Getting a bad review

Next Friday is the deadline for students to rearrange their schedules. And until last Friday, students were without a valuable resource: the Penn Course Review.

At last the Review's Web site has returned from a months-long hiatus, but it is anything but ready for primetime. A disclaimer at the top of the page warns that there may be some "incorrect information" about courses. Worst of all, the rankings from the past two semesters are not even included.

The most recent data the site offers is from spring 2004. That just doesn't cut it. The evaluation forms have been filled out by many a No. 2 pencil-wielding Penn student. Where are the results -- a year later?

Few online resources are more useful for students seeking to maximize their educational experience. Further, the Review adds an extra layer of accountability for the faculty and staff. None of this matters, though, if the site is missing or outdated.

Students in charge of the site maintain that technical problems were not to blame for its absence at the beginning of the year. What, then, was the problem?

While the University hosts the site, it is vitally important that content of the Review remain under student control. University bureaucracy will only be a detriment to a guide that is essentially by students for students.

A good example of this is the requirement of a PennKey login to view the ratings. This information should be accessible by anyone.

And active leadership is necessary. The organizations that spearheaded the Review's revival online must keep up the effort to maintain it.

There are less than two weeks left for students scrambling to find classes to fit their schedule. It is imperative that we provide them all of the tools to help in this process.

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