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Why go to class

By Daily Bruin Staff

April 1, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 2, 1996

By Toni Dimayuga

Daily Bruin Contributor

To go or not to go ­ that is the question. And for the
9,000 to 10,000 students who shell out money for the students’
association lecture notes every quarter, the answer is a
half-hearted "sometimes."

The students association, whose mission is to provide students
with helpful services, sells lecture notes for about 100 classes
per quarter, said Andy Amamoto, production manager for the
students’ association (ASUCLA) Lecture Notes.

But although lecture notes are readily available for many
courses, students cannot entirely give up going to class ­
lecture notes aren’t available for every course. To qualify for
lecture notes, a class must have at least 70 students, explained
Scott Pak, managing assistant of ASUCLA Lecture Notes. Each
professor individually decides whether or not to enlist a lecture
notetaker.

Although some students said they have no problems with lecture
notes, others have had less than satisfying experiences with the
service.

"I borrowed this one set of notes and it was really bad. I don’t
think the person jotted down all the important points. Sometimes I
think they just do it for the money," said Angelina Wong, a
third-year biology student.

"Some note takers are a little slack," agreed Lisa Mika Chan, a
third-year biology student and a lecture notetaker, who went as far
as to claim that students who use lecture notes tend to get better
grades.

Although dissent existed over the quality of the notes,
notetakers themselves agreed upon the benefits of the job.

Rolondo Locci, a fourth-year student, said that he became a
lecture note taker because it is a "great way to refresh classes,"
and is a respectable job with a decent-sized paycheck.

In order to become a lecture notetaker, each student must have
already taken the class he or she wants to take notes for. And only
above-average students need apply ­ to become a notetaker, a
student must have received an A- or better in the class.

Some lecture notetakers said they chose their job for the
benefits that come with it. Chan explained that a job as a lecture
notetaker pays better and is less time-consuming than other student
jobs.

Numerous professors also hailed lecture notes as a welcome aid
to their students.

"I’m glad that option exists. When you have a good,
conscientious notetaker it can be really helpful as a supplement,
not as a substitute," said Matthew Malkan, a physics and astronomy
professor. "Every time a class was large enough, I’ve opted for
doing it, and usually, we’re able to locate a good notetaker."

One student recalled a professor who grew attached to a set of
lecture notes.

"It was a package from a previous year. The professor liked them
so he kept them," said Monica Aguirre, a second-year undeclared
student.

But despite the advantages of lecture notes, some pointed out
that students with lecture notes subscriptions often stop going to
class altogether. For this reason, some professors refuse to use
lecture notes, Locci said.

And although Lecture Notes boasts many satisfied customers, some
subscribers complained about their quality. Many complaints stem
from the fact that some notes seem less informative than
others.

Amamoto explained that lecture notes are supposed to be a
supplement to the student’s personal notes, despite the fact that
students often expect the lecture notes to contain more
information.

Some students, like Wong, think that each student’s notes are as
good as the students’ associations.

"People seem to trust notetakers more than their own notes,"
Wong said.

Chan said that some students take better notes than the paid
notetakers.

Gail Cervantes, a third-year history student, explained that the
quality of each set of lecture notes does not necessarily depend on
the notetaker. It may be the type of class or the lecturing style
of the professor, he explained.

The quality of each set of lecture notes may also depend on
whether or not the professor looks them over before they go to
print.

"The professor I take notes for doesn’t review them, but she
warns her students, so it’s kind of at your own risk," said Heidi
Torres, a fourth-year biochemistry student.

David Aboody, a business professor, explained that he does not
communicate with his notetaker.

"He comes in, he writes, he goes," Aboody said.

Malkan admitted that he reviews the notetaker’s notes only
briefly, but said that looking them over thoroughly is
advisable.

Problems aside, Locci pointed out that the actual number of
complaints dwarf the number of subscriptions.

"I think we get about 50 complaints for every 10,000
subscriptions," Locci said.

Some professors prefer to write their own lecture notes. Bruce
Runnegar, a geology professor, currently writes his own notes for
students to purchase.

"I can provide them (the notes) before lecture. I can provide
copies of my overheads. It saves me from distributing a lot of
handouts. It’s an efficient way to do it … It makes me do a
complete job," Runnegar explained.

He added that in using his own notes, the class can move at
their own pace, and he can add new material or do the lecture
differently.

"What’s really good are the professor’s notes, because you get
everything he wants to say," said Renee Fauvre, a fourth-year
environmental studies and French student.

Malkan agreed that writing his own lecture notes is a good idea,
but said that he is satisfied with the existing lecture notes and
it would be too much of a hassle.

"I’m pretty happy with what ASUCLA produces. I could update my
notes every quarter, but it would be a lot of work. Even if I teach
the course more than once, it doesn’t come out the same," Malkan
said.

Copyright infringement is an aspect that Lecture Notes frowns
upon. It is a federal offense to make photocopies of the notes, as
emphasized by the warnings and red bars that appear on each
page.

Amamoto admitted that despite such deterrents, it is impossible
to keep track of every students’ actions.

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