Annoyed by bad professor, student creates Web site

Kasey Gerber realized a major problem with his class selection soon after he began graduate school in the fall of 2000 at the University of Nebraska.\nHe had a bad professor, and he was annoyed. \nBecause of his bad experience, he created the innovative Web site www.myprofessorsucks.com, hoping to prevent other students from having the same experience he had.\n"I usually find the good in class, but in this one I just couldn't," Gerber said. \nGerber dealt with the professor who not only rambled with little or no interaction with the class, but would also sit Indian style on his desk in front of the class for hours. \nGerber said his professor had an "adolescent pry" that sent him into thought about how his situation could have been prevented.\n"I remember getting back from class one day and remembered thinking, 'I wish there was a way I could have known what this professor was like before signing up for the class,'" Gerber said. "There were other sections of the class that I could have taken if I had known."\nThis thought spawned the creation of www.myprofessorsucks.com. Gerber said the site is a forum for students across the country to post their opinions about professors they have had. He said these opinions are available to save other students from having to endure a professor like his. Also posted on the site are recommendations of good professors. \nGerber called two friends, Ross Davis and Chris Black, who are each computer engineering majors at the University of Florida, to help create the site.\nThe site is divided into categories by school size and given names such as "Big Daddy," which is for schools with 20,000 or more students, "Mediums my Style" for schools with 10.000-19,999 students and "Hey, Size Doesn't Matter" for schools with under 10,000 students.\n"I came up with the idea in December, and we managed to get things up by February," Gerber said. "But we weren't telling people." \nThe site actually launched in August of 2001 and since then has prospered. Many colleges, including over 500 in Canada, have been added since the launch.\nThe site allows students to enter the name of a professor or teacher at a college or university and rate them in categories that include: "coolness," "ease," "worth" and the teacher's overall rating. Professors given a rating of B+ or greater are featured on the Web site's A+ club.\nIU freshman Julia Abrams said a site like this would be interesting to visit and useful in choosing classes.\n"I think that it would be a good idea to hear what others had to think," Abrams said. \nShe added that although some comments can't be taken too seriously because they are just other's opinions it would be helpful to know what others thought. \nThe site also includes entertainment geared towards college students' interests such as "Just Ask Ross," which gives visitors a chance to ask any question. The site claims, "He (Ross) knocks em' down with hilarious replies." \nThe site features columns by the creators, surveys and games. The creator and four person staff are planning future additions to the site.\n"We are way too ambitious for a staff of five," Gerber said.\nThey hope to add features like e-mail addresses, links to university Web pages and begin merchandising with bumper stickers. \nRecently, the staff developed an advertising program. The "Campus Rep" program lets students volunteer to advertise for the Web site at their school. Gerber said these students are rewarded for their efforts. IU currently has no representative.\nGerber's endeavor is not appreciated by everyone. Mehmet Dalkilic, IU assistant professor in the School of Informatics, was rated on the site with a "D" overall. He strongly disagrees with the site.\n"This is not serving the purpose you think it is," Dalkilic said. \nHe said the site is for no purpose other than profit. \n"This site is just a commercial vehicle," Dalkilic said. "People are suckers for this kind of stuff." \nDalkilic said the site's contents have little validity and are childish. He suggested that a site like this run through a university would be a good idea, but said the form used by www.myprofessorsucks.com is useless.\nGerber said the site has been a success. He only regrets using the controversial name, but said the site is actually positive.\n"If I had to do it over again I'd probably change the name, but I just wanted it to be memorable," Gerber said. "Don't judge a book by a cover -- come see what we are about"