University of Virginia Library

I would like to commend and
personally thank you for the
editorial of the College's guidance
system. The editorial is highly
relevant at this time and I hope The
Cavalier Daily will actively pursue
the ideas therein. Guidance in the
College (in the first years particularly)
is almost nonexistent and is
in definite need of being reformed.
If The Cavalier Daily will take up
this cause and can effect some
constructive changes it will be
doing the University a great service.

Personally, I have seen my dean
a number of times. Once he has
taken the time beforehand to find
out who I was, but he has never
given me any worthwhile guidance.
He has in fact done the opposite.
Due to his lack of interest and/or
not informing himself of the
particulars of my case, he recommended
that I should follow a
certain direction. This, as it turned
out later, was not in my best
interests (which I found out accidentally)
and which he should have
seen immediately if he had looked
at my record. Presumably, since he
is the Dean of the College, he
should be a highly competent
advisor, who should be best able to
show the uninformed student what
his best interests are. Instead of
that, the student has no choice but
to attempt to determine (without
help) how his education is to
proceed. Some students are able to
do this, but the majority just aren't
aware.

The time has come to initiate a
good, working guidance system. If
the deans don't have the time to
give each case the personal attention
it deserves, then the University
should hire people to take over
those duties.