UIHistories Project: A History of the University of Illinois by Kalev Leetaru
N A V I G A T I O N D I G I T A L L I B R A R Y
Bookmark and Share



Repository: UIHistories Project: Book - History of the University (Nevins) [PAGE 331]

Caption: Book - History of the University (Nevins)
This is a reduced-resolution page image for fast online browsing.


Jump to Page:
< Previous Page [Displaying Page 331 of 399] Next Page >
[VIEW ALL PAGE THUMBNAILS]




EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:



310

STUDENTS AND STUDENT LIFE

rare, and that those he sends away from the University often have a peculiar kindness for him; realizing that his punishment turned them in time from wrongdoing, they are constantly writing, or sending him the baby's picture. The efforts of influential parents to have sons given a second or third trial often exasperate. He tells of foreign students who did wrong and then confessed in sudden shame, not for themselves, but for their country. Finally, his memory has its due instances of youths who have won mercy by their manly facing of the consequences of an offense. The value of the hint which this office of the dean of men, originating at Illinois, has given to university administrators, may be gauged from the fact that in recent years its counterpart has been established in a dozen large institutions. Its main function is by no means the disciplinary one; having charge of student activities and general social life, class attendance, and the progress and interests of individual students, the dean is concerned with building up an attitude of undergraduate trust and friendliness, rather than one of fear. The office is much more that of a wise and kindly advisor than of a corrector. The dean tries with success to come into personal contact with every student who reaches the University, and to make felt his special interest in the latter's health, studies, and character. It is because of his activities that there is probably a greater harmony among the fraternities than among those of any other large institution; and it is largely due to them that there is far less drinking, less gambling, and less general dissoluteness about the University than about the average great place of higher education. One of the most encouraging aspects of student life