Second, in the face of budgetary stringency there may be reluctance to streamline operations by increasing section sizes for lower-level classes. This may be so because faculty members normally teaching these courses perceive of a negative impact of such measures on their ratings. Third, departments may swamp administrative officers with requests to schedule classes during prime time in the belief that odd hours affect ratings negatively. Hence undesirable utilization characteristics may develop. Fourth, a systematic bias may result from the type of material taught or from the nature of the course. Finally, there is the possibility of an adverse effect on one's rating if the course is required.