The Faculty Senate yesterday approved the publication of teacher/course evaluations starting next fall.

In a voice vote, roughly three out of 50 senators voted against the measure.

Some senators said they were concerned the evaluations would not be fair.

Heeten Desai, senator and surgery professor, said students put little time and thought into filling out evaluations. He said he hoped information published would be augmented by a more thorough evaluation from select students.

Other faculty members said they were also afraid the students would rely on the evaluations too heavily in rating the instructors.

Karen Anderson, senator and history professor, reluctantly supported the measure, but said she was suspicious of the evaluations.

She said published ratings meant nothing, and suggested more material be included in the evaluation packet to reflect the course curriculum.

ASUA President Ben Driggs said the evaluations were not intended to be "complete or accurate measures of anyone's teaching ability."

The nine-question evaluations will annually publish student ratings on all instructors for undergraduate classes on a scale of A through F.

"It's one tool of the many to help students plan their academic future," Driggs said.

Other faculty senators supported the measure.

Edward Williams, political science professor and chair of the Senate's oversight committee, said, "It is time for the Senate to support students and voice support for teaching at this institution."

James Levi, senator and lecturer for clinical surgery, said, "This is the single most important thing the student government can do on this campus."

Driggs' chief of staff, Kim Montanaro, who headed ASUA's year-long project to get the evaluations published, said she was pleased with the Senate decision but concerned about the cost of printing and publishing the evaluations.

Montanaro suggested a less costly and more efficient way would be to create a Web page that would allow UA students, teachers and administrators to access faculty evaluations on-line.

Rhonda Wilson, Minority Action Council director, said student access to evaluations would make faculty more accountable for their teaching. "It will help ensure we're getting the education we're paying for," she said.

Wilson said she was happy so many faculty members supported the evaluations.

"It shows (the faculty's) willingness and commitment to education."