Among the plethora of student groups that were recruiting this fall was one with a radical idea: Professors should be more involved in student life. The new group is called Salon, and it searches to bring professors into the everyday life of students by way of informal, salon-style discussions.
The group is the brainchild of Ben Magarik ’06 and Namrata Kotwani ’06, who feel that student-professor interaction is an integral part of college life.
Kotwani had the idea for Salon after talking to her friends about their favorite professors. She knew that her CSS-economics double major would not allow her to take classes in all of the disciplines that her friends were involved with, but she felt that she “should not miss opportunities to interact ” with the professors.
Magarik said he also noticed “a lack of communication between different students from various departments,” and feels that Salon will help to give students a common ground.
Salon differs from other lecture series in that the conversations will be informal. The discussions are scheduled to begin in early October and will take place in residence halls and student houses.
“[This atmosphere] will give professors a sense of what life in the residence halls is like,” said Magarik.
Kotwani and Magarik said they hope that the opportunity will allow students to gain more respect for their professors.
“[We hope] they recognize certain professors for their commitment, brilliance, and passion,” said Kotwani.
Dean of Student Services Mike Whaley said he agrees that closer student-faculty interaction will successfully build on the already existing relationships.
“I believe that students genuinely admire and respect faculty and want to learn more about faculty members’ scholarship, experiences, perspectives, and interests,” said Whaley.
Student reactions to Salon are varied. Most students have not yet heard of the group. While some students know that they would take the time to go to a lecture or discussion, there are many who are too busy or simply not interested.
“[I would go] if the topic was something I was really passionate about,” said Claire Greenwood ’09. “It sounds interesting, but on the other hand I might be too busy and flake out.”
Like Kotwani, many students would like to pursue academic fields outside of their courses of study. Many students lamented that they can take so few classes per year, stressing that time constraints, above all, keep them from taking all of the classes that interest them.
“You can’t take a class in everything,” said Valerie Walunis ’09. “[A discussion like this] gets you acquainted with subjects you wouldn’t otherwise be involved with.”
Not only are there not enough hours in the day to take every interesting class, but classes taught by renowned professors fill up quickly. This series of discussions would allow more contact with “professors who are in high demand,” Magarik said.
Popular lecture topics make for popular lectures. If Salon does succeed in getting the most sought-after professors on campus to speak to small audiences, it has the potential to be a huge success.
“[Whether I would go or not] would depend on what topic it was,” said David Edwards ’08.
Some students are skeptical that these discussions would be well attended. There is doubt as to whether these small conversations would be any more popular than the more formal ones that are already offered.
“I think it is highly doubtful that many students would show up if they didn’t have to, unless free food were offered,” Edwards said.
While many students would not take advantage of these discussions, there is still a definite interest. The comfortable setting, perhaps paired with free food, would be enticement enough for many students.
“I would definitely go,” Walunis said.
Leave a Reply