THE FRESHMAN AND HIS ADVISER

Primary among the Freshman acquaintances to be made today is that of the adviser who is ostensibly to serve as a guide and father confessor for his charge throughout the difficult first year. The advisor was placed in the Freshman limelight in an effort to aid the new comer to Harvard through the most troubles stage of his college career. Halcyon as the first hopes were for the success of the advisory system when it was first tried, recent years have proven that something is indeed lacking in this scheme of helping the bewildered. The adviser has not been the real aid that he should, be has not been looked to as a means to lead the harassed individual from the plight that he invariably finds himself in at the beginning of this utterly new side of educational life. Criticisms and vituperation were heaped upon the heads of the advisers for it was felt that it was they themselves who were responsible for the failure of a system which everyone felt should work. Changes were made in an effort to improve this method of guidance, but the changes, too, failed to alter materially the position into which the advisor was placed. He was there for the convenience of the Freshman and as such the Freshman never thought of seeing him.

Perhaps now it is wise to take up a somewhat new tack in this difficult problem of supervising the Freshman. In the past the blame has been put on the adviser because it was felt that the poor Freshman should take no responsibility in this matter and should be utterly dependent on some word from above. But now indeed it appears necessary to inform the Freshman what the true purpose of his adviser is and see if that will not aid in arriving at a better understanding between adviser and advise.

Perhaps in years gone by it has not been clearly understood just what the Freshman should do with his adviser. These older men are at the service of the freshman in order that they may guide the newcomer through the first year. But it is not they who are to take all the initiative. It is the Freshman himself who may be called one of the reasons for the lack of success of this way of supervision. He it is who must get in touch with his adviser and must come to him prepared to tell of his troubles. The adviser is a busy man and cannot take time to wait upon his charges. The Freshman does not realize that he should seek his guide when he is lost and cannot decide which road to take. In the past, few have seen this one fact, with the lamentable result that after the first day of college no one would see his adviser from one year's end to another. Now at the dawn of a new class and a new year, a new idea goes out to the Freshman, an idea that he himself will have to take the initiative in this system which is set up and designed to aid him in his struggles.