Stephanie Mason/ Staff Writer
In an attempt to better meet the needs of students, the addition of advisers was sought out as remedy in both the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management as well as in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Starting fall of 2011, the SJMC hired Paige Johnson, originally as a bridge adviser for undergraduate students. Johnson has now moved more towards the position of an academic adviser for all students in the SJMC.
The CSHTM will also be opening two new positions for advisers. One of the positions is waiting to be filled and the other will open in April, at the end of the 2013 spring semester.
Both positions are called dual report, which means the hired advisers will report to both the CSHTM and the Office of Undergraduate Education.
“One of the things is that when we only had two advisers we didn’t have the luxury of having somebody at MMC, and even though it’s a smaller percentage of our students, there are students who are in our major who take their courses at MMC and they just didn’t have representation and so now we were able to, because of this additional position, have somebody there full time that not only works to advise them but works to engage to our students,” said Diann Newman, assistant dean for student services in the CSHTM.
Another change affecting advising university-wide, according to Amy Donaldson, academic adviser for the SJMC, is the assignment of students to a specific adviser within their school known as their e-adviser.
According to Johnson, freshmen and transfer students coming in fall and summer 2012 in the SJMC were assigned e-advisers once they started and all other continuing students were assigned their adviser Feb. 20.
Donaldson said the SJMC is in need of a new adviser.
“I think that’s a great idea, only because in high school that’s how it was for me and I got to build a relationship with the counselor and she knew what I was going through. She knew me, and she had my best interest in mind,” said Vanessa Rodriguez, senior in journalism.
Rodriguez said she has had a positive experience with advising in the SJMC towards the end however it could still use some improvements.
“I hope advising really improves because it’s a huge part of your college career and sometimes, because of lack of advisement or just bad advisement, a lot of people fall behind and they have a huge responsibility on their shoulders.”
Jose Gomez, junior in digital media studies, said he would like for advising to be more personal.
“It’s a little frustrating at times when you seek that role model within a career and you can’t find it within an adviser.”
Gomez also said he has seen three advisers in the SJMC so far and they have been great help.
“Strategically we want to make sure that students have greater access to information that can help them in making right decisions about the courses that they’re taking and their progression through their degree program so they can graduate on time,” said Mike Hampton, CSHTM dean on the addition of two new advisers.
Hampton said they prefer candidates who are hospitality or tourism oriented so that they can better assist students.
Fahad Khan, junior in hospitality management, said his experience with advising in the CSHTM has been “pretty good” overall. Khan does feel that an addition of advisers is necessary due to the large amount of traffic with students seeking advisement when a new semester begins.
Khan said he disagrees with the decision to assign each student to a specific adviser.
“[It] should be the students who pick the advisers,” said Khan.
Khan also feels that qualifications for the new advisers in the CSHTM should include having previous experience in the hospitality industry or from the University.
Another student in the CSHTM, graduate student Brent Howard, said his experience with advising has been really great at times and not helpful at others depending on the adviser.
On the assignment of e-advisers, Howard said, “I think it’s a lot better; it’s a lot more personalized experience.”
“I just think everyone really needs to be on the same page. Along with any business it’s the same, but especially because as students you know you’re really looking up to these people to help you with questions that you don’t know how to answer,” said Howard.
Donaldson said her role as an adviser can be very rewarding however, “It’s a 50/50 relationship; the student has to be just as proactive as we are…We have to meet them halfway, they have to meet us halfway; if not it’s not going to work.”