In the journal entry “Who’s in Charge here? Authority, Authoritativeness, and the Undergraduate Researcher”, Meszaros describes different factors involving Authority between teachers, librarians, and their students. One factor she speaks of is what a majority of students think of their faculty members within their school. Meszaros said, “Administrative Authority is what undergraduates typically ascribe to faculty as. When students “listen”, they do so largely because they believe they must in order to receive a satisfactory grade” (pg.6, para.4). This description of Authority between a student and their teacher/elders within the school system is similar to a parent and their toddler. Small children have this concept in their mind that when mommy and daddy say no they make sure not to do it in front of them so that they can be rewarded in a good way for listening. But, when mommy and daddy are around they fall back into their same bad habit of doing what their parents said not to do. Although, it is not completely the same, I do believe we all have bad habits and just like we don’t want to work but we have to survive.
It is the same thing when it comes to students having to study and do what they have been told by teachers to receive a (reward) good grade. Not because they want to but they have to in order to pass and excel to the next level in life. Meszaros also mentions this in her journal entry, “Their adherence to faculty instructions is not necessarily based on a recognition of their professor’s “cognitive authority,” defined by Wilson (1991, p. 259), as an authority based on expertise” (pg. 6, para.4). Students only adhere to their teachers directions not because they care of their background and skillfulness or who they are in general but, because at the end of the day they are just trying to pass. This also ties into how many students do not go to librarians for help. Even though they are experts at what they do and may have information on certain topics that may be of great use to an individual. Students tend to go to their peers or other faculty members instead, who may not be as knowledgeable when it comes to finding multiple sources as librarians can. Overall, when it comes to he aspect of “questioning authority” and “who’s in charge?”, I believe it is not the faculty or librarians who have the authority 100%. The students are partially or some may say equally in charge and in control of their own lives and it is up to them to listen in order to excel in whatever they do.
