Meaning in Advising

For many students at Exeter, Wednesdays are not what they used to be.Up until the fall of 2013, Wednesdays were seen by Exonians as a pleasant mid-week respite from all the tribulations of Exeter life: one had minimal homework Tuesday night, attended a few classes Wednesday morning, and then were free for a whole afternoon of rest and relaxation. The implementation of weekly adviser meetings beginning in winter of last year, however, meant students had one more required meeting each Wednesday. Meditation was shortened, the thirty minute Adviser Meeting block was inserted into the calendar, and classes ended twenty minutes later than normal.One year into the scheduling modification, however, those thirty minutes seem to be nothing but a waste week after week. Most advisories gather together each Wednesday morning and chat a little, then progress into pointless (and usually boring) games, like Charades; this is, of course, if an advisory group even does meet. Naturally, it is pleasant to spend some down time with one’s adviser and fellow advisees, but if casual small talk is all that goes on during adviser meetings, then a vast potential for fulfilling conversation is squandered.For example, this Wednesday, our advisory spent thirty minutes discussing if Exeter should pursue teaching "goodness" to students, and what this meant. Throughout the entire dialogue, I had to concentrate and gather clear thoughts so that I, too, could offer my point of view. Even though this "session" was roughly half the length of a normal Exeter class, I left my adviser’s classroom feeling as though I had learned just as much as in any standard chemistry or English class. It did not, however, feel like a rigid class whatsoever. This is one of many possibilities that our adviser meetings could be used for, and instead Exonians are spending their precious, thirty minutes deciding whether the word for this game of Charades is a movie or a play. This is not an occasional occurrence. Ever since last fall, countless advisories have misused countless sessions for petty games or fruitless chatter.Regardless of what advisers choose to talk about, it is important that they talk about something, and thus, actual show up to adviser meetings. At the minimum, the weekly gatherings offer a chance for students to ask their advisers important questions and improve relationships with their adviser/fellow advisees.Seeing so many advisers neglect their duties week after week just reaffirms the beliefs of those who think our advising system is flawed. If convening once every seven days for thirty minutes is too much work for a faculty member, perhaps he/she should reconsider the responsibilities of an adviser.Hate it or love it, the Adviser Meeting block is here to stay, so it is up to us to give them meaning. In this manner, if everyone actually gives the advisory meetings a chance and attempts to take part in meaningful conversation, the benefit that adviser meetings has for the Exeter community might eventually become clear.