WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1950
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
ACAREMIC, VOCATIONAL, EMOTIONAL:
Far Eastern Languages Offered
'Referral'
(Continued from Page 6)
Counsel Service Aids Troubled Students
and the chief job of the counselors
is approving their elections.
PROF. ARTHUR Van Duren,
chairman of the academic counse-
lors, emphasized the importance of
the academic counselor's job. "The
vast majority of students know
what they want to do, but most of
them don't end up by doing it.
"The academic counselor has
to hit the balance of not discour-
aging the student, but at the
same time pointing out all the
avenues of study open to him."'
The academic counselors work in
close collaboration with other
counseling units on campus, for,
as Prof. Van Duren explained, "a
student's academic problems are
frequently related to other prob-
lems, and we can act as a referral
agency."
The office of the academic
counselors is located in Rm. 1210,
Angell Hall.
WHEN THE STUDENT has
completed his sophomore year, his
records are transferred to the of-
fice of concentration advisers, Rm.
1006 Angell Hall.
Like the academic counselors,
the major job of the concentra-
tion advisers is to help the stu-
dent see that the requirements
in his field of concentration are
filled. However, the advisers do
not tell the students what cours-
es to elect, Prof. Lionel Laing,
chairman of the concentration
advisers, emphasized.
"It is the responsibility of the
student to see that his elections
program takes in all the necessary
courses."
* * *
STUDENTS UNCERTAIN of the
field in which they would liketto
major can get advice and sugges-
tions from Prof. Laing. Upon
choosing a field of concentration,
they make appointments with the
advisers in that field.
The concentration advising sys-
tem is now operating under a new
arrangement initiated in, the fall
of 1949, whereby all the counselors
are located in one office, making
the services of each department
more easily available to the other
departments and to the students.
Supplementing the academic
counselors is the Bureau of Psy-
chological Services, in the old RO-
TC Building between the Union
and the Administration Building,
which aids students in the field of
vocational guidance and the eval-
uation of special psychological
problems.
The aim of the Bureau, accord-
ing to its director Prof. Edward S.
Bordin, is not so much to help the
student find "the answer" but to
contribute to his educational de-
velopment by giving him training
in handling his own decisions.
* * *
STUDENTS ALSO participate in
the work of counseling along aca-
demic lines. A program of student
experts, composed of concentrates
in the various fields of the literary
college, the business administra-
tion school, the education school
and the engineering college, is
held during the early part of ori-
entation week each semester.
The program, which empha-
sizes course and program con-
tent, interest and vocational ob-
jectives, helps take the burden
off the academic counselors, and
gives the students a chance to
get some "off the record" tips on
various courses and fields.
Student experts for the literary
college, business administration
school and education school will be
in session from 9 a.m. to noon and
from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 19 and 20 in
Rm. 25 Angell Hall. Engineering
college experts will meet at the
same time on Sept. 20 and 21 in
Rm. 348 West Engineering Build-
ing.
counseling plan, the mental hygi-
ene division of the Health Service
assists students in an entirely con-
fidential, friendly manner, to cor-
rect faulty social adjustments, to
acquire proper study habits, or to
For further information about
the mental hygiene division, see
the article describing the Health
Service, on Page 13.
overcome worries over personal
and family troubles when such
situations are interfering with nor-
mal success in their studies. It also
deals with nervous, reactions or
problems when they occur.
With referrals from all counsel-
ing units on campus as well as
from house directors, deans, phy-
sicians, and parents, the mental
hygiene division serves any stu-
dent in the University who desires
assistance. d
if
u * * n
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MICHIGAN HOUSE PLAN:
Dorms Are 'Home Away from Home'
or
IT'S A man-sized job to handle
the problems and complaints of
500 to 1,200 students who live in
a typical dorm, and that's the
task of the resident advisers and
staff men.
They have to discipline the
more rambunctious students to
maintain order, serve as aca-
demic counsellors, guide the
house student government to
some extent and aid the social
and educational programs. ,
In general, dorm dwellers ap-
preciate the active interest taken
in them by the residence hall ad-
ministrators.
* * *
BUT A SEGMENT of students,
mostly older men residents, seem
to resent the guidance supplied
by the staff, feeling that they are
being treated too immaturely.
And there is controversy over
the value of having house mo-
thers in men's halls, with one
group claiming that ,they in-
hibit them in general, another
countering that their sage ad-
vice and "women's touch" makes
them welcome in the dorms.
If the student isn't satisfied, he
has fraternities, sororities, League
houses or outside housing to go to.
And there is absolutely no in-
tention of the dorm system to
eventually or at any time to do
away with affiliated houses or
groups on campus, according to
dorm and University officials.
In fact, the dorms and affiliates
houses are encouraged to work
and participate in recreational
programs together.
* * *
ALL THE responsibility for good
living does not weigh on the ad-
visers. The Michigan Plan calls
for give and take by the students
living there, in order not to make
them transient hotels or mere bar-
racks.
Any man who comes to a
dorm is expected to live as in
any fraternal organization, was
the view of one resident direc-
tor.
He can give to the house through
its activities, such as athletics,
parties or newspapers, or simply
by becoming a well-liked member
of the group. This definitely adds
to house morale.
WHAT ABOUT "deadheads" -
the completely inactive students?
Staff men said "We give
them a period of grace, realiz-
ing that they may join the group
later. But if there are no rea-
sons why one can't become ac-
tive we feel that he isn't gain-
ing by living here, and is sim-
ply taking up the space of some-
one who would."
Students themselves felt this,
too. One third-year man said that
he felt more responsibility to-
wards a group as he lived there
longer.
INTER-HOUSE competition and
champions depend largely on spi-
rit, which is gained by everything
from house tradition to television.
"If a number of men partici-
pate in house activities, there
is a tendency for the others to
do so as well," one man said.
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And if the group has something
in common to begin with, such
as being predominately veteran or
graduate students, more spirit is
usually evidenced.
* * *
ULTIMATE AIM of the Michi-
gan House Plan? To please the
students by giving them better
living conditions and to take the
suggestions that they have to of-
fer.
Some of the suggestions voiced
most loudly were: Less crowding
in dorms - "back to normal;"
better food; and "more flexible"
interpretation of residence hall
regulations; all making, officials
felt, the Michigan House Plan
stronger.
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