Academic advising began last month and students have recently registered for the fall semester. As many students and faculty would testify, there are numerous problems with the way the academic advising and registration at the University are run.
We appreciate that the University faculty and staff help students plan for their next semester. At some larger universities, students are on their own in this process.
However, using faculty as academic advisers is not the best solution. Full-time faculty members already have enough on their plate without the addition of having to create a schedule of advisees at the end of each semester.
Instead, each major should have one staff member whose sole purpose is to advise students during the semester, but especially during the times of academic advising and registration.
If they plan to be effective, they should be well-versed in general education requirements and the requirements of the major for which they are advising. They should also help students choose career-oriented classes.
There is also an issue with the server that the MyLaVerne portal uses. When registration opened many students had issues with not being able to register immediately because the system could not handle the massive numbers of students logging on simultaneously.
Instead of being able to register for their classes many students received an error message that said that the server was too busy or could not be found. This barred students from registering for their choice classes.
If academic advising is going to be a successful program, the students also need to carry their own weight. When the time for academic advising comes around, students need to be prepared for it.
They should arrive with all of the necessary paperwork, including a desired schedule and their Web CAPP report. Responsibility should not fall on the adviser to choose the classes for the student; they are there after all to advise.
It would be beneficial to improve the academic advising program because it could increase the number of students graduating on time. If students are properly advised, they will take the necessary classes for graduation in a timely way. The University should consider changing the program, especially since enrollment is expected to increase exponentially next semester.