate. Reports from Harvard University’s newspaper, The Harvard Crimson indicated this past February that some Harvard professors and teaching fellows incorporated Wikipedia into their syllabi. These professors said that some of the articles were extremely useful for their subjects, and the ease of research on Wikipedia increased the probability that students would complete the assigned reading.But not everyone takes this side of the debate. This past February See Wikipedia, page A6
Graphic by Ryan Caldwell/Old Gold & Black
Tech problems afflict new ThinkPads World map screen and other errors affect more than just university computers By Elliot Engstrom | Asst. news editor
First-year students and juniors eagerly receive their new laptop computers at the beginning of each fall semester. This program has worked very well since it began in 1998, and the wireless capabilities of the Reynolda Campus make having a laptop very convenient for both academic and leisure activities. However, many students who received new laptops this fall seem to think that the machines are lacking. Information Systems and many Resident Technology Advisers were bombarded with questions on move-in day and problems regarding the new machines. Even now, many students continue to have problems that are more than just annoying errors. “I came to school expecting to get this computer that was going to work great,” freshman Margo Warren said. “It just has more issues than I had imagined. My printer has been broken for over a week, but I just don’t have the means to get over to IS easily, especially with my schedule.” Nick Tetsworth, the Johnson Residence Hall RTA, was right in the thick of the situation on move-in day. However, when asked about his workload that day, Tetsworth did not seem particularly frustrated. “I felt like it was a pretty standard amount of work,” he said. “I do have a dislike for finding problems that are out of my reach, because I like to have the ability to fix whatever problems might arise. “I don’t like having to send things to the Help Desk, because I am here to keep things from having to go there.” One common problem on move-in day was the world map wallpaper error. “The world map is not limited to Wake Forest,” Tetsworth said. “It is actually a global error that has been affecting more than just our computers.” According to the IS Web site, “If you see the (world map) as the background picture on your R60 ThinkPad, you may not be able to access all the functions on the ThinkPad, such as your e-mail.” However, the problems do not include every new computer on campus. The primary difference between this year’s and last year’s computers is that this year’s students received the R-series laptop, and last year’s students received the T-series. “This year, we had a comprehensive, campuswide committee that analyzed various offers and selected the Lenovo R60 as the best overall choice for our students given the typical use patterns at Wake Forest,” said IS Chief Information Officer Jay Dominick on a question and answer page on the Information Systems Web site. “The T-series is an excellent computer that See IS, page A3
P AINTING I T B LACK
Rachel Cameron/Old Gold & Black
Students paint banners on the Manchester Plaza that reflect school spirit in preparation for Homecoming weekend, Sept. 14-15.
Life | B7 Premiere Week Sneak Peek
Brieflies
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Police Beat
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Spotlight
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Check out the hottest new shows for this year’s fall primetime season of television.
The Hot List
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In Other News
Sudoku
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• Sportsmanship project begins | A2
• Football falls at home to Nebraska | B1
Sports | B1 Blue Crush No. 5 field hockey takes down highly ranked archrival Duke 4-2 to advance season record to 2-4, giving the Deacs their first ACC win.
Opinion | A4 Ticked off for Tickets Student Government’s advertising for tickets to football games lacking to the point confusion.