Thank you for posting this, Tom! This has been something I’ve struggled and challenged a bit as a student affairs professional. When I first arrived at my current job, it was common practice for advisors to create schedules for students as they passively sat at a desk waiting for the finished product. I can remember one evening where I spent almost an hour with a student who could only take classes Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday…after 5 PM (because he worked…an hour away). Every time I found a class that worked in his schedule, he would tell me one reason or another why that specific class did not work. That evening I walked into my colleague’s office who supervised that area and expressed that this system simply wasn’t working, and fortunately she agreed…and that night we started a new process that would teach students to search for their own schedules. It was a shock to continuing students, but semesters later it would drastically reduce the numbers of students who really did not need to come and could do all of the work at home, but did so because that was the culture.

I share that because I think that’s just one example of our practices that give the fish rather than teaching how to fish.  But I think we as student affairs professionals are guilty of enabling this behavior because, frankly, many of us like to be needed. I think of the club advisors who are attending meetings at 10 PM at night because that’s the only time “they” can meet. Really? How hard have you pushed back on that? And, is it absolutely necessary that you attend each meeting? if so, how are you teaching these students to be self-sufficient?  I’m sure there’s a litany of examples out there…and I challenge all of us to start thinking critically of how our own behaviors and beliefs might be enabling rather than empowering…