For some students, there’s no bigger headache than flaky professors. They don’t hand back assignments, they change the syllabus halfway through the semester, or they don’t even make one at all.

But now the Student Association is working to draft a student’s Bill of Rights that would crack down on professors without handcuffing those who prefer to teach outside the box.

‘Students have the right to know what’s going on in their classes and what to expect from their professors,’ said Andrew Lederman, SA president. ‘While they may know they have these rights, we want to get them written down.’

Officials from the Office of Undergraduate Studies first proposed the idea about a month and a half ago after receiving complaints from students about erratic professors, Lederman said.

The bill aims to combat some of the most egregious professorial antics, such as changing the date of a final with only three day’s warning, but will remain broad in its wording and what rights it includes.

‘It’s not going to say that every third Tuesday a professor has to give them nap time,’ Lederman said.

SA plans to set up a committee of 10 students, two of whom will be SA members, to draft the bill. Once the bill is completed, both SA and the University Senate will probably vote on it as a resolution, Lederman said.

Lederman aims to have the bill of rights implemented by the fall semester of 2005.

Some professors may take exception to the bill, especially those who prefer to teach more loosely structured classes, Lederman said. In the end, however, professors should realize that they need to meet certain obligations.

‘I’m sure some professors will have a problem with it, but they are here to teach students and students expect their professors will fulfill their expectations,’ Lederman said.

But even some of those students who have suffered erratic professors realize the need to protect professors’ academic freedom. SA and the Office of Undergraduate Studies also recognize that professors have certain rights and students must also follow some guidelines. Thus, while SA works on the student bill, the Office of Undergraduate Studies will also be working on a faculty bill of rights.

Elisabeth Johnson, a junior international relations and psychology major, would prefer some measure that would allow professors to make substantial changes to the course as long as a large majority of the class agrees.

‘Some professors just don’t have a firm grasp on reality,’ Johnson said. ‘But we should also realize that there needs to be an element of flexibility.’

But for other students, there are bigger academic concerns than flaky professors.

Bad TAs are the biggest worry of Catherine Nolan, a freshman chemistry major. The quality of TAs can vary between different sections of the same class, even though each section is subjected to the same requirements, she said.

‘You’re penalized because you’re given the same exam as everybody else,’ Nolan said.

Asst. News Editor Jean Stevens contributed to this report

Published on April 15, 2004 at 12:00 pm