By RAEGAN NEUFELD
Tiger Media Network
Whether they deal with a professional academic advisor or someone in their department, students at Fort Hays State University have different experiences with academic advising.
The topic was discussed at length during the Student Government Association meeting Thursday night. The conversation was started by Sen. Logan Erichsen, who asked about responses to a question about academic advising, in hopes they could be compiled and shared at a later meeting. The question was given to senators Monday to answer during their weekly office hours.
“I’ve personally had such a negative experience with (academic advising), but then I know a girl who loves her advisor,” Erichsen said. “So I was wondering if it was across the board negative or across the board positive.”
The main issue discussed during the conversation is the difference between professional academic advisors and professors who act as academic advisors. For Erichsen specifically, his advisor did not know of changes being made to some classes in Erichsen’s area of study, something a department faculty member would be aware of.
“It’s not his fault,” Erichsen said. “He just doesn’t have the information, so there’s a disconnect.”
Other senators shared the same sentiment and also acknowledged academic advisors in departments are not perfect either.
“I don’t think that they’re trying not to do their job,” Sen. Alicia Feyerherm said. “They really are acting in good faith.”
Carol Solko-Olliff, one of the SGA advisors, informed the students that they should have an academic mentor within their department, who might be “a better resource” for them. While she was unsure if they could place or remove holds on a student’s Workday account, she did know department chairs have that ability.
“This is good feedback for you to gather to pass on to (the Academic Advising and Career Exploration Center director) Patty Griffin,” Solko-Olliff said. “They do regular training and follow up with the academic advisors.”
President Ella Burrows encouraged senators to report their frustrations to Griffin and report any other concerns to the appropriate entity.
“Nothing can get resolved if it doesn’t actually get reported,” she said. “I think everyone here is really passionate about resolving these problems. But if there’s no official report filed, it’s really difficult to actually address these concerns.”
In other news, Burrows discussed two topics brought up in previous meetings: a meeting with local police and food insecurity.
She and Vice President Emma Day worked with the Hays Police Department and the University Police Department this week to better advertise party registration. A link to party registration with HPD is in the works, but in the meantime, students can register parties over the phone or by going to the police station.
As mentioned at the SGA meeting on Sept. 21, if a party is registered and receives a noise complaint, the police department will issue a warning first instead of a ticket.
Burrows is working on informational handouts to better promote party registration to students.
She also reported other Kansas Board of Regents institutions are struggling with food insecurity as well. She discussed the issue with the other student body presidents from KBOR universities who make up the Students’ Advisory Council.
“Today I called Sen. (Jerry) Moran, Sen. (Roger) Marshall and Rep.(Tracey) Mann and I urged them to be advocating on our behalf for additional funding for that, and also helping us locate some federal grants and resources we can be applying for,” she said.”
The next SGA meeting will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Black and Gold Room. Location is subject to change.