Stephen Levine replies

In reply to a letter in Salient (August 28). I would like to observe that generally I have had a reputation for being rather accessible to, and available to, students rather than being remote from them. The person in question is not now nor has he ever been enrolled in any course of mine. I have had a number of conversations with him, at some length, in person and on the telephone, on matters of mutual interest not connected with his present studies, and I undertook to do a number of things on his behalf in connection with his programme for next year. I do not believe, in this connection, that he has suffered from inattention on my part, although none of these matters were of great-urgency.

More generally, unlike many members of staff my teaching hours are posted on my door, and I am normally available for (at a minimum) one hour before and one hour after each of my classes. These hours are usually more than adequate for meetings with students. Students enrolled in my classes generally do feel free to contact me at these times, or to make appointments with me if these hours are inconvenient; and students with rather more pressing claims than the complainant have rung me up, in the evenings and on weekends, with my explicit permission and normally have found me willing to provide them with assistance.

Whether members of staff should be bound to their offices during the entire working week, on the off-chance that a student may drop in to see them, may be a matter of debate. My own experience has been that staff should endeavour to create an atmosphere in which students do feel comfortable to arrange out-of-class hours meetings, both within specified hours and by appointment. For the remainder, the office may not always be the most appropriate place for preparation of lectures and the conduct of research. As a consequence, staff should (and do) maintain freedom to attend meetings, go to the library, engage in research, participate in the community, and so on, necessary to a vigorous discharge of their duties.