NEWS ARTICLE - The Dean of Students

Four months ago Professor Aubrey Hackett; long-standing co-Professor of Muggle Studies, announced she would be stepping down from her position to spend some time with her family. Her announcement prompted many goodbyes and good wishes from students and Professors alike, though she made no mention of leaving the site itself. However, it looks like this was more of a misunderstanding, as she announced two weeks ago that she was exchanging her teaching position for her new title as “Dean of Students”.

But what does that position actually entail? On April 8th, she posted a much more in-depth explanation of her new responsibilities, which range from counseling to catalogues.

Career Path Adviser

Professor Hackett will assist 1st through 3rd years in choosing a Career Path, using their favorite classes to guide her recommendation. This could be an extremely useful resource for students, particularly those finding that either all or none of the paths really appeal to them, or those feeling constricted by the recently added 15 class limit. This responsibility extends to students who are feeling unsuited to their current Career Path(s).

Resource Guidance

This responsibility is what it sounds like; involving the creation of a sort of “hub” where useful links and locations are provided for students who are having trouble finding what they need around the site. This includes internal links, such as for textbooks and other class-related resources, and external links.

Counselor

Drama has always been an unavoidable aspect of the strong community on HiH and, as it cannot be fully prevented, it is an excellent idea to have people on hand to help sort out issues and conflict. This has previously been done by Head of Houses, professors, liaisons, and often just observing students. Professor Hackett is providing another outlet for mediation of any tension or disruptions between students, and said that her owl is always open for students facing difficulty with one of their peers.

Office Hours An enjoyable pastime that many professors enjoy, Professor Hackett announced that with her appointment as Dean of Students she will also be regularly holding office hours, consisting of both scheduled voice chats and open hours. The details have not yet been worked out, but the schedule and open hours will eventually be posted on her profile. This is an opportunity for students to do everything from ask specific questions about courses of the running of HiH to just spending a bit of time getting to know their professor better.

Peer Counseling Team

An aspect only touched upon, this addition appears to be similar to the responsibilities of House Liaisons, presumably an opportunity for students to act as mediators for their peers. Professor Hackett mentioned that this opportunity will be explained in more detail in the future, at which time an application will also be available for those eager to give mediation a try.

Addition: On April 16th, Professor Hackett released a topic on the student lounge detailing more about what being a peer counselor would entail, as well as releasing an application for interested students. The topic can be found here: http://s15.zetaboards.com/HiH_Student_Lounge/topic/8387916/1/

Tutoring Team

Tutoring programs have always been off and on at HiH, and a valuable resource for certain students, while others don’t find it as helpful. It appears that the opportunity to become a tutor will be first offered to current PAs, based on their previous expertise in a course, and there hasn't yet been notice of how one can apply to be tutored.

Official Club Catalogue

The last of what she has expressed to be the first of many opportunities is a complete club catalogue, detailing both staff and student-led clubs. Previously, Ravenclaw Sid Harris had created a similar, unofficial catalogue, which may be used in the construction of the official version.

Overall, this new position seems like it'll be excellent addition to the resources and help available to students new and old, though some might apply more to the former than the latter. For anyone looking to owl Professor Hackett or read her own posts about her new position, you can find her profile here: http://www.hogwartsishere.com/profhackett/