SOMETIMES anonymity in class can be a wonderful thing. Our university is big enough so that we easily can things done undisturbed and shrink into obscurity if we make a stupid remark. It is when our anonymity is violated that we run into trouble.
At Yale University, being anonymous in a 300-person lecture may no longer be an option for students. The school's Teaching and Learning Committee came up with the idea to take photographs of students in class so professors could better identify students who often sit in lecture halls unnoticed. The committee said that professors would be the only ones using the password-protected tool, and only to learn students' names.
The idea has good intentions - every university loves to foster better faculty-student relationships. But the idea comes at the expense of anonymity, something no student really begins to appreciate until he loses it.
To better illustrate why students should appreciate the anonymity they now have at the University, consider three types of students who would be at a disadvantage if they were subject to Yale's picture-taking program.
Taking photographs in lectures would give every student extra incentive to come to class. But there are certain students who just can't manage to stay awake through his 8 a.m. lecture. A photograph of such a student sleeping in the last row of Organic Chemistry certainly would incriminate him.
The Yale committee said it isn't trying to hurt anyone by taking pictures of students dozing. But being able to identify these students certainly would not be in students' interest either. This student, who may need recommendations from his professor, needs all the help he can get.
Regardless of whether he is disciplined for dozing, the embarrassing photo might still give the professor an inaccurate impression of his student. He actually may be the best student in class - who just happens to nod off once in a while or has narcolepsy. The professor may not make a note of this if he has to give the student a recommendation.
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Colleges teach students that there is no such thing as a dumb question. But there are students who are not afraid to ask questions - even as ludicrous and silly as they may be - because they know their professors don't know their names.
However, if the professor did remember a student's name, it might stop her from speaking up again. More importantly, it also would discourage many more who are already less inclined to speak up. Most wouldn't want to risk being identified and then embarrassed in front of their professor and 500 students.
We learn more by asking questions. It's an integral part of learning in college. Being able to identify the student who asked a stupid question might just scare her away from asking questions altogether.
Most students have a routine which consists of sitting in the same row, taking notes and making a beeline for the exit once class ends. It's disheartening that this type of student does not want to build a better relationship with the professor, but often neither party has the time or the interest.
It's not really worth the effort for professors to get to know these students. Granted, getting to know students is a good thing, but there are some who would rather not say a word and just leave unnoticed. It would be a waste of time, therefore, for the professor to learn the names of students he may never talk to. He could spend the time more wisely making the lecture more interesting or counseling those students who genuinely want to know him.
Only in an ideal world would professors actually know all their students' names when they called on them. This is not likely to be the case in lecture halls anytime soon. But this is not to say students and professors cannot get to know each other.
The University already has several outlets for students and professors who want to know each other better. Faculty mentor programs like those sponsored by the Office of African-American Affairs allow meaningful one-on-one interactions with students. Talks also have begun about opening another on-Grounds dining facility for faculty and students. Its purpose will be similar to the Garden Room in that both aim to foster a stronger intellectual community at the University. With the Cavalier Card students can take professors ou to lunch for free.
For the rest of the students here, who simply want to remain anonymous, that option is happily still available at the University.
(Juliana Chan is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.)
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