It’s time to get rid of the “student” leader

Universities need to take the responsibility of feeding and housing freshmen in residences more seriously.   They need to provide serious, meaningful and daily guidance to young people, the majority of whom have not spent more than a week away from home in their lives.
 
Universities need to start with the floor advisor or don.

I was a don in residence at the University of Toronto for two years.  I was twenty three years old when I assumed the responsibility for a house of 35 freshmen.  My attitude towards the job was a reflection of who I was when I was twenty three.
 
I had two goals:  I wanted to limit the damage that first year students can wreak on a dorm and I wanted to have a good time.   At the time, I considered myself a good student/mentor. The truth is I was an utter failure.
 
I can look back now with the insight of age and experience   and see what was really going on in my house.

One student was brutalized by his house mates as he struggled with his sexual identity; one went into a deep depression over the death of his brother.  One student was committing fraud on a large scale by embezzling money from his housemates.  More than once my freshmen were suffering from alcohol poisoning and a large percentage of them failed first year.  I am sure that there was date rape in my dorm.
 
I failed as a don because I was completely unqualified for the job.  I had no training and certainly had no insight into these very complex and difficult issues that are the norm in large, human institutions.  Perhaps today’s student leader/mentor is better prepared and trained than I was but recent news items indicate otherwise.

Study after study show that undergraduate experiences in their first year are deteriorating.  “Helicopter parents”, the name given by universities to parents who hover over their children while they are away from home, are an issue.  Students are feeling more isolated and we ignore suicide rates and accidental deaths caused by drinking and drugs at our peril.  Maybe these annoying, hovering parents know something.
 
It is time to take the role of house leader or don very seriously. Let’s get rid of students in these roles.  Employ experienced, trained and professional leaders.  Retired counsellors, teachers, clergy, and professionals of all stripes would fit the role.  Place a person in the job who the student knows has the experience, the training and the wisdom to help them when they feel isolated and vulnerable; someone who looks and sounds a lot like Mom or Dad.

Dan de Souza is a Secondary English teacher and creator of www.readingahead.com, Canada’s first and best web based literacy resource.

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17 Comment(s) 

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nifemij wrote:	I totally agree Posted on Jul 24, 2012 at 12:27
Artsmajor wrote:	I absolutley agree that having experienced dons is a must! My dons are experienced people who know just the thing for well anything! Posted on Jan 26, 2012 at 09:12
Haala93 wrote:	Personally, I see where you're coming from. Maybe a good Idea would be to have a previous Don like yourself or a professional train these new dons. We all learn things either through our experiences (like yourself) or through professional guidance. Posted on Oct 28, 2011 at 09:33
CherrySpritz wrote:	(2) seek aid from experienced youth workers and fellow university staff. I offer my condolences for the events you've faced, but perhaps having a don as a link between knowledgeable experts and house mates would be a solution to this problem :) Posted on Oct 27, 2011 at 08:56
CherrySpritz wrote:	Or, you can have dons become the liaisons between house mates and youth professionals. In this manner, you can still have the don communicate and lead house mates in different manners, but if the situation become drastic, they would be able to (cont) Posted on Oct 27, 2011 at 08:53

 

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