With registration now in full swing, many students are seeking advisement to ease anxiety over the process. Advisors, however, are over-booked with the current surge of student appointments.
The College of Arts and Sciences employs five full-time advisors and one part-time advisor, which, according to both students and advisors, is not enough to meet the demand for this time of year.
"I feel like I am on a little treadmill. I only have a half-hour for appointments," said Janet Mather, an advisor within the CAS. "We could use more advisors."
Laura Rahuba, a former theater major and current senior in the communication department, remembers a particularly apathetic advisor in the theater department.
"I would avoid seeing her at all costs," said Rahuba. She said she remembers waiting for over an hour for her advisor to get off the phone and "grace me with her presence."
According to Rahuba, the advisor always acted as if her students were an inconvenience and seemed to always be thinking, "you're wasting my time."
Elizabeth Palmieri is the only academic advisor for the communication department and is responsible for over 900 students. Recently, Palmieri set up a Web site on Ublearns that includes information on the requirements for the communication major, and answers to questions about graduating and looking for jobs.
"I spent a lot of time on e-mail, and kids would wait outside my office to see me," said Palmieri. "The Web site has cut down on e-mail and made appointments much more efficient."
However, Palmieri said she does not feel that the new Web site should act as a replacement for personal academic counseling.
"I expect all students to see me at least once a semester," she said.
Advisors, however, may feel the pinch of not enough time and not enough help.
Mather and Palmieri both indicated difficulty in remembering names of the students that come in for counseling.
"I may not remember your name at first, but give me a minute and I will remember you coming in and the issues we were dealing with," said Palmieri.
Mather expressed the same sentiment.
"I can't remember all the names, but I keep a file on every student who comes in, with a lot of notes," she said.
Mary Anne Rokitka, assistant dean for Biomedical Undergraduate Education and faculty advisor for biophysics and physiology, said she gets to know her students fairly well.
"I take the time. I just finished three one-hour-long appointments," she said.
Rokitka said her students often have "very focused questions" and that while her schedule is busy, students are "never turned away."
According to both Mather and Palmieri, it is a good idea to keep in touch with an academic advisor throughout the academic career. The scarcity of time to meet with students, though, may make alternate means the only feasible means. Mather cited the DARS report as one of UB's valuable tools for advisement.
Palmieri said she refuses to take appointments over the phone or through e-mail. Instead, she requires students to make half-hour appointments using sign-up sheets outside her office.
"The slots are always filled this time of year," said Kristen Trethewey, a communication major. "She's helpful, but you have to go early enough to get in."
Donald McGuire, director of the College of Arts and Sciences Student Advisement and Services, pointed to new training seminars that have been put into effect for faculty and staff, covering information on general education requirements and the DARS reports.
This is a new program has been implemented so that "staff and faculty don't misadvise students."
According to McGuire, many students ask teachers questions about dropping, adding, and resigning courses, and he hopes these seminars will leave teachers better equipped to give accurate advise.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
