Council Poll Reveals Shortcomings In System of Freshman Advisers

Members of the class of '58 have indicated definite areas for improvement in the freshman advisory system, in a Student Council survey of problems of the freshman year. The results of a questionnaire, in which 127 students selected at random participated, showed a significant discrepancy between the practiced frequency, duration, and purpose of advisory meetings, and what the freshmen desired.

Those polled also expressed a wish for advisers of higher University status than many of those now employed.

A listing of the number of times freshmen had actually conferred with their advisers showed that the median Yardling between September and March had about four meetings. The median figure for an ideal number of meetings, however, showed a 50 percent increase to six.

Similarly, a mean of the estimated actual length of the meetings was 19 minutes, whereas the mean of the duration the freshmen desired was slightly less than 25 minutes.

Desire to Discuss Career, Houses

The greatest discrepancy occurred in the purpose of the advisory conferences. In practice, the meetings were confined chiefly to singing of study cards and discussion of academic problems and questions. The results of the questionnaire, however, indicated a strong preference for discussing the student's choice of career and House.

Many respondents also preferred a professor or associate professor as adviser, rather than the more usual administrators, teaching fellows, or instructors. Yet they also indicated, 82 to 39, that it was "a good idea for advisers to be (Yard) proctors, if possible."

Nevertheless, despite shortcomings in the system, a vast majority--93 to 33--thought that "in their case, their adviser had done a good job."

In another section of the poll, which pertained to House selection, those questioned showed that their most cogent reasons for applying to a particular House were friends going to the House, the House reputation, and the House tutorial staff. In response to whether or not freshmen in groups of up to eight ought to be distributed at random among the Houses, the response was 24 yes to 91 no.