These days, however, much of what used to be done in person during school hours can now be accomplished any time, any day, often anonymously. And that's the challenge. Janet Begin Richardson, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of student life, says it wasn't very long ago that she'd arrive at work to find a line of students waiting to talk to her. Today that line is more likely to form in her e-mail in box, where she says it's not unusual to find 35 messages some mornings. With e-mail's instant access, Richardson is contacted more often by more students because they can write to her as soon as an issue comes up.
Fewer students head for the lounges in residence halls to converse or relax.
Instead, more and more do their socializing online. It's easy to close your door and click on the computer. There's so much out there. But it's especially important for college students to leave their desks and books at times and have fun, and we really focus on encouraging them to learn about and take advantage of the wide variety of opportunities for social interaction available on this campus. Snoddy sees another side to the issue.