University viewbooks often entice prospective students with claims of accessible faculty and intellectual discussion not only in lecture, but outside the classroom as well. At Tufts, professor-student interactions can, and do, live up to those claims - but only when both parties are willing to put in the effort.
"It's very important for faculty to get to know students socially," economics professor Yannis Ioannides said. "While intellectual interaction is what the University is all about, social contact helps 'bridge the distance' and 'break the ice' between students and faculty."
French professor Eglal Henein finds that spending time with her students outside of class "adds a whole new dimension to the course [and] gives students the opportunity to speak French in a more natural setting."
"I want to know what students think and talk about," Ioannides said. "This helps in knowing how some students view things, and directly helps me become a better teacher in addition to a better adviser. It helps me phrase things better and pose things better."
Both Ioannides and Henein make efforts to reach out to students beyond the classroom. "It is a great enjoyment for my wife and myself to have students over to our house, and we do it when we can," Ioannides said. "We think of this as a luxury that comes with the job of being college professors."
Making time for that "luxury" is not always easy, though. Henein said it's hard to find days to meet that are convenient for everybody, especially if the professor doesn't live in the area. Plus, she said, "it's not at all easy to offer a meal to students who are used to the multiple choices offered at Carmichael or Dewick, [and] it's even more difficult when students expect (or hope for) something French and homemade!"
To aid professors in planning activities with students, Tufts' Spirit program provides professors with funds to invite students to dinner at their home or a restaurant.
"Since the creation of Spirit, it is much, much easier to invite students," Henein said. "We now get reimbursed for $6 per undergraduate student [with a maximum of $65 per invitation]."
In addition to the time and preparation necessary to host events, professors and students find that large class sizes can hinder close student-faculty relations. "I'd have to say that the size of the class usually, but not always, makes the difference in how close the student-faculty relationship is," senior Amy Spindel said. "I've had some courses where professors didn't bother to learn my name, and so I didn't feel that I could approach them, especially in the larger lectures."
If a professor is truly interested in getting to know his students, though, large class size is not a deterrent, Spindel said. "I've also taken some courses with fairly large numbers of people and still found the professor to be interested in my personal progress," she said. "In fact, these professors not only recognized me outside of the classroom, but also stopped to say hello and ask me how I was doing, even several semesters later."
Such bonds with faculty members can also be formed through student groups on campus, like the Economics Society, which hosts activities to promote interaction between students and professors. The society recently initiated an annual kickball game in which majors and minors of the department challenged their professors.
According to senior Jessica Tubman, chair of the society's Student-Faculty Relations Committee, the hope in planning this event was "that an outside the classroom setting will let students and faculty interact in a less stressful, more casual environment. Building a stronger relationship outside [through the kickball game] may help students feel more comfortable inside the classroom," she said.
Students can also spend time with faculty and learn from their professors after the class period ends via research opportunities and writing workshops. "The writing workshops serve as a way to not only work on your writing, but also as a way for a smaller group of students to have more interaction with their professors than they usually would in a larger class setting," Tubman said.
Academic interaction can also be accomplished through research. "[Because of] the experimental emphasis of the [psychology] department, many undergrad students are involved with the faculty in research projects, which is a great way to make close connections in the laboratory," Spindel said.
Senior Dan Keesing, who did research in the Department of Mathematics during his junior and senior years, has also found research to be a great communications tool for students and professors. "I've interacted with my research adviser and [his] colleagues on a very regular basis," Keesing said.
According to many students, there are many ways for those who are unsatisfied to improve student-faculty relations - they just have to try. "It's really up to the students to decide how much interaction they want to have with their professors," Keesing said.
Senior Fanis Exadaktylos, an international student from Greece, had a negative impression of American professors before attending the University. "Coming from another country, we always had this impression that professors are these impersonal creatures behind a podium giving a lecture," said Exadaktylos.
Once arriving on campus, however, Exadaktylos changed his mind. "Coming to Tufts, I discovered that professors are really open, friendly and above all, personal. I think it is an extremely important characteristic that should be preserved [here]."
"[The degree of interaction] really depends on the individuals involved," Tubman said. "Some faculty are very interactive and interested in student progress, others are more detached, [but] most of the time, if students make the effort, the faculty is receptive to it."
