I believe this would be as difficult to achieve at the Freshmen level
as "parent as friend" is with young children. Not that you can't have an
amicable and caring relationship in both cases, but I believe both groups
need the security that some-one whose been there and knows is going to
help them get all these scary things sorted out... and if this
person of experience feels confidence in them, they begin to feel confident
also...
Sorry I don't have time to be long-winded, but I hope others will jump
in here with comments because I think it is a relevant issue especially
because--in many cases--the instructor is not much older than his/her
students and becoming friends with them is more natural than being an
authority in some cases. What's best for the student academically and
emotionally is an important issue here, I think?
Darlene Sybert