The smell of coffee was strong and the crowd of educators was loud in the cocktail lounge of Arrow Coffee Co. on Friday night. As the third week of classes came to a close, professors, students and others gathered for readings of less-than-flattering teacher evaluation forms, or TEVALs.
This is the second time Arrow has officially hosted an open mic night to give professors and other instructors the opportunity to vent and share their most aggravating TEVALs from past semesters. Some students also attended for recreation.Related:
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“It was a long week, and I wanted to take a break,” Clinton Willis, senior in advertising, said. “I don’t think I’ve ever written any mean TEVALs. I get along with most of my instructors, but it should be fun to see what gets said.”
Jon Herington, assistant professor of philosophy, started the night.
“‘I wish I could force-feed you three cups of wine before grading my stuff,'” Herington read. “‘You came across as a really decent guy in class, but then you went on to hack us apart on the final.'”
Dani LaGree, assistant professor of mass communications, shared some evaluations from last semester, her first at Kansas State.
LaGree said she tried to engage her students by canceling classes on Fridays and assigning work outside of class instead, encouraging students to apply themselves to the material. Her methods were not a hit with everyone.
“‘Dani had trouble adjusting to a large lecture environment,'” LaGree read.
Other students said they were “annoyed” by her passion for public relations in their TEVALs.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributes quotes and thoughts to Phillip Marzluf. Marzluf was not in attendance at this event. The article has been updated with correct attributions. The Collegian sincerely apologizes for this factual error.
