From Facebook to MySpace, cyber interaction has become an intrinsic part of the social landscape at Boston University. One relationship especially touched by the power of the net has been that of students and professors. But many say that although the mouse-click speed of communication yields many benefits, it is often too informal and impersonal to suffice.

Writing professor Tracy Strauss said most of her communication with students occurs over the internet.

“I’d say that I hear from most of my students on email first, after class second and [at] office hours third,” she said.

Strauss said she prefers office hours when it comes to communicating with students because it “allows me to offer an individualized attention that I believe is one of the most important ways the student and I can foster ongoing open and clear communication.”

Although Strauss said she is appreciative of the benefits of email, she said it lacks personality compared to meeting in person.

College of Arts and Sciences freshman Sascha Hoffman said he emails his professors once or twice a month.

“I prefer communicating with professors in person,” he said. “I prefer the human side of it.”

Journalism professor Christopher Daly said communication with his Harvard professors thirty years ago was much different than communication between students and professors today.

“I had almost no contact with the faculty,” he said. “I spoke only to their graduate student assistants. One professor even refused to assign undergrads to write term papers because he told us that no undergraduate could write anything that would be worth his time to read.”

Although email has increased communication between students and professors, many of them say they do not know if it is a good thing.

“Nowadays, at the other extreme, I hear from my students about an unending number of bouts with the flu, alarm clocks that fail to go off and grandparents who die, often the night before a big test,” Daly said. “I sometimes know more about my students than I really need to.”

Many professors said they are taking measures to ensure that students keep within the boundaries of the student-teacher relationship when communicating through email.

Mass communication professor Veronica Ellis said she makes it clear to her students that she will be mentally grading anything submitted to her in writing, including emails.

CAS junior Michael Conti Mica said he emails his professors once or twice a week about recommendations or general questions about class, but he said he is careful to be respectful when communicating this way. He said professors usually respond within a day or two.

Some professors say they are getting creative in teaching their students how to properly write emails addressed to a teacher.

But despite growing informalities in email, students and professors said the communication form is a blessing and not a curse when it comes to light matters. Many professors said they would simply like to see a little common courtesy in emails from their students.