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Of course it is important to define fraternize (I supposed I'd put it somewhere around the threshold where acquaintance becomes friend) but we cannot be afraid to engage with students. It has become common professional knowledge that students learn as much out of the classroom/office as in. How can we possibly abdicate that out-of-classroom/office space when we know it is a powerful venue for teaching? After all, teaching does not stop at the edge of the office door. Should one run into a student at the local bookstore or cinema, what better opportunity to reinforce the notion that academic learning carries out into the “real world” than a cordial inquiry about an ongoing academic issue. And if that spins out into a meal and a deeper discussion of a particular intellectual question or curiosity, so much the better. Should the encounter veer towards the personally uncomfortable, a tactful good night and a turn of the heel solves the matter. Kurt Xyst, academic adviser, University of Washington, October 1, 2009 This is an interesting topic and I'm looking forward to hearing other opinions. When I was an adviser working with traditional students, fraternization was not that big of an issue because I was so much older and they were not interested in “hanging out” with me. However, I do very much agree that a lot of what a student learns in college happens outside of the classroom and a thoughtful discussion at a coffee house is probably a good thing. However, I am currently advising adult distance education students and have been invited, on occasion, to a tailgate with a student and their partner and I'm never sure how to handle that situation. I have always bowed out graciously, but I'm not always sure of the boundaries in this situation. I'm looking forward to others thoughts. Richard Brungard, advising program coordinator, Penn State World Campus, October 7, 2009 There is something we call “engineering judgement” in professionalism within engineering disciplines. In my humble opinion, it would seem that we could use our “Advising Judgement” to determine when fraternization is no longer acceptable. I have had dinner with students, I have been to their homes, attended their graduation functions and other family events. Not once, have I done anything that anyone could interpret as other than professional. I believe drinking with students, parties (of the college nature) and other such activities are not activities that engage a student in a culture of learning. By all means, lunch or dinner in the student union and other such activities are what I believe involve “meeting the student where they are” and can only help to improve the advising relationship. Kara E. Lattimer, academic/career advisor, Virginia Tech, October 8, 2009 The situations described in the The Mentor's question are mostly common social circumstances where the role relationship of adviser to student can be maintained without much difficulty. That is, each situation contributes to getting to know the student better, developing greater rapport, and being able to interact with the student in a more friendly or relaxed venue where the student is more likely to act in a genuine way. What the adviser does with his or her observations or the degree to which the adviser goes beyond (or around) the role of adviser is where ethics, character, and boundaries come into play. I know how tempting it can be to abandon the boundaries, so sometimes by limiting or avoiding certain social situations, the risk of regret is reduced (try saying that phrase three times quickly). I've been on both sides of the boundary question. As an undergraduate I had three different advisers and not surprisingly the one that stayed within the boundary of the role had the most impact on my career choice and academic success. At the same time I learned something very significant about life and character (and myself) from the troubling interactions with my other two undergraduate advisers. I won't go into the details here, but the situations were not included in the ones posed by The Mentor. All three of my undergraduate advisers contributed to the development of my own role as an adviser. One adviser I would describe as a positive mentor and I am grateful that I learned from him many things that helped me to be a successful adviser, particularly the ability to listen, the ability to challenge with respect, and the ability to lift the human spirit. The other two I would describe as “reverse” mentors; that is, I learned that if I want to be effective as an adviser I would be better off to do the opposite of what they did, namely the ability to engage without violating boundaries, the ability to share experience without exploitation, and the ability to prevent private thoughts from interfering with my role. Rey Carr, CEO, Peer Resources, October 16, 2009 The Mentor is published by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |
