Poll: Most Students Object to Weekly Adviser Meetings

After a decisive 89-23 vote amongst faculty in favor of a weekly, required advising block, many students around campus are reacting with strong feelings in opposition to the change. The Wednesday schedule will be rebuilt around this thirty-minute period, which will be placed after the meditation period, and will begin next term.Continue the discussion:Read an op-ed, "Undermining Independence, Disrespecting Students"Share your thoughts on The Exonian's Facebook page.

The survey by the numbers:79% students against500 students responded24 hours to respond

The addition of these advisor/advisee sessions at Exeter will mirror that of other independent boarding schools, such as Andover’s structure, in which a similar system is in place.This past Monday night, the Exonian sent out a survey to the student body, canvassing the campus for their response to the change. The results tallied to be overwhelmingly negative, with 79% of students against the addition based on the feedback from over 500 students in 24 hours.“The faculty will consider their own as well as student opinions this spring to see if that particular time slot works well and may adjust the timing for next fall if folks believe another time slot works better,” Principal Tom Hassan said. “We will however continue with weekly meetings.”Preps viewed the change with the most positive outlook in comparison to the remaining classes, with 69% against and 31% in favor, lowers and uppers both shared the same results with 81% against and 19% in favor and finally, seniors emerged with the most negative replies, with 85% against and 15% in favor.“How are we really supposed to get anything done in a half hour with 10 advisees; it makes no sense,” a returning senior wrote. “This is going to taint the image of advisee/advisor relationships even more so because now, it is going to be a burden, not an enjoyable experience.”However, the majority of those who voted against this specific system felt that the advisory system still needed to be reevaluated due to its shortcomings, with 51% in favor of an alternate program. A few common issues with the current system pinpointed by the survey were timing, frequency and most importantly, practicality.“The only problem seems to be that some advisers aren't being proactive and setting up meeting times with their advisees,” a returning lower wrote. “It's not hard to do. It's not fair to waste other people’s time with a pointless format that is only set up because some advisers aren't doing their job.”In addition to these issues, the question of privacy and effectiveness of these meetings was raised in the survey. “It doesn't necessarily help create a closer bond between the advisor and the advisees, because it is unlikely for one of the students to open up and discuss personal issues in front of a group of other people,” a returning senior wrote. “Also, the purpose of an advisory board is to allow students to have an adult to consult problems with when necessary, and the fact that advisory meetings are made mandatory defeats this purpose and makes it an obligation to seek help frequently.The distinct response against the inclusion of an advising block was also evident in the StuCo meeting where faculty asked for student opinion on this matter. The group came to the conclusion that there was an indisputable imbalance in the advisory system at the Academy, however, the solution could arise in the form of less frequent mandatory meetings with potential modifications.“I think the student input was taken quite seriously,” Laura Marshall said, one of the two Student Council advisors. “Ms. Cahalane had the opportunity to read a lengthy letter that Alice Ju, the President of Student Council wrote. Teachers asked a few questions and it was clear that StuCo was in support of having some dedicated advising time built into our schedule, but was not in support of having that time weekly.”“There were some faculty, who certainly thought that we should look at StuCo’s suggestion to have a meeting time every other week, but the motion that was on the table was from the advising committee, and that was to have a dedicated, weekly advising time, so it was voted in.”In a letter addressing the faculty members prior to the decision, Ju, she relayed several common concerns amongst students, but was met with no compromise.“The first was that weekly meetings are unnecessarily frequent, especially with the already busy schedules of both students and faculty. Secondly, group meetings would not be the most effective way to use advisor/advisee time, as most students would not feel comfortable discussing personal problems in front of the advisee group, and would prefer individual meetings. Thirdly, many worried that advisors who meet rarely with advisees would not use the mandatory meetings block, thus undermining the purpose for the proposal. Lastly, students were hesitant to extend the Wednesday schedule past 12:30, especially in light of sports and afternoon extracurriculars,” Ju wrote.Possible adjustments suggested by Student Council included a “drop-in hour” system during this block, where advisees must check in with their advisors and stay if necessary, and another suggested a biweekly meeting that could easily be factored into the schedule with the Week 1/Week 2 system already in place.A number of other changes have also been made this year in attempt to improve the advisory system, with the creation of more manageable advisories and advisory funds. “Now, we have smaller advisory groups and more people advising, so that relieves some of the burden,” english instructor Eimer Page said. “We’ve also been given separate advisor funds so we can do some more advisee specific activities. Originally for advisee-related costs we would try to use the dorm fund, but eventually people put their hand in their pocket and pay for things.”Regardless of the initial reaction, the new program will set a standard among advisories across campus, providing more balance between those who see their advisors all the time and those who rarely engage in these encounters. However, the notion of more deeply rooted issue contained within the advisory system rings throughout campus, one that potentially cannot be solved by a mandatory meeting time.“My understanding is that this new system is being implemented to help out students who feel like their advisors are basically not there for them or doing their job adequately,” a returning upper wrote. “Unfortunately, having a required meeting with an already apathetic advisor or someone who is too busy to care is not going to change the system. The real problem here is the culture of advising, and perhaps the fact that there are some faculty who are just not suited to be advisors.”