Council of Academic Advisors
Thursday, February 28, 2013
10:30 AM, Union Board Room
Present: Bryan Barker (UAASC), Laurie Black (Registrar’s Office), Jean Bird (COBT), Donna Bradford (COEHS), Jane Coplan (UAASC), Jeanne Gage (COEHS), Jennifer Grimm (Communications), Niall Hartnett (UAASC), Molly Homer (Honor’s College), Anna James (CBT), Ember Keithley (CBT), Kim McDaniel (Study Abroad), Lisa Melz‐Jennings (Athletics), Kathy Meyers (SAPSC and VRC), Caryn Morgan (CAS), Julie O’Brien (UAASC), Chris Ramsey (CBT), Colin Rognes (BA/BGS), Jennifer Sandrik‐Rubio (Physical Sciences), Renee Simpson (UAASC), Larry Tingley (Admissions), Michelle Yager (UAASC) Guests: Kevin Morgan and Bev Baker – Utech Western’s Knowledgebase and Advising Western’s Knowledgebase (KB) is an on line self help resource. Staff, Faculty and students access it with their ecom log in. There is a public log in available with limited access (no pre‐populated tech info is available to the public because WIU pays the provider for it). 









Most used items are Zimbra & Guava, and Western on line questions. Student Assistance and Parent Services Center are providers of info to the KB U tech suggests partnering with COAA to provide advising info One goal of the knowledgebase is to help students find their advisor The knowledgebase may not give the information but will tell students how to find the answer. The audience can be separated, if needed. Employees can see everything students can see plus more. Advisors can help by generating questions, answers, and key words. Last year, the COAA‐Campus Affairs subcommittee worked on this so there are a few advising articles located in it. The goal was to communicate better as advisors, but it wasn’t working and was abandoned this year. There may not be time this year to do anything more with it, but it was felt it was important and might be a summer project. There is public access for non‐WIU students, but there is also a section that can only be accessed by WIU employees/students where vendors have been paid for products targeting a specific audience; anything WIU has produced can be accessed by anyone. There is lot of good parental information contained in it. Important dates can be made to pop up, such as the beginning and ending dates when students can register for classes. This could be programmed over the summer and then accessed throughout fall semester. COAA should start brainstorming ideas. COAA‐Campus Affairs may work on this during summer. o A specific section for incoming students with reg & placement info o CAGAS dates and how to write an appeal o Tutoring info o Important campus dates (drop classes, reg deadlines, etc) I.
Consideration of Minutes ‐ Michelle ‐‐‐ Tabled until March 21st II. SOAR Draft Schedule ‐‐‐ Michelle Yager Michelle passed out a SOAR draft schedule. It is only a draft, nothing is final. Prior to SOAR Collect placement information Day 1 Math placement determined morning of Day 1 Check‐in Changes COMPASS and academic meetings COMPASS testing will be on Day 1. Placement determination needs to be done early. Julie is working on an electronic form to collect information about high school experience in math and foreign language. This form will be sent out from our office. We hope that most will use link to electronic form , but a hard copy of the form will also be sent out that can be mailed back. This form will provide a place for them to indicate what major they plan to pursue. Also included in the mailing will be information about how placements are determined, and a link to the General Education handbook. It is hoped to send the mailing out by mid‐April, if not before. In the future, it is hope it can all be done electronically. UAASC would like to send the letter to students while they are still in high school so they all still have access to a computer at school in case they don’t have access at home. Julie hopes to find a way to encrypt the information in case they use a social security number instead of their WIU ID number. There will probably be some students who come to SOAR who have not filled out the form. Those student files will be flagged, and at check‐in they will be taken to fill out a hard copy. Students won’t get through registration without having filled out a placement form. When the form is filled out online or sent through the mail, it will go to Debbie, who will place that form in their orange folder so that Boris can make the correct math placement and Caryn can make the correct foreign language placement. Math placement is tentatively scheduled for 3:00‐4:00, but that may change. Since the Union won’t have food service, all camps, SOAR students, and families will be eating in the Corbin‐
Olson dining room, which can only seat 350‐400 people at a time. Because of this, staggered meals will have to be planned since everyone can’t be fed at the same time. Staggering the COMPASS test and flip‐flopping it with the 3:00 and 4:15 Faculty session so students could eat early is an option which would change the time frame. This has not been discussed with the math department or the faculty involved in the sessions yet. Students indicated last year they were hungry in the evening, and since food can’t be served in the rec center, SDO is working on how to budget some type of snack in the evening. One suggestion was that the C‐Store in Corbin‐Olson remain open in the evening. The Day 1 check‐in process will be different this year. Students will do their residence hall check in at Corbin‐Olson, get their keys and SDO folders, and then go to their rooms. Next to the elevator will be the academic check‐in center (conference room) and they will be directed by the O‐Team to go in there to get their orange placement folders. If their folder is flagged, students will go to a table where they can complete their placement form. There will also be a station where they can change their major if they wish. Tables may also be available for the Honors Program, ROTC, Music, Study Abroad, and Veterans Resources. Information from areas that was previously contained in the PowerPoint could also be put in student folders. Molly contacts students ahead of time who are immediately eligible for the honors program. She also likes to give information about the program at SOAR so students who are eligible at admission know how to become eligible at the end of their first semester. The Student Services Fair might be smaller this year, but anyone can be involved. The Fair could be after SOAR, probably from 12:00‐1:00 on Day 2, which would be nice for families waiting for the train. Another suggestion was to have it during the dinner hour on Day 1. It was also suggested that the fair be held in the Multicultural Center. This will be brought up at Monday’s New Student Registration meeting. Students and families will be separated immediately, before residence hall check‐in. Students will have an ice‐breaker session at Corbin‐Olson and parents will go to the Union. A few advisors may be needed to volunteer to be at the Union with the parents to answer general advising questions. This would not be course specific questions. Faculty members will be asked to do some sessions while some students are doing COMPASS and foreign language testing. This would be in several different Stipes Hall classrooms. One topic might be debunking myths about coming to college and working with faculty. These sessions need to be interactive and fun, not a lecture. Stacy Macchi is working with a committee is discussing ways that can happen. Day 2 Major Meetings Course Search and Registration Day 2 will likely start earlier than last year. All students will check‐in at the library, even Arts and Sciences students, in order to give everyone a chance to see the library. After registration, students will be sent back to the library for tours. LEJA/ElEd will still be upstairs at the Library for major/program meetings, UA and Fine Arts will be where they were located last year. Arts and Sciences will stay in MG, also doing course search and registration there. LEJA/ElEd will do course search/registration in Stipes 307. Most groups will be in Stipes, but the library may get used if needed. After registration at approximately 10:30 on Day 2, students will go to a session conducted by Billing and Receivables. From there, the ending ceremony is ‘I am a Leatherneck’ where students will hear about what it is to be a Leatherneck, which is tied in with the core values in higher education. There they will be given pins, concluding with a pledge and ceremony. Administration has not totally committed to the 12:00 Noon‐12:00 Noon timeframe. They want a completed schedule before approval is given. It was discussed what families who took the train would do the rest of the day. Within the work week, families could take a campus tour and/or students could make adjustments to their schedules, if needed. This will be more difficult on Saturday. It was suggested that advisors could attach labels with their names and phone number on the student schedules so that students can contact them after SOAR with questions and/or changes to their schedule. Labels could easily be attached to schedules and would be much less expensive than purchasing business cards. Stacey Dorsett has contacted the Chamber of Commerce, and they would be happy to offer some type of promotion for families waiting for the train, since the summer is a slow time for them. It was suggested that businesses could put coupons in a newsletter designed for SOAR, highlighting positive aspects of WIU. The only problem with this is that if families are riding the train they won’t have access to transportation. SDO is working with the GoWest bus to take families to the train station but this additional expense was not worked into this year’s bus budget. One suggestion was that during Transition II, it was suggested that Billing and Receivables not be put at the beginning so that if students were late getting back from registration they wouldn’t miss that session. But we hope that all students will be able to get registered with in that time frame. UA advisors have discussed contacting their students before with a worksheet of course preferences so that can be determined before SOAR. Each department will consider ways to streamline the process to help speed up the registration. New Student Registration—Transfer Students Only Saturday, April 20th Noon – 4:30 PM This will be similar to last year. Please let Michelle know who will pick up students. III. COAA VP Nominations due to Michelle by April 1st Ember has done a great job as COAA VP this year, but her term is finished. Please go back to your groups and ask for nominations and send names to Michelle by April 1st so this can be completed this spring. IV. Satisfactory Progress and Readmission E‐Mail ‐ Jane Coplan Jane received an e‐mail from Mary Lawson, who was going to be proactive and send out letters to students being readmitted who on financial aid. Advisors agreed that they would like to be copied on the letter. A suggestion was made that “how to live on a budget” be included in the letter. Jane will contact Mary and let her know. V. Standing Committee Reports Professional Development and Networking There will be 3 major professional development events this semester. 1) A webinar and Panel: Advising Transfer Students: Strategies for Today’s Realities and Tomorrow’s Challenges, March 29th from 1:00‐3:00 in ST 121. A second showing will be held on Friday, April 12 from 8:30‐10:00 at the Multicultural Center, but there will be no panel discussion following this second showing. 2) A webinar and Panel: Strategies for Students who are on Academic Probation, Facing Dismissal, or Seeking Reinstatement, April 24th from 1:00‐3:00 in ST 121. A second showing will be held on Monday, April from 8:30‐10:00 in the Multicultural Center, but there will be no panel discussion following this second showing. 3) There will be a team‐building retreat for all advisors, GAs, and support staff, entitled, ‘Swinging into SOAR’ from 11:00‐4:30 on May 13 at the Harry Mussato Gold Course. Golf skills not required. Anita Sells will speak on team building, there will be an update on the Union remodeling, and putting techniques will be provided by Mel Blasi, for those interested. Contact Renee Simpson for additional information. Campus Affairs and Public Relations The committee has been doing an outreach media campaign aimed toward getting students in early to see their advisors and to register for courses once they have had their holds removed. Information has been placed on the front page of Western online and also put on the Union and Western Hall electronic billboards. Caryn did a press release with University Relations, which it is hoped will be picked up by the Courier. In the event it isn’t, Caryn will contact the Courier. Julie also included it on the UAASC facebook page and SDO included it on the twitter feed “see your advisor”. This will also appear with the summer school updates on the web. Caryn will continue working with Darcie Shinberger on this Assessment The committee is working on the student survey with target dates of March 15‐April 19, which makes it available through registration. This will be sent out by Lindsey Bender, who replaced Terri North. Questions have been added about early warning grades, tutoring, and questions from advisors that will give back valuable information. Awards and Recognition The committee will meet this afternoon. There are 4 nominees for February. VI. CAGAS Report – Jean Bird The following were heard in CAGAS appeals on February 14: There was a waiver approval of upper credit work from an accredited institution. This was a special circumstance that is not to be considered standard protocol but in this particular instance approval was granted. 3 late registrations approved, 1 not approved 3 program/section changes: all 3 appeals were approved with varying reasons 1 late withdrawal, approved New Start, denied 1 instance of academic integrity in the Department of Biology was handled at the department level The next CAGAS meeting will be held this afternoon. VII.
News from the Registrar’s Office – Sue Dagit In Sue’s absence, Laurie presented the report. 


VIII.
The last day for graduation applications to be turned in to be included in the program is March 15 Early Warning Grades will be e‐mailed to students on March 12
Laurie thanked everyone for returning the Grades First information for student athletes. Information can still be submitted. College/Area News – Council Members
Student Abroad Dana Vizdal has accepted Kevin Timlin’s former position. The students’ abroad website went live last week. With the exception of the academic approval form, all other forms for individual students studying abroad will be paperless. There are more options and additional functionality that will be available for faculty later after the student side is worked out. Athletics Before any athlete can drop a class, they need to speak to their advisor, speak to their head coach, seek tutoring assistance, take the next test, and then talk to Lisa’s office (last step). At that point a determination will be made as to whether or not the class can be dropped. They are looking at an institutional policy of not paying for the 2nd time a class has been dropped or failed, based on individual circumstances. There is nothing in place preventing a student from dropping a class themselves, but at that point the student bears the consequences of that action. Re‐taking a class must benefit the student and cannot be taken just to get a better grade. Again, each case will be determined individually. CBT Business has been approached to sign common admission applications from institutions into which students are attempting to transfer. These forms should be sent to the registrar’s office for signatures. Summer business classes listed on the schedule are not correct but were finalized with the Provost’s Office yesterday. They have been using Google voice for phone calls and think it has improved their no‐show rate thus far, as well as being less expensive than a cell phone. The form, “Undergraduate Permission to Enroll in a Graduate Course for Graduate Credit” does not have a place for the undergraduate advisor signature. Since this is an internal document, could this be included since this could effect a student’s graduation. The following items will be addressed with admissions: 1. Changing their policy about the welcome packets sent out in January. At a certain point, they would like Admissions to tell students to pick the packets up in the Admissions Office rather than mailing it since students need their ID number contained in the packet and it may not reach them before coming to campus. 2. When admitting students during the 2nd week of the semester, Admissions should tell students it is restricted registration and that they need approval from each instructor to enroll in classes. Not knowing this before coming to campus is too big a hurdle for some students, although it is understood that student numbers are important. Spoon River College is changing some of their articulations, so advisors were urged to watch articulations, even the ones they think they know. Math 102 at SRC is no longer the equivalent of Math 102 at WIU and Comm 103 will no longer transfer in as Comm 241. Michelle will check with Sarah Lawson to see if SOAR numbers can be distributed to the advisor list. On some dates there is a cap of 210, which leaves room available for athletes and summer school students to attend SOAR. IX.
New Business None REMINDERS:
Next Meeting: Thursday, March 21st at 10:30 am in the Union Board Room
The meeting adjourned at 12:01 PM. Respectfully submitted, Debbie Carithers