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Student Leaders Report
Hey Buddy, Can You Spare Some Time?
My freshman year, I mistakenly managed to avoid contact with my professors and now I regret the opportunities I missed. For example, I took a class in chemistry to fulfill part of my core science requirement. I must admit that the subject matter alone didn't get me to the class every other day, but it was the ability of the professor to relate to the students. Even in a lecture hall of 300 people, he managed to draw in students by playing some music or giving a tidbit of history that related to the day's lecture topic. Though I enjoyed the class, at times I was confused by the material. I was somewhat intimidated as a freshman and I didn't make an effort to talk to him. He offered office hours, but I often chose to attend those of the TA instead, feeling that I should practically have a degree in Material Science and Engineering before I went to talk to this "Mt. Everest of intellect."
I have since been able to talk informally with my chemistry professor. Our topics have ranged from discussing the techniques he used in his class to the Cambridge/MIT Exchange Program. He gave me the perspective of a faculty member on a number of issues at MIT.
It took me two years to realize the importance of faculty and students interacting outside the classroom. Mine is not an unusual case. Many students do not converse with professors until they take a UROP where they work closely with faculty, or perhaps in a small class or seminar where talking is necessary. There are even some who make it through four or five years without having much interaction at all.
In an ideal MIT community, faculty and students should feel comfortable talking to each other about topics outside of the classroom domain. I understand that it may seem difficult from the faculty perspective, because while you try to get closer to your students by offering your time in office hours, you may not see the reciprocal attempts made by students. This is due to the current climate of the MIT community; early in a student's MIT experience there are few strong examples of students and faculty seen together outside of the classroom. Though MIT advertises their great faculty-to-student ratio, this is not taken advantage of in the freshman program. It makes it hard for freshmen coming into a new environment to know what is considered acceptable. This is what needs to change at MIT. Students should learn to take advantage of talking with faculty before their junior and senior years. This will take a community shift, but each one of you can help make this happen. To do this I ask you to make it a part of your lives to actively seek out students. If each of you reached just three or four students, each undergraduate could know at least one professor outside the context of the lab or the classroom. This would make faculty and student relationships the rule, rather than the exception.
Some of the obvious things that students can gain by spending time with faculty are that we can find UROPs we are interested in, have more enjoyable classes, get career advice, or have someone to go to for a recommendation when we are applying to grad school. Though less obvious, but arguably the more important benefits to students, are a faster integration into the MIT community and increased opportunities for intellectual growth. Faculty can also gain from this.
I think that those of you who often talk with undergraduates would agree with me when I say that undergraduates are very interesting, diverse people. Some can offer a good conversation about the news, or a tutorial in a language that you have wanted to learn. You might find someone who plays in a jazz band (your passion) who needs a new saxophone player (your specialty). Or, if jazz isn't your thing, you could gain a tennis partner twice a week. You may meet a student who is very interested in your research and is dedicated to your UROP because they see you each day and know you are interested in what they are doing.
When a student comes to ask you for a recommendation, you will know more than just their grade in your class; you will know that they are a nationally-ranked athlete and an established musician, in addition to maintaining top grades. You will not know this from their resume alone, but because you saw them compete or perform in concert. Once students see that you are interested in them as individuals they will be less likely to skip class or sleep through it (with the exception of days when problem sets are due.) Students will be less intimated and therefore more likely to attend your office hours. Your office hours will be better used on students, rather than wasted while you wait for no one to show up.
I realize that this cannot be a one way street. Students must be willing to meet faculty halfway to have this vision become a reality. Some groups have taken steps to facilitate the faculty/student interaction. Student Class Councils hold mixer events and certain living groups hold dinners and invite faculty members to attend. The UA and the Office of the Dean for Student Life created a series of "Stochastic Student Dinners" to have faculty, administrators, staff, and students gather in one place to talk about issues at MIT over a good meal. The Faculty Committee on Student Life Affairs is also looking at ways to encourage good relations between faculty and students. I hope that each of you will think about getting involved with any of these groups or you might even try some simple steps on your own. You could eat lunch with a group of students at Lobdell or Walker once a week, become involved with a living group, go out to a dinner with some students, attend Fall Festival and Spring Weekend events, or invite your class to see an LSC movie with you.
I know this does require some time, which is a precious commodity at MIT. I don't ask that you give more than you are able. Both faculty and students are in a balancing act to make each aspect of their life fit, but this is important to our community and we need to take some action. We can accomplish a lot by taking one step at a time. Many small efforts compounded with each other will create a large effect. This is a needed change on our campus that will go a long way in both shaping students and enriching your own lives.
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