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[stlouis1]

In advising future students about postsecondary education, I often run across adults of all ages who don't always practice the best hygiene.  Yesterday, I had a man in my office who wants to go on to a technical program but it was hard to advise him because the stench was really bad.  I need advice on how to approach such a delicate subject without being offensive to anyone.  I want such students to understand that lack of hygiene can affect their ability to succeed in the classroom.  Also understand that I work in a very rural area of Appalachia and this seems to be a common problem among those who work in manual labor.  All advise will be greatly appreciated.

[prytania3]

Why don't you write and print out a little pamphlet about succeeding in academia?

[francie_]

I've seen this topic come up with regard to foreign students also.  You might want to do a search of the forum for past threads, and you might want to talk to somebody on campus who works with international students.

I second Prytania's idea about a pamphlet.

[stlouis1]

That's a very good idea.  Is there anything else that you would like to see included in such a pamphlet?  I have spent so much time around colleges that I assume some knowledge is just basic.  For example, I had students who missed classes because they didn't know that "R" on the class schedule stood for Thursday and no one, including me, had told them otherwise.

[phlebas2006]

I would never bring that up to a student. Never, no way in hell under any circumstances that I can fathom.  No matter how helpful it might be, no matter what difference I might make in that student's life, no matter how bad the problem, I just wouldn't do it.

And I fully accept whatever that makes me--cold, uncaring, cowardly, etc.

[anthroid]

I would.  I would find a nice way to do it, but I would and I would point out places on campus to get clean.  I also believe we should acknowledge that at least some of our students do not have consistent access to hot water, showers, and soap.  Hygiene issues can be correlated with poverty level, of course.  I suspect that stlouis1 and I have a very congruent population of students, and for some of these folks they simply do not have the money for running water.

[minor_t]

I have had this with several students, mostly new immigrants but some native born students as well.  In one instance, students in the class wouldn't sit near the guy, refused to work with him, and asked if he could take the exam on another day or in a different room because they couldn't concentrate near him.  When he was sent out to a required off-campus placement, the good people there sent him back and refused to consider him until he no longer smelled - and they said that they would stop taking our students entirely if they couldn't count on good hygiene.  In that case, we had no choice but to talk with him because it was affecting student learning and our program reputation and valuable community connections.  So we did.  It was extremely awkward, but it worked. 

There were several other incidents, all with men (not to say that women don't have this problem, just that our problems were all with men.)  It was never easy to tell them, but we did if necessary.  With one or two of the students, there was a gradual reversion back to smellage, so we had to speak with them periodically about expectations of American colleagues and employers. 

By the way, we tried the pamphlet, we tried the general lecture about hygiene.  It may have worked for some students, but sometimes the only thing that worked was to sit the guy down and tell him that he had to bathe and change his clothes and wear clean clothes, and why. 

A faculty colleague had the same problem, handled in this case by the department chair - and he also needed remedial hygiene lessons once or twice along the line.

So, here's my advice.  Sit him down in private and tell him directly and kindly about your expectations. 

mt   

[stlouis1]

Anthroid and MT, thank you for the advice.  And Anthroid is right, many of the future students I see live in extreme poverty.  The other factor is that hygiene was not consider as important in day-to-day survival for some of these future students. 

But exactly how do you start off such a conversation?  I have always been tolerant of some lack of hygiene but I have yet to face it to this extreme.   As for going to another colleague or faculty chair, I don't have that option.  I work in a Federal TRIO program and my main campus office is 150 miles away.  So basically, I work independent of immediate supervision.  I will have to tactfully handle this myself.

[tamiam]

I think that the chicken guy who wouldn't tell, probably doesn't have kids who have reached that stage.

You learn to get past your queasiness when you have to tell your 9 year old that he stinks but, hey, it's just part of life and this is what we do about it. Over and over again. And then you have to tell him "I don't care what coach said, I'm washing those pants or else you're walking to practice."

Now, if only one of the profs would have that conversation with the Taiwanese guy in my computer lab.

[stlouis1]

I failed to mention that I am seeing this more often since we just had a massive (for this area) factory lay-off and everyone will be eligible for educational re-training funds.

Tamiam, I wish I were dealing with kids, especially my own, in this situation instead of adults.  You're right it is easier with kids.

[the_crushinator]

"Now that we are done with our typical stuff, I wanted to bring up some other issues that I wished someone would have told me when I was a student.  First, to be successful (insert "in the US" for foreign students) you need to pay close attention how you present yourself.  Your first impression can make all the difference  in the attitude of a potential employee or adviser.  So here are some things I think you should focus on if you want to be successful.  Personal hygiene is a big deal.  You must show up clean, with a fresh set of cloths, and looking well groomed.  I have to say that although you do present yourself well on most occasions, you could make improvements.  For instance, on some days I tend to notice that you could use a bath.  If you don't have access to a shower you could use the (insert whatever facilities you know about here)."  You get the point.  I think placing the comments into a helpful context, rather than just saying, "you stink" will get the best results.

[prytania3]

"Now that we are done with our typical stuff, I wanted to bring up some other issues that I wished someone would have told me when I was a student.  First, to be successful (insert "in the US" for foreign students) you need to pay close attention how you present yourself.  Your first impression can make all the difference  in the attitude of a potential employee or adviser.  So here are some things I think you should focus on if you want to be successful.  Personal hygiene is a big deal.  You must show up clean, with a fresh set of cloths, and looking well groomed.  I have to say that although you do present yourself well on most occasions, you could make improvements.  For instance, on some days I tend to notice that you could use a bath.  If you don't have access to a shower you could use the (insert whatever facilities you know about here)."  You get the point.  I think placing the comments into a helpful context, rather than just saying, "you stink" will get the best results.

I like how Crushinator presents the situation; however, to soften it a tad, you could have a similar selection in your pamphlet, and then you could go over "important sections" in the pamplet. It might make the news authoritative yet less personal. A foreign student might be more open to suggestions than an Appalachian native (this I don't know, but I'm sure you do.)

I really don't think I'm coherent today.

[nerdasaurus]

Here is a typical e-mail I use for this problem.

"Dear Student,
[I preface all this with some positive input about academic performance.]
Other students have confided lately that they are finding your body odor strong and unpleasant. It is negatively affecting their attention and focus in class, and they are altering their seating choices because of it. There are a number of resources here on campus, including myself, your RA, counseling services, your advisor, and student health, who can help you with setting routines for showers and laundry. This is affecting the other class members, and because of the impact on the class community, you will need to take some steps to change the situation."

In the residence halls, some students feel so freaked out by the communal shower thing that they forego bathing. Others just don't see what the big deal is.

[prytania3]

Here is a typical e-mail I use for this problem.

"Dear Student,
[I preface all this with some positive input about academic performance.]
Other students have confided lately that they are finding your body odor strong and unpleasant. It is negatively affecting their attention and focus in class, and they are altering their seating choices because of it. There are a number of resources here on campus, including myself, your RA, counseling services, your advisor, and student health, who can help you with setting routines for showers and laundry. This is affecting the other class members, and because of the impact on the class community, you will need to take some steps to change the situation."

In the residence halls, some students feel so freaked out by the communal shower thing that they forego bathing. Others just don't see what the big deal is.

Sorry, Nerd. If I got the Crushinator's speech, I could live with it and change my life. If I got your email, I'd shoot myself.

[nerdasaurus]

Really? Why?