College overhauls student advising services

LaSalle College High '92 Norristown, Pa. College Dean Matthew Santirocco announced in February that College of Arts and Sciences academic advising services will change drastically next year. Changes include a sophomore advising option, an advisor/advisee interest match, the introduction of a four-tier advising system and an increase in efficient communication with incoming freshmen, Santirocco said. Under the new system, freshmen will have more advisors. Presently, incoming freshmen receive only two advisors -- peer and faculty -- but with a new four-tier system, each student will also receive a designated assistant dean for advising and an assistant dean for residence as secondary sources. The list of the four assigned advisors will be sent to all incoming freshmen and their parents during the summer. The College will now match freshmen with faculty advisors who share the same general interests, Santirocco said. And since not all faculty agree with the matching system, not everyone will have to take part in the program. "Sharing something in common will allow for improved human contact," Santirocco said. The Advising Office enclosed an interest questionnaire along with the housing forms sent to matriculants in April. The advising changes will also attempt to bridge the "sophomore gap"-- the fact that no formal sophomore advising program currently exists. While many students choose a major by their second year, there are those who remain undecided and without formal advising, Santirocco said. The new program encourages students in need of advising to return to their freshman advisor. To compensate for the increase in students, the advising office will decrease the number of freshman advisees per advisor to nine. During the past school year, many College departments had problems offering even a third of their faculty for the advising program. He stressed, though, that the only way for his plans to work is if more faculty advisors participate in advising. "I want every student to get a faculty advisor," Santirocco said. "Advising is to talk to people. The purpose is to encourage students to reflect on their education." Other improvements to be made are "radical" changes to the College handbook in order to give students a better sense of their future, and electronic advising will be added to enhance one-on-one interaction. Astronomy and Astrophysics Undergraduate Chairperson Benjamin Shen said he believes faculty members are apathetic towards advising because of a lack of interest from the student population. "I know many faculty members who would want to spend the time advising if they could make sure that students would come," Shen said. Alan Filreis, undergraduate chairperson of the English Department, commended the changes. "All the proposals are great and I applaud Matthew [Santirocco] and the College Office for taking the subject of advising very seriously," he said.