Buckley Ammendment(Should I waive my right of access to the evaluation form)?

[Shell5]

I am giving 2 evaluation forms to my bosse's at work. There is a place that asks if I want to waive my right of access to see what the evaluators write about me. What they write can make a big deal to the admitting counselors at the college I am attempting to get into. However, I have read that by waiving my right to access that the letters of evaluation have more weight. I suppose this is because the person who is filling the form out is not going to be influenced by me in any way. Well, what do you think?

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

I write letters of recommendation for students all the time. I always give the student a copy of the letter I have written for them although the "official" letter usually has to be sealed inside an envelope so supposedly the student can't see it. To me, these letters are a way for me to let them know how much I admire and respect them. Just ask your boss if he would be willing to let you have a copy of the letter he writes. It's that simple. You wouldn't have a problem signing the waiver then, would you? If someone won't do your evaluation with you signing the waiver of access I would get someone else to do the recommendation. The schools do this thinking that the evaluator is going to be frank and honest. I can tell you right now that most employers who do student recommendations don't put down any negative stuff. Employers are used to only revealing positive information because they are too afraid of someone suing them for writing anything negative. What I do is omit things that I know to be problem areas of an employee. One of the biggies for me is the fluency in English questions because I am out here on the west coast and many of our employees are bilingual--some of them really have to struggle with English. I just don't address that in a letter. I won't put anything negative on a recommendation. If someone is so bad that there's a few bad things I could say about them I will just politely decline to give the recommendation and give some flimsy reason I can't do it. Also, as an employer, I can only evaluate a person as an employee, not their study habits. So, I tend to address things like their attendance, interaction with other employees and customers, their ability to problem solve, their attitude toward their job. So, know who the people are that are going to give you a recommendation. Don't ask someone who you know doesn't like you very well or who you suspect might stab you in the back if given the opportunity.

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

don't waive your rights. The faculty member ought to be able to write in such a way that any negative issues could be addressed ("needs reinforcement in non-verbal conflict resolution" instead of "she yells a lot").

[lisamc1RN, LPN]

I didn't waive my rights for my references. I figure this is my schooling and my future that I'm dealing with. If someone wants to give me a reference but doesn't want me to see it, I'll pass on them. I like Daytonite's idea of just having your reference give you a copy. I hadn't thought of that. *duh* :chuckle I would have no problem with waiving rights then. I just need to know that I'm getting a positive reference.

[Shell5]

:) Thank You All For Your Feedback. I Am Grateful For It. It Has Definatel Helped.