Minutes of the Committee on Advising
for April 6, 2009

 

Minutes from 3/2/09 approved with slight corrections:  discrepancies (sp), Prospective (sp) Students, request for e-files (not Advisor Trak) to be forwarded. 

Agenda items:

Invited Guests – Rhonda Kimmel & Lori McCullough Curi from Registrar’s Office. 

Discussion about IT issues that pertain to Registrar regarding advising. 

• A ‘needed to graduate’ summary on DARS is not practical because the computer will not be able to discern between all the concentrations.

• Many of relevant projects (60 credit hold, pre-requisite project) have been put on hold due to time/personnel/ money constraints (new catalog to be updated, loss of staff).  Estimate that these will begin again next spring, and move faster.

• Challenges of pre-requisites (a priority) include:  many pre-requisites (as worded) are not programmable; departments need to understand restrictions of pre-requisites and be willing to abide with them; departments must decide whether to register students if pre-requisites are “in progress” or to wait for grades.   UWP is only UW system using a “wait list”.

• Challenges of implementing and automatic 60 credit hold include question of grandfathering current students and how to handle transfer students. (This is also a priority).

• A possible shift from DARS to PeopleSoft may be in the works, but that decision/implementation is “years away.”

• Delegated IT staff support in the Registrar’s Office would be helpful, but part-time, piece meal support often takes time away from office staff to oversee IT issues.

• Waivers are time consuming and need to be entered individually by hand.

• DARS is NOT a ‘contract’.  Consider it as a ‘working document.’

• Question: “Is the Degree Audit Letter a binding contract?” Reply “No.”

• Discussion about getting the Degree Audit Letter (DAL) to the advisees.  Too time consuming to get to each individual advisor.  Step 1 will be to get it to each department in spreadsheet format (new policy).  Step 2 should be each department relaying DAL to advisors.

• A “checklist” for advisors was suggested to clarify which questions go to the Registrar’s Office and which should go to the Advising Center.   Rhonda: When in doubt, phone the Registrar’s, preferably with the student present.

The committee seems to be in agreement to lobby for delegated IT staff (part time, at the least) for Registrar’s Office needs.

Old Business (tabled till next meeting)

• Charge:  Review advising across the campus – faculty, departmental, and advising center to create an advising syllabus, a definition on advising, some training – consistency in advising across campus. 

• Advising of International Students (transferring in and otherwise)

• Review Advising Staffing Needs.

• Manual for Advisement?

• Advising Award Follow-up. Deadline April 10

• Clarification of actions to be taken to Faculty Senate? Administration?

*Next (and final) meeting:  Monday, May 4 – CART 233.

Minutes submitted by Jamie Cheatham