Goecke, Colby: Beloit List

With each new wave of students entering into college, there are steadily more and more differences between students and faculty.  The members of the faculty have often lived their lives with certain experiences or facts that have always been present and real to them. The students have their own experiences and items that, to them, have always been common place, and these items may or may not be in line with those of the older generations.

            

 In the current situation, the entering class of 2015 is known as the “Internet Class” due to the fact that they have grown up with the World Wide Web and other electronic media being ubiquitous in all of the phases of their lives.  The faculty charged with teaching these students, however, have not been exposed to these elements until relatively recently.  They are still grappling with the very concept of portable communication and information highways. Social networking is a staple in young student’s lives. Older generations have always used letters and the occasional phone call to communicate over long distances. Personal one-on-one interaction has always been almost a thing of the past for today’s students. This is even true in the classrooms, where professors are being replaced with TV screens and computers displaying someone in a far away place instructing many classes at once.

            

 People and events that are real and living to many older faculty members are just lines in a history book to their younger students. An appreciation for world changing elements such as the Civil Rights movement or key political issues is very often not felt by incoming freshman. These types of issues can prove very difficult for faculty members as they often will connect with a particular subject or issue and expect that their students understand when often the students have no idea of the feelings that are brought about by the issue. Often times, relatively new concepts are seen as simple facts of life by today’s students. For example: The world has always been trying to “go green”, the Internet has always been available, and no one is ever further than a text message away.

            

 These are not necessarily good things. The fact that so much has always been so readily available has led to an issue of a complete lack of appreciation for how good today’s students have it. Faculty members have lived without such sophisticated technology and therefore, know how to not only live without it, but also understand the value of it when used in the right manner.  This issue is not one-sided however, in many cases the older faculty members are still somewhat in the dark as to the capabilities of much of today’s technology and thus, are unable to use it to its full potential.

             

While the differences between these two groups are very apparent, there are things which are shared by both. A major example of this is the labor issues that have been faced by both generations. While the exact issues and circumstances are certainly very different, the struggle for equal and fair treatment for working individuals has been a common problem for years. While certainly viewed differently, the interaction between individuals is certainly highly prioritized by both groups. The older generation has done so with letters and face-to-face interaction while the younger generation prefers instant messaging and social networking. However, the fact remains that both seek to get closer to their peers and those with similar interests.