October 9, 2002 News Rate Your Professors...on Sexiness Students, profs, debate merits of Web site Cortney Pachet Central Bureau WINNIPEG (CUP)—Students across North America can rate the sexiness of their professors on a popular website, but some students and professors are calling it mean-spirited and irrelevant. Over 8,000 students in Central Canada have used RateMyProfessors.com to grade their professors. Universities of Manitoba and Winnipeg have less than 4,000 ratings combined, but the University of Regina is amongst the five most rated Canadian uni- versities, with 4,853 comments. The site gives students the opportunity to rate their professors based on a list of four categories: helpfulness, clarity, easiness and sexiness. Marc Ducusin, a fourth year English Honours stu- dent at the University of Winnipeg, believes the site is mean-spirited. “Generally, I’m against censorship,” said Ducusin. “But I certainly hope professors won't go to see this site. They would have to have a really thick skin.” He also feels the sexiness category is irrelevant. “[Sexiness] never enters my mind at all,” said Ducusin. “That’s not something I look for in a pro- fessor. I think I’m a bit more concerned about the way they speak, their teaching style and the assign- ments they give.” “T think that sexiness can be relevant in terms of the students engagement with the course,” said Dr. Mark Morton, Assistant Professor of English at the University of Winnipeg, who has been rated favourably on the site. “If I were creating that site I wouldn't call it a sex- iness rating, but a charisma rating.” RateMyProfessors.com founder and California software engineer John Swapceinski believes the sex- iness rating enhances the entertainment value of his website. “I thought it would be fun for the students,” said Swapceinski. “In the comments students were writ- ing ‘he’s cute’ or ‘she’s cute.” Swapceinski says the site should act as a source for students selecting professors or courses, not as a measure of their attractiveness. Morton agrees, pointing to the practical uses. “T think it’s a great resource. I think that anything that students can do to empower themselves is a good idea.” Ducusin says that students could miss the point of the site and might use it to attack their professors. “Ideally, the site could provide students with a chance to express their feelings about their professors without feeling a need to censor themselves,” he said. “In actuality, you have students looking at the site as an excuse to bash a professor mercilessly or just be witty. I see problems with people going over- board and writing things that aren't appropriate.” Swapceinski says RateMyProfessors.com goes through several levels of screening to ensure nothing libelous or profane is presented on the site. A filter automatically removes any profanity, and comments are read by screeners within 24 hours of being post- ed. A red flag system is also in place for usets to alert Rally for a New Mother’s Life Protestors demonstrate in solidarity with woman sentenced to death in Nigeria Emma Sobel The McGill Daily MONTREAL (CUP)—Cars and pedestrians filled Sherbrooke Street in Montreal Tuesday evening as people honked and shouted for Amina Lawal, a Nigerian woman sentenced to death by stoning for giving birth to a child out of wedlock. Almost 100 people attended the loud and lively demonstration. “We hope to attract media attention,” said protest organizer and Amnesty International member Lauryn Oates. “The media makes the biggest difference in the story. The President [of Nigeria] doesn’t care, but he can be forced to care.” According to Sharia law, the religious law of Islam which took effect three years ago in parts of Nigeria, Lawal’s offence is punishable by death. Her sentence calls for her to be buried to the neck in earth and pelt- ed to death with rocks. Her execution is scheduled for January 2004, after she has finished weaning her child. Lawal’s case has attracted the attention of global © page 4 political leaders and organizations, such as British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the United Nations, who have urged Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to intervene. Obasanjo has said that he will “weep for Amina and her family,” but that he will not step in. Protest organizer Gillian Morantz maintained that Obasanjo will not intervene because his political con- stituency consists largely of Islamic voters who sup- port Sharia law. Those in attendance at the rally decried the severity of Lawal’s sentence, saying it violates her basic human rights. “Sharia law is extreme,” said Andreanne Grimard, International Development Studies student and Amnesty International member. “Certainly Amina does not deserve such a harsh sentence.” The peaceful protest, which was rescheduled from Friday due to rain, was meant to coincide with simul- taneous protests in both Britain and Belgium. the other press the screeners of any inappropriate comments. “If it reflects the teaching style [of a professor], people have a right to their opinion. If they want to say ‘this teacher is a terrible teacher,’ they have a right to say it,” Swapceinski said. “It’s a form of freedom of speech,” stated Morton. “As long as the comments on the site are not target- ing qualities of the individual that are irrelevant to teaching.” One thing all three seem to agree on is the merit of being able to criticize a professor. Swapceinski said the focus of the website is on the student, not on the teacher. “It’s not a concern of mine if professors like the site,” he said. “Professors, by virtue of the job they have, legiti- mately open themselves up to that kind of feedback and criticism,” said Morton, noting the site could serve as an alternative or a compliment to the insti- tutional course evaluations. Ducusin says the site can offer one thing course evaluations might not be able to—comfort. “You almost feel because you're being evaluated by your professors, that you can't be as open as youd like to be,” he said. The website has had mixed reviews from profes- sors. “Some professors have written in and demanded to be taken off,” admitted Swapceinski. “Others write in and jokingly complain that they have no chili pepper [the sexiness symbol].” Organizers had promised their international counter- parts at least 1,000 petition signatures to help Lawal’s cause. By Tuesday, students collecting signatures said they had surpassed that goal and were aiming for 1,500 signatures. Lawal maintains that her baby was conceived before Sharia law took effect in Nigeria. She also claims that she was not properly informed of her rights and that her trial was not conducted fairly. Lawal’s defense lawyers will attempt to take the case to Nigeria's supreme court. Obasanjo has expressed doubt that the sentence will be carried out, based on similar cases that have been appealed and won in the past. Lawal’s appeal of the sentence was rejected. “This is not an extended sentence,” said Dr. Peter Leuprecht, Dean of Law at McGill and a speaker at the protest. “{Lawal] continues to live with the constant fear of death ... This is one of the many examples of how reli- gion has been used to violate human rights.”