Dye, Senate discuss dean search structure

Group also discusses student retention study

The status of faculty advising, the search for a new Dean of Student Life and Services, student retention and lunch dates were all issues Student Senate and President of the College Nancy Dye talked about during Senate's meeting Saturday.

Dye took questions from senators and outlined her plans for searching for a new dean and handling a broad range of issues related to retention at Oberlin.

Dean Search

Discussing with the committee the replacement of former Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk, Dye said, "I hope to start by the beginning of second semester." Dye also said that a search consultant might be hired to help the committee.

Dye also said that she was not going to be chairing the search committee.

In a previous meeting, Senator senior Chapin Benninghoff expressed concern that, "They [the administration] want to keep it in house for as long as possible, until they winnow it down to two or three people who are essentially the same."

Dye responded to the concern, saying, "If you get too many more than four or five, you get problems - a semi-finalist atmosphere."

Retention

Last spring's study of Oberlin College's retention of African-American students was the starting point for a discussion of student retention in general. Dye said, "This one is, I think, a very well done study. I think this is a very worthwhile report to read about the quality of life of an Oberlin student."

Dye noted that the study said students connected to the college and made friends with people mainly through student associations, such as clubs or athletics. "My hypothesis is that this is one of the unique qualities of Oberlin," Dye said. She said that at most colleges connections and friends have been made by associating with other students in dorms and dining halls.

"The question is," Dye asked, "how do we encourage and empower students to connect with student associations early in their lives at Oberlin?"

Dye said, "I would like a broad study of student retention of all students." She estimated this study would take about a year-and-a-half to complete and said Assistant to the President Diana Roose would coordinate it.

Dye also told Senate that her office would sponsor a winter term project for students to begin researching these questions. The findings of the previous retention study in regards to financial counseling was a key component in the President's interpretation.

"What is statistically significant is not your level of financial aid but whether or not you felt there was somebody in the institution who would work on it with you. I think over the last years the College has worked pretty hard to improve the financial aid situation and to be more friendly and empathetic with students who have difficulties," Dye said.

First-year dean and advising

Dye said, "What this college needs is a dean of first-year students. Oberlin has a big separation between student academic life and student residential and social life."

The new position would have, "a much more holistic responsibility towards first-years. There are so many issues that a first-year runs into with the institution," said Dye, who cited problems with pre-major advisors as one potential problem facing first-year students.

Senator sophomore Sarah Stein Greenberg said, "I think you have touched upon something really vital: advising."

"Academic advising now is more reactive than proactive," said Senator sophomore Amy Marquardt.

"To be honest, I don't think we're worse than other places. But academic advising needs to be looked at, reformed," said Dye.

Senator senior Dan Persky said, "Freshmen advisors should be encouraged to be more than just academic advisors." Persky cited the relationship between Conservatory students and their principal instructors as a model.

Dye agreed. "It is very easy for faculty to see students as disembodied intellects. More relationships between people who do serious pre-major advising and student life would be beneficial."

Senator junior Laura Iverson said, "Only some advisors should be first-year advisors."

"We need some sort of system that looks at how good people are with first-years," said Senator junior Meagan Willits. She noted that faculty are already somewhat self-selective in choosing what students to advise.

Dye took a poll of the Senators, asking them, "How many people feel they have a close relationship with a professor?", nearly every senator rose their hand. When Dye asked "How many people feel they wandered around without that their first-year?", only three senators rose their hand.

"I never meet my advisor; she was in Brazil," Benninghoff said of his first-year experience.

Strengthening the roles of first-year/pre-major advisors was not seen to be a universally good thing. "My major concern is that once you find a non-student here who really understands you, you don't want to leave them," said Marquardt.

The senate didn't feel advising was just a problem for first-year students, Senator senior Joshua Kaye suggested an improvement in the availability of career services, especially for seniors.

Dye brought out the possibility of a course required for all first-years. "Suppose there was a program for all first-years to support diversity in the community ... it would be seen as very much a part of Oberlin." Dye cautioned that for now, this was only an idea, not a formal proposal.

The possibility of being so supportive as to be controlling student life was raised. Dye said, "This I think is the great trick of college life. How do you let people be free to lead their own lives and at the same time have support for students?" Dye noted that in the past Oberlin College was much more restrictive and involved in student residential and social life.

Also discussed was deepening the relationship between the President and the Senate. Dye said, "I want an ongoing relationship."

A monthly lunch date was suggested, "Every week, I have a standing one-hour telephone appointment with the Board [of Trustees] chair, whether or not there is a crisis... I think that is the model for what we should have," said Dye.

Speaking specifically on the search for a new Dean, Dye said, "I would really appreciate a consultative relationship ... I hope in practice we would have a collaborative relationship."

(TOP) Meeting of minds: President Nancy Dye met with Student Senate at its Sunday meeting. Among other things, they discussed the new Dean of Student Life and Services search. (photo by Zach Fried)

(BOTTOM) Listening in: Senator first-year Nnenna Onumah listens at this week's Senate meeting. (photo by Heidi Johansen)