Toward a Philosophy of Organized Student Activities

The increased scope and complexity of student personnel work in colleges and universities in recent years has emphasized the need for a more mature philosophy in the field. This book outlines such a philosophy, after tracing the growth of student activities in American institutions of higher education. The author develops a number of themes to illustrate the present lack of coherent doctrine in organized student activities, to analyze the problems involved, and to make proposals for their solution. He attacks some misconceptions of the proper function of student activities - he does not believe, for example, that the development of the "whole personality" is a proper concern of the discipline nor, on the other hand, that its function is purely custodial. He is concerned with defining the nature of the authority of the university in relation to the student, and he shows that much of the difficulty in maintaining control of students stems from social and economic changes, such as the decline of the hierarchical family, loose notions of individualism, and the view of education as a commodity. He makes clear his conviction that student activities, given the proper objectives and the means of realizing them, can contribute greatly to the educational process. Administrators and faculty members outside the field may gain insight into organized student activities through this book, and it will, of course, be of particular interest to workers in the field. This is volume 7 in the Minnesota Library on Student Personnel Work, of which E.G. Williamson is editor.