Could my URL redirection be the problem for my PR?

[BlackRaven]

Short Version of question:
Does having a URL redirection effect your PR in neg way?

Long Version of question:
Ok the problem is this, for some reason my site bounches a lot within the google search engine. I mean, some days my site would be 1 for some keyword and then every 3-4 weeks drop down to page 7 or 8 for the exact same keyword. I mean the site get indexed and all but just doesnt appear. Could the problem be that Google is hitting me Hard because of my Masked Url redirection? Does it read the Redirection as double content since i have the title, meta tags excatly the same as my index page of the free host server. Also for some reason my PR 2 (been like that 2 yrs) does not seem to increase even though i have been linked by serveral crediable sites (Mostly Universities) of high PR. I mean if i search for my URL google does show the link with these High PR pages, but my PR still remains static. Thanks

[caine]

1. what is the url re-direct for?

2. the university sites - how on topic are they?

[BlackRaven]

currently my website is being hosted on my personal University account, hence the registered Url is just to redirect visitors to the page since the url is kinda long ("Http://www_someuniversity_com/students/~myname")

[BlackRaven]

THey are pretty much on topic, since i have serveral How to's on my site.