A new effort to increase communication on dorm life between students, house counselors and Cluster Deans began last week as students completed mandatory house counselor feedback forms. After reading through the feedback forms, Cluster Deans discussed the feedback with the house counselors individually. Paul Murphy, Dean of Students and Residential Life, said, “We decided to require the [feedback] forms because outwardly asking students about their perceptions of the dorm and how things are going made sense across the board, not just in dorms that are not doing well.” “The feedback will be shared with the Cluster Deans so that the deans know how things are going in the dorm from a student perspective,” continued Murphy. Christina Landolt, Instructor in Music and House Counselor in Smith House, said that some house counselors were uncomfortable with the term evaluations because they thought it implied something similar to the formal evaluations. “When it was clarified that the forms were solely for feedback purposes and not an evaluation, house counselors became a lot more comfortable with the idea,” said Landolt. Brian Faulk, Instructor in Chemistry and House Counselor in Bartlet Hall, said, “I felt comfortable giving the forms to my dorm because I think as teachers that is part of our job to welcome student feedback. I think that is the only way that we are going to get better.” House counselor feedback forms have always been availabel to fill out. It has only become mandatory to complete the feedback with this new policy.. “Last year’s forms were not as successful because they were done on the computer. More students completed them this year when they were printed and distributed at dorm meetings,” said Clyfe Beckwith, Dean of Flagstaff Cluster. Landolt said, “This years form was much more transparent. I remember feeling unsure of who was reading the feedback from last year because it was submitted online.” House counselors were able to add questions to the feedback form if they wished to address something specific to their dorm. According to Murphy, faculty members undergo formal evaluations once every three to five years. When teachers get evaluated, all areas of their job are analyzed. The dorm feedback forms are not part of this official evaluation. Murphy said that the administration has refrained from calling the feedback forms evaluation forms. “They are not evaluation forms, but I hope to call them ‘feedback forms.’ Students cannot evaluate their house counselors, but they can give feedbacks,” said Murphy. Shawn Fulford, Instructor in Mathematics and a member of the House Counselor Committee, said, “I like the feedback forms. They let you know what is happening and give you a good place to have a discussion. It is a great way to get an overview of how things are going.” “By reading the forms, house counselors realize what they are doing well and what they can do better,” continued Fulford. Murphy said the administration also discussed whether Winter Term was the right time of the year to fill out the forms. “House counselors were asked to provide the feedback forms in the middle of the year, so they could incorporate some of the suggestions from the students,” said Bekwith. Landolt said, “I found the house counselor feedback very useful because we received feedback in the middle of the year and could implement the suggestions immediately. When you receive feedback at the end of the year, you have to wait to apply the feedback until the following year when you are with a new group of students who feel differently.” Student reactions to the new mandatory feedback forms have also been positive. “I thought the forms addressed important questions. Because the forms were anonymous, I felt comfortable responding honestly,” said Zoe Chazen ‘14. David Crane ‘13 said, “The forms were crucial for getting important feedback to my house counselors, though I think many members in my dorm used the forms to request more munches.”
