On Student-Faculty Relationships

It might seem as if since COVID swept the world, everyone has suffered a significant decrease in social interactions. Classes were disrupted, social events retired, and lives paused. In this post-COVID world, people are trying to get back to normal, and with students hanging out after classes and going to student-run clubs it seems like things are better now. Whilst student-student interactions are faring pretty well (and obviously could always improve), I wanted to discuss some pertinent shortcomings regarding student-faculty relationships. I would like to clarify that although this is coming from a student perspective (my own), it isn’t only about students’ interactions but the faculty members as well; this is a two-way street and I often think the two could improve in their ways.

To start, I want to offer a few concrete pictures of good student-faculty relations through anecdotes of my own experience.

When I was in community college (Chandler-Gilbert Community College) I had a professor named Dr. Simon Oswitch who was incredibly passionate about philosophy. As an eager student in community college, I always had to know more, especially beyond the topics we were learning, so I would bug him after class asking questions about the readings or something I had learned outside of class. I noticed that seeing another person, specifically a student, passionate about philosophy would always delight him. By sharing his knowledge with me in these conversations, I was able to learn much more about philosophy and him, such as his expertise in the history of the continental tradition. We would often spend about an hour after class conversing about philosophy in the courtyard outside of the building and he would speak and listen intently to me (just a first/second year) as if I was worthy of being his equal, and gave me the respect and compassion that I would say was one of the main things that fostered my desire to become a professional philosopher. As a matter of fact, I warmly recall that one day our conversation was interrupted when a middle-aged faculty member stopped to tell us that we were the best example of a student-faculty relationship he had seen in his life and that he was excited to see that at the school.

Next, I would like to also mention Dr. Houston Smit at the University of Arizona. Much like my first career-inspiring professor, I would spend a decent amount of time after classes talking to Dr. Smit, gaining from his expertise and knowledge. Dr. Smit gave form to the unshaped matter of my mind and really helped me work on being able to study and write like a professional. Additionally, he helped me work on my interpretive skills for the history of philosophy. I would offer my interpretations or inquisitive questions about what exactly a philosopher was saying and how various parts of their philosophies (especially the very systematic Early Modern thinkers) interacted with each other which would be met with responses as if he knew the answer like the back of his hand, even further, he would often know the exact article title and scholar who I could read to gain the knowledge I needed. Entering many of his classes having already read the material, I took the opportunity to also read those suggested scholarly pieces which really helped me gain a professional and real understanding of the subjects. Having furnished such a great relation to this professor, I could see his kindness and friendly nature when I would often cross paths with him on campus and he would stop to converse. But this also comes out in his lectures where he commands and arrests attention with his vibrant lecturing style and caters to the interests of each student.

For my third example, let me offer a more laid-back one. Still, at the University of Arizona, our Undergraduate Director in Philosophy Dr. William Oberdick has furnished such student-faculty relations himself by starting a social gathering called “Phil Café” which he runs every morning! The highest praise of any faculty member must be given to him for going out of his way and taking it upon himself to build a more social and compassionate environment. Although not everyone is such an early bird, a handful of students make their way in the mornings to have coffee and donuts and talk to each other. And you’d be surprised by the people who want to get up early in the morning and talk about philosophy! These conversations can range from talking about work, weekend plans, movies, and trading cards to satirical critiques of Leibniz and the fundamental concepts of Hegel. In retrospect, I wish that such a social gathering had been offered much earlier in my education and, if more people were early birds, it would be a jewel in the life of the Philosophy department. I think other professors should consider running these types of casual meetings themselves.

Finally, I must mention (and give thanks to) all the professors who have come to our philosophy club. As students, my co-president Charlie Moll, and I, have tried to garner student-faculty relations by inviting many of our professors to come give talks at the club. Anyone who runs a university club on campus where this may be a fit should consider getting their professors to come and talk. This gets people talking to each other in a laxer environment where people can see each other’s individualities eye-to-eye, where it isn’t just professor and student, but person and person talking. And I’m sure many professors would like to talk about things they’ve been reading or publishing that never get to come up in classes.

As a student who has been able to see how much more the college experience can be, I want to point out explicitly what I think are some key takeaways about what a constructive relationship can be; these apply to students and teachers alike. And as a student in American Education, I can tell you, I have seen quite a lot of bad student-teacher relations which I want to offer some points about. However, here I will offer no anecdotes as that would be uncouth. But I will start with the issues:

What I would consider avoiding

1. If your student gets something wrong, don’t patronize them. I have seen this many times verbally and in feedback on papers. Nothing can be more discouraging as a student than that, especially if the professor might be wrong about it. Professors and students alike can have some humility.
2. Don’t tick points off of your students for their interpretations, so long as they have offered adequate defense for their interpretation.
3. Get off your phone in class and pay attention to your professor who is doing their job for you (which may be what keeps them working).
4. Don’t say needlessly bad things about your professors. As students, especially if we fail a class (and probably deserve to), we might feel a tendency to complain and leave bad reviews about our professors. At the least, keep it on RateMyProfessor, and try to be positive in student surveys because what you say can affect their jobs/lives.

The exemplary

1. Try to get people talking, no matter if it’s about intellectual topics or more casual ones like television. I think it’s almost always good when students and professors are talking and seeing each other as people with varying interests.
2. Ask your professors for help, and for professors, offer that help in accessible ways. If more professors would be willing to point students in the right direction and tell them about something they could study to learn, that would create much smarter people in society.
3. Try to make time for each other, and set aside time to go to your philosophy clubs whether you are a student or a professor. Students should offer up their own time to hear professors. Or it could simply be after class, or through extended office hours.
4. Try to learn from your students. They may study and have expertise in something beyond you and you could learn from them, empower them when they speak, and help them do so professionally (and with humility).
5. Support your professors in course surveys at the end of the semester. If your professor did something that stands out to you, write about it. If you perceive a professor to have had issues, such as disorganization, etc., be honest, but do not be overly harsh. Everyone is human.
6. Foster fun environments, and bring out some emotion in lectures. Promote class discussions, and implement activities so that everyone can show what they know (smaller group discussions, alternative methods of participation). And use that opportunity to listen and reply to them.
7. Lastly, always consider what you could do better and remember everyone is human. We make mistakes, we feel pain and pleasure. Treat each other like you believe this.

To conclude this piece, I really hope that readers take it to heart and try to learn and change from it. Even I could do better. And someone could tell me a lot I’ve missed here, I’m just spitballing, and there’s a lot of great professional work on this already. I could even stand to be proven wrong as what I think are good principles for student-faculty relations may be too subjective or context-dependent. But, at the end of the day, I hope that we can all live a bit better with the simple idea that we could always be better to and for each other.

Alec Scroggins

Alec Scroggins is an undergraduate student at the University of Arizona studying Philosophy. Alec is also the current president of the University’s Philosophy Club. Alec spends much of their free time studying philosophy and has an interest in Early Modern to 20th Century Continental thought.