Advisers

Student advisers play a key role in the daily lives of Exeter students. Exeter advisers have primary responsibility for working closely with each advisee to help him or her achieve a healthy balance and success in academic, physical and social development. Students, and parents, who have questions about academic, personal, or social matters should contact the student's adviser. 

Advisers provide adult perspective, direction, and feedback for each student on issues, problems or general questions that emerge. They are available and willing to listen, and to guide the student toward independence and a responsible sense of connection with peers and adults.  Advisers help Exeter students make the transition from adolescence to young adulthood.

The French root of the word viser means “to look forward with an aim.”  In so doing, the Exeter adviser plays many different roles including counselor, communicator, academic coach, disciplinarian, crisis manager, and mentor.  The adviser encourages the student to assume responsibility for receiving a full education but provides support and assistance when needed.  Advisers work in partnership with parents and other adults on campus who play an important role in an advisee’s life.

The adviser’s role has three key components:

• Awareness
• Interaction and Support
• Interaction with Parents and Other Adults

Awareness

• Academic – knowledge of overall academic progress and history (including thorough knowledge of course registration and changes, study habits, use of time, class attendance, and difficulties in class)
  
• Connections with Others – general awareness of social adjustment and friendships
  
• Self-Care – awareness of physical and emotional well-being and development toward independence, including consultation with Academy student health professionals when needed
  
• Community Involvement – observation of general attitude (including sensitivity to others and awareness of the larger community) and knowledge of extracurricular activities (including adviser’s attendance from time to time at games, plays, and concerts, and support for other activities)
  
• Respect for rules of the community – knowledge of students’ ability to live within the rules of the school and, as appropriate, recommendation of a disciplinary response

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Interaction and Support

• Regular Contact – periodic, scheduled meetings that may be in groups but sometimes should be one-on-one
  
• Informal Contact – catching up often, making contact when paths cross on campus, spending time with groups of students in the dormitory, and around campus
  
• Support/Assistance – being available, willing to listen, help problem-solve and make linkages to other resources as necessary
  
• Consistency/Stability – the need to be consistent yet flexible, and to develop stable ongoing relationships with advisees, who as adolescents need adults upon whom they can depend

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Interaction with Parents and Other Adults

• Other Close Adults on Campus – encouragement of relationships with other adults on campus and communication from time to time with others on campus who are close to/in frequent contact with the advisee (i.e., coach, club adviser, college counselor or other adult who interacts a great deal with the student)
  
• Parents – communication with parents on a regular basis about all of the above, by letter, telephone, and email; awareness of family issues including illness, financial concerns, divorce, and other circumstances

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