Our point THIS WEEK:
Both students and faculty should maintain professionalism and treat each other with kindness and respect when interacting with each other | 16-1-10
Butler University students attend this school to learn skills necessary to prepare for their chosen careers.
Yet, sometimes, students feel as if they are paying several thousands of dollars and spending countless hours of their time to be treated as children rather than adults
Professionalism and respect are the backbone of the modern workforce. We believe such virtues should be a part of the culture at Butler.
Faculty must treat students with the same level of respect that faculty members show their peers.
For example, a teacher would be displeased with a student who shows up to class or office hours late, yet some Collegian members say professors have done this to them.
Students may start to feel that there is a lack of respect for their time and needs. In turn, the student may become frustrated and lose interest in the class. Students may start skipping office hours or classes out of spite, and their grades could start to suffer.
We have concerns that some faculty members do not listen to students’ questions, suggestions, and complaints. Some professors choose not to respond or otherwise respond in a passive-aggressive manner.
We know teachers have hundreds of students that they are responsible for, but this is part of the job. Students expect faculty to provide guidance and steer them on the right track. We should be able to rely on our teachers.
While some teachers cover material in lectures or notes, not every student may understand it perfectly.
We come to office hours or tutoring because we want to understand the material. It is unfair to turn us away or refuse to answer our questions simply because the teacher covered it in class and may—correctly or incorrectly—assume that we just weren’t paying attention.
It is important that faculty members understand we are here to benefit from their expertise and experiences.
But that doesn’t mean students do not bear responsibility as well.
As students, we must respect the time and effort teachers put in to helping us achieve our goals. We should recognize that the professors want to be a part of our education and show them that we take their efforts seriously.
It goes without saying that students like to text, play games or scroll through Facebook while in class.
If we choose to slack off or mess around in class, then we are also choosing to ignore the lecture. We tell professors that what they teach is not as important as what we have to tweet to our friends.
We wouldn’t mess around or tweet during a meeting at work. We should treat our professors the same way.
Ultimately, faculty members should treat students as the adults we are and work to prepare us to leave college as more responsible and effective workers than when we stepped through the door our freshman year.
Teachers must treat every student equally and understand that a paltry few that choose to waste time does not mean every student will behave the same way. Faculty should teach and guide to work with tenacity.
Students must learn to treat others as they wish to be treated. If we want the respect of our faculty and administration, we should show them we deserve it.
Students should put their phones away during class. Whatever you have to say to your friends can wait the 50 minutes to an hour that professors dedicate to helping us grow and achieve our goals.
Professionalism works both ways. If students and faculty can apply a standard of respect for each other every day, Butler can grow to be a much more enjoyable and effective institution.
*Any questions or concerns regarding Staff Editorials should be directed to EIC Colin Likas at clikas@butler.edu
