Academy Transitions to New Block

Most Wednesdays during advising block, lower Andrew Tuchler sits around the Harkness table in his adviser’s classroom, staring up at the screen where a movie is playing. His mind drifts to all of the homework that he could be doing instead of watching Daniel Day-Lewis take on the role of a man with cerebral palsy in My Left Foot. Half an hour later, he leaves his fellow advisees and journeys to his next class.“While it may be fun, I don’t think it’s more useful than what I would do in my room, such as catching up on work or other things,” Tuchler said.Across campus, other advisee groups sit in silent study hall. Others play games. Some have one-on-one advising sessions, while others sit in the dining hall, discussing dorm issues.Exeter first inserted the student-adviser meetings block into the weekly schedule this winter term, after the faculty voted for the measure this fall. Students are meant to meet with their advisers and each other from 11-11:30 a.m. each Wednesday with the aim of forming better relationships, since before this change was made, the amount of time students met with their advisers varied drastically.Yet faculty members differ in the way that they choose to go about forming this relationship, and some, like English instructor Nathaniel Hawkins, are still unsure about what to do.“The system hasn’t been around for too long, and I am still in the process of finding out what to do with my advisees. It’ll take more time to see how the advising block system goes,” Hawkins said.Some advisers choose to do a variety of activities during the advising block. “Sometimes we’ll just do homework, other times we’ll play games and do activities. Other times we’ll watch videos,” senior Jordan Rohrlich said.Although the advising block provides time that is meant for students to bond with their advisers and with their advisee groups, responses to the advising block have varied amongst the student body, with some believing that the time could be used more productively. Furthermore, some think that the weekly thirty minute format specifically dedicated to advising is too frequent.Students who meet up with their advisers on a regular basis or those who do not value adviser assistance view the advising block as an unnecessary use of time, as it takes up time that could be used for other work.Similarly, others feel that the addition of the advising block necessitates the removal of another required appointment, since the weekly schedule is already very hectic, especially for preps and new lowers.Lower Joon Kim expressed his discontent about the addition of required appointments to his weekly schedule. “If we’re going to add something, another thing should be taken out,” Kim said. “But if we continue to add without subtracting, its only going to add to the stress level of Exonians.”On the other hand, some students believe that the weekly block is a great way to connect with their adviser, and get help when needed, even if it’s just doing random activities instead of talking about issues.“I like having a place and time set aside where I can meet with my adviser,” upper Rachel Sachs said. “The advisee meeting gives me time to talk about my problems and life at Exeter without taking other time out of my schedule.”Rorhlich agreed, saying that any time spent together with an adviser is helpful for the relationship. “The more time in the week where you can put those two in contact is better, because it allows for a more personal relationship between the adviser and advisee, even if it’s just to watch videos or play games,” Rohrlich said. “That might seem counterproductive, but it’s actually good in that it enhances the relationship between a student and the adviser.”Faculty members interviewed had similar reactions.“I enjoy the new adviser meetings. It keeps me in a closer touch with my advisees,” English instructor Patricia Burke-Hickey said. “Often, I also set up a time for me to meet with them later in the week as well.”Other individuals are indifferent about the advising period, since some advisers allow students to do things that they would do otherwise, such as homework."Adviser meeting blocks may be a great time for those who need help and advice from their advisers, because many Exonians do not have such time to do so on a regular basis,” lower Michael Shao said. “However for those who do not seem to struggle as much, adviser meeting blocks can be simply used to do homework, which I find useful.”Overall, it seems what advisers are choosing to do is helping the adviser-advisee relationship.“I like my advisee group. I like the meeting every week,” lower Michelle Bosche said. “It’s nice to catch up with your advisor and get to know them better as well as the other people in the group. Especially if you meet in a place like d-hall.”