While our broader culture is gradually growing more informal, there is still great value in communicating with faculty in a respectful, traditional manner. Everyone has been there, staring at an unsent email for an unhealthy amount of time wondering just how you’re supposed to address your professor when asking about last night’s assignment.

There are worries about being embarrassingly too formal, while also afraid of acting a bit too casual. As students are constantly reminded college is not high school and vice versa. Professors are not going to put students in timeout if they act out in class, and they are not going to bake cookies for the entire class when on a birthday.

According to The New York Times, sociologists who surveyed syllabuses from 2004 and 2010 found that in 2004 only 14 percent of syllabuses addressed classroom etiquette. Six years later that number more than double what it was at a whopping 33 percent.

In today’s world, we are constantly challenging old norms and doing away with a lot of the traditional expectations of past generations. But, with the increase of professors who deem it necessary to remind their students of basic classroom etiquette, maybe it is time to think about those norms and be reminded that they were established for a reason.

While texting lingo has certainly become more familiarized with older generations it is important to remember why it is used in the first place. It saves us time and is a fun way to interact with peers. The way to text friends should not be the same manner in which we email a professor.

Imagine reading a book in only texting abbreviations and slang. It works the same way when writing professional emails. Another controversy on college campuses across the nation is the type of formality students should have with their professors and what kind of relationship they should establish.

More specifically, is it “old school” to only refer to your professors as “doctor” or simply, “professor”? This raises questions on the uncertainty for the level of professionalism versus the level of informality students should have with professors.

Establishing an informal relationship with a professor certainly makes them easier to approach when it comes to questions about assignments and papers. Calling a professor by their first name certainly makes the relationship seem more like peer to peer, rather than student to teacher which is ultimately less intimidating.

Though the issue that arises is what one professor considers appropriate, another professor finds disrespectful. Having a formal relationship with a professor is considered to be more professional than casual. Reference them as Mr./Mrs. or “doctor” establishes more of an educator and student relationship.

While an informal type of relationship with a professor may seem to be more modern, that does not necessarily have to mean that displaying and establishing a more professional relationship with a professor is outdated and something that eventually must die out.

Whether one prefers to call their professor by their first name or address them as doctor, respect is something that is never going to go out of style.

The times are changing, but that does not mean students suddenly have to start disrespecting years of education and knowledge simply because they deem it to be outdated or old-fashioned.

Professors are here to help students along the next step of their educational journey and assist them in their transition into the workforce someday. Make the most of their guidance.

Photo: Taylor Woods | The Oswegonian