Arts & Sciences to Hire Additional Adviser

Officials within the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences said they plan to add one adviser in response to the record number of students expected to enroll for Fall 2009.

The college anticipates there may be approximately 300 additional A&S students this fall, making an additional adviser crucial, said Tara Stopfel Warden, assistant dean for advising in A&S.

There is currently a student-to-adviser ratio of 900-1, while the student-to-faculty ratio is 11-1.

“We’re concerned about the low number of advisers that we have to guide our students and this is still my top concern and priority,” Warden said. “We are actively identifying options to help reduce the advisor-to-student ratio. Our goal is for advisers to have about 300 students each.”

Some suggest the addition of just one adviser will not makea difference.

“If they’re looking to make a big impact, they should bring in more than one adviser,” said Jessica Roberts, a second-year communication student. “There will be so many freshmen who need advising – not just having quick questions – and 10 to 15 minutes won’t be long enough for those who really need advising.”

Roberts also considers walk-in advising a hassle.

“Usually I just have quick questions,” she said. “There should be an online advising center for students who just have quick questions that don’t require a physical or in-depth meeting. That would save space as well, because online advisers could respond from anywhere.”

There are more concerns than just the ratios, as an increased advising staff would require more physical room as well.

“We have a challenge identifying appropriate spaces for the numbers of advisers that would be needed to support our students,” Warden said. “There aren’t many obvious solutions to the space issue just yet.”

Students who do request services might be confronted with the problem of waiting for their advisers’ schedules to open.

“I’ve had to schedule an appointment two weeks in advance,” Roberts said. “Unfortunately, the time I need advising is usually when others need it, too – right before registering for classes. In fact, my roommate was unable to register for classes she needed to take because she couldn’t meet with her adviser in time.”

Students in other colleges with smaller student-to-adviser ratios have different experiences.

“I’ve never experienced a problem contacting an adviser,” said Katelyn Cohen, a second-year secondary education student. “I can usually schedule an appointment on a Monday and have the meeting within two to three days. I think having to wait a week would be pushing it.”

The time allotted for each appointment is also a concern.

“Students tend to sit around in the hallway waiting 15 or 20 minutes for an appointment, only to have a five or 10 minute adviser meeting,” said Josh Burton, a second-year political science major.

With appointments scheduled back-to-back in 30-minute increments, many advisers spend their lunch time returning student messages and documenting notes in an attempt to better support their students, Warden said.

Students are also worried about the potential problems that the high ratio could have on the their academic situations.

“I think the shortage of advisers affects students tremendously,” Burton said. “The student-to-adviser staff ratio is definitely unacceptable.”