These challenges must be addressed in order for college students to emerge into the new world of higher education. First, technological challenge all students, but especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds and returning students. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds may not have the experience with technological equipment that other students do and that the faculty members expect. This is especially true in the scientific, medical, and technological fields. Furthermore, returning students who may not have received technological training during their years of primary education may have difficulty using technology in the college environment. Helfgot (2005) notes that acknowledging diversity and providing an environment that cultivates such diversity is important for the member of the student affairs personnel. While people quickly think of diversity as having to do with race, ethnicity, religious background, etc., diversity in the college environment is also highly characterized by age and abilities, which Helfgot (2005) mentions. However, instead of simply allowing the university to be a place where diversity is cherished and grown, it is important that student affairs personnel help students who have difficulty adjusting to the technological components of campus life because of their different backgrounds by providing aid and training.
Other than technology, Helfgot (2005) fails to acknowledge the new challenge of affordability. Although he state that providing access should be one of...
This means that student affairs personnel should stretch themselves, catering not only to current students but also potential ones. It is the job of student affairs to help students as a whole learn to use what they came to believe in their classes about equality, democracy, and education to put together a group of students who can lobby for affordable education. Further, Helfgot's (2005) goals do not take into account the new relationship emerging between faculty and staff, which encourages these two ends of the spectrum to grow in the learning process together. Thus, it is up to the student affairs personnel to help define this relationship in order to attain Helfgot's goals of success for all students. Students need to know that they can go to their professors for extra academic help and that most professors are also greatly interested in how students are able to integrate academic learning in their personal lives.
Thus, Helfgot's (2005) goals and values are certainly relevant, but there is much that is not included in his listing of values for the student affairs personnel. However, much of this is because of the broadness of his values, which push for student success and advocating for the student as a whole without really explaining how this can be done specifically in a contemporary college environment in order…
