By: Jesse Zhou ’16
Staff Writer

The student-teacher relationship is an invaluable part at Peddie. With a 6 to 1 student teacher ratio, Peddie emphasizes the need for individual attention for students. Such emphasis allows the two to become more than just a listener and a lecturer; rather, the people here make Peddie a hospitable and welcoming community.

However, day students are sometimes left out. What makes the student teacher relationship at Peddie so special is that many faculty members live on campus and in dormitories. But for day students, they are not able to form that bond as they go home every day. Because of this, the faculty is considering moving the Deans’ Office to the student’ center, which will offer more supervision and a better connection for the day students, especially freshmen.

Freshman year can be very exciting and confusing. Firstly, the freshmen are in period of maturation, which can cause much typical teenage angst. Many have also just arrived at boarding school – a new world where parents are no longer there to fulfill their everyday need. They are filled with a new sense of freedom and responsibility. Because of this, there should be someone close by to guide them through the adaption period. The students’ center would be a great place for Mooney to get settled, where he could keep an eye on all the new students while simultaneously being more easily accessible for all other students.

The students’ center is, in fact, the “center” of the campus. It is the hub for most of the social buzz at school, and therefore it would be much easier for everyone if the Deans’ Office was located there. New students often do not feel connected with the school. If the deans move their office to the students’ center, it would bring a sense of belonging and welcoming to the new students.

Many have proposed the idea that along with Mooney’s office, the entire deans’ office should be moved to the students’ , while the college counseling office should be relocated to Annenberg Hall. This option would be the most optimal. The students’ center is for students, and therefore should be student oriented, rather than academics oriented. The deans have a responsibility to keep the newer students, who are not familiar with the rules, in line. By doing this, the newer students then become better contributors to the community. Then, because of the moving of the deans, the college counseling office would be in Annenberg Hall, the center of academics of campus. This would allow Peddie to run much smoother. Since the senior lounge is located in the basement of Annenberg Hall, seniors would be able to come up from their lockers and then visit the college office whenever they need, rather than having to walk all the way back to the students’ center.

All in all, moving Mooney’s office to students’ center is largely beneficial. This parallelism would do much to benefit all students across the board, bringing change and a new sense of connection between student and teacher.