Want to tell last quarter's professor how you really feel? Stanford is among 15 universities including Harvard and Princeton listed on VirtualRatings.com, a Web site that allows students to rate and review their professors.

According to Jeffrey A. Roscher, the president of VirtualRatings.com, the site will allow students not only to voice their opinions about their professors, but aid students in choosing their courses and professors as well.

"One of the most important factors when it comes to obtaining an education are the professors that you take," Roscher said. "This site assists students in seeking out the best professors they can and getting the best education they can for their money."

Anyone can view the comments already on the Web site, but students need to register under a user ID to post their thoughts, and their email is made accessible to anyone who reads their posting.

Along with providing comments about a professor and his or her course, students may also rank their professors. Scores range from 10 (A++) to 0 (F-) and the top ranking professors are listed on a sidebar.

One such Stanford professor was Introduction to Humanities Prof. John Shank. He said he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the people who posted to the Web site also gave their e-mails.

"By forcing people to put their name, it's making them accountable for what they say," Shank said. "People can't just throw words out blindly. It's a check on reckless criticism."

This identification requirement in VirtualRatings.com is crucial, according to Roscher. "VirtualRatings.com is a forum for free speech," Roscher said. "As such, students are responsible for whatever they post on the site. We will not censor ratings or reviews in any way. However, slanderous or libelous ratings that are brought to our attention will be removed immediately."

Stanford was recently added to the site, so only a few professors have been evaluated. Freshman Amir Aharonov, who posted comments on a few of his professors, feels the site is beneficial, despite the possibility of derogatory remarks.

"I think the site offers a forum for open discussion about classes and professors, discussions that happen in dorms all around campus and among friends," Aharonov said. "The site lets students share their experience on a bigger scale. Yes, it may allow for 'prof-bashing' but I think the majority of the opinions are genuine."

However, some professors are less eager to accept the validity of what students say on the Web.

"You worry about how well [the comments] represent the real range of opinions and how much students put in when they post these things," said history Prof. Jack Rakove. "But in the end, students have the chance to make up their own mind in class."

Mathematics Prof. Karl Rumelhart also believes students would use their judgements while reading the postings.

"I don't think Stanford students are foolish enough to base important decisions on what people say on a random Web site," Rumelhart said. "As a student, I couldn't imagine myself going to this site. I wouldn't find it particularly useful."

VirtualRatings.com is not the only way students can evaluate their professors at Stanford. The ASSU already has an online course guide, which, according to the Stanford Web site, "provides student comments, ratings and useful statistics for a wide variety of courses." This information is gathered from course evaluations given to students at the end of every quarter.

Rumelhart believes the ASSU course guide is a better professor and course rating system than VirtualRatings.com.

"I'm not saying student evaluations are bad," Rumelhart said. "It's just that [this method] is in a very poor setting, especially given the fact that it's not necessary since we have student evaluations every quarter. And those are in a much more controlled environment."

However, Roscher said he hopes this enterprise will become a source for accurate and accessible ratings for college students all over the country.

He wants the site to help not only college students, but high school students looking into college choices as well.

"We hope that it enables students to make the best choices possible at registration time and to get the most out of their college education," Roscher said.

He believes the site will help give professors the appreciation they deserve. "Each of us at VirtualRatings.com has been influenced by some very special professors in our lifetime and this site is dedicated to them," he said.