Council of Academic Advisors – Agenda
Thursday, May 2, 2013
10:30 am – 12:00 pm; Union Board Room
GUEST: Dr. Andy Borst, Director of Admission Office
Guest speaker was postponed to the May 23 meeting of COAA due to a schedule conflict.
BUSINESS MEETING:
I
SOAR Update

Student Evaluation Update ~ Jean
It is likely the student evaluation can be online for this summer's programs. Some updates have been made since
the version that was emailed with the COAA Agenda; and introductory page to explain the survey and a contact
person (Michelle Yager) were added as is standard with campus online surveys.
The first part was adjusted to ask more specifically why the student chose the particular SOAR date, rather than
asking about "program". The Likert scale was changed to Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree (positive –
negative) for Question 1 and the ranking numbers changed to 1-4 on Question 2. Question 4's format was
changed to have all information on one line for each option. Question 5 was made "yes/no" and "academic" was
added to each instance of "advisor". During the meeting it was suggested the wording be changed to "an
academic advisor" rather than "my academic advisor" as students may work with someone at SOAR who is not
their assigned advisor. It is not possible to have a drop-down list of majors for Question 6 so students will type
this information in a text box.
An open-ended question was added at the end "Do you have recommendations for future SOAR programs (for
example: 1-day program, phone registration, weekend programs, separate orientation and registration, more/less
time spent on a specific topic, etc.)?"
The statement at the end was changed to "Welcome Leatherneck and Think Purple".
If the survey is distributed online this year it is not yet clear how it will work but possibilities are an email to the
student or a direct web link that can be opened in a different tab after the student completes registration.

SOAR Self-Registration is now open up to 2 days prior to event
Previously, signing up for a SOAR program through STARS was cut off at 4 days in advance of the program and
this has been shortened to 2 days prior.

No Library Tours after registration - instead send to SAPSC for ID
There will not be tours of the Library after the registration portion of SOAR; students should be sent to the Union
to get their student ID card (if they have not already done so) and to meet up with their parents/guests.

No Star on name tag – have student take CSI (O-Team will be available to help)
Before going to the Union after registration, students who have not taken the College Student Inventory survey
should be encouraged to do so. Those who have already completed it will have a sticker on their name tag (paw
print or star).

Remember to have your contact information on self-adhesive address labels for student schedules
To help reduce phone calls to UAASC with schedule questions, consider having your contact information on an
address label that you can stick directly on the student's schedules. Or, staple your business card to the schedule
printout.

Possible changes to the Day 2 Schedule
Day 2 of SOAR may be changed to put the student services fair at the beginning of the day and schedule building
and registration at the end. Pros and cons were discussed of both scenarios.
II
WIU Mobile App

III
COAA will print a postcard that will go into the student packets for SOAR with a QR code for the WIU Mobile App.
The App contains icons for several campus services and will have a new Tutoring icon that will link to information
about academic support.
COAA Vice-Chair and CAGAS vote

IV
A quorum was present and ballots were distributed for voting. Votes were tallied by Ember Keithley and results
were Caryn Morgan as Vice Chair and Lisa Melz-Jennings as CAGAS representative.
Standing Committee Reports:

Professional Development and Networking
Invitations for "Swing Into SOAR" have been sent. The event is May 13 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Please RSVP by
Wednesday, May 8. If you are purchasing a box lunch, cash is preferred to check for payment and dietary
restrictions/accommodations should be indicated on your RSVP form. This is a PAA-approved event.
The webinar "Advising Strategies for Students who are on Academic Probation, Facing Dismissal, or Seeking Reinstatement" experienced technical difficulties but a recording has been sent to the advising listserv. PAA points are available only for attending the live webinar broadcast and panel discussion, not for viewing the webinar on your own.

Campus Affairs and Public Relations
Meetings have concluded for this academic year; an annual report was prepared summarizing the committee's
activities for this past year and with suggestions for next year. This committee participates in campus events so
needs to be prepared to move early in the school year.

Assessment
The student survey closed April 30 and the response rate was low; however, valuable feedback was received.
The committee is working on the advisor survey and hopes to have it out in early June. After that they will begin
working with the data from the student survey for distribution to the group.

Awards and Recognition
The last Advisor of the Month was Stacy Dorsett. A good group of nominations was submitted to the Outstanding
Academic Advisor committee from CITR and Cheryl Hutchins was chosen.
V
CAGAS Report – Jean Bird

At the last CAGAS meeting there were applications for two exceptions to the Final Exam Policy (to hold events for
students); 3 overload requests with 2 approved; one late withdrawal from Fall 2012 which was denied, and 8
academic integrity incidents.
CAGAS meets the afternoon of May 2 and will have a report at the May 13 COAA meeting.
VI
News from the Registrar’s Office – Sue Dagit

Grade screens are open and will close May 14 for Spring 2013 grades. Grades will post May 15, academic status
letters will be printed and sent that day as well. STARS will be unavailable to students beginning at 5:00 p.m. on
May 14 for final grade processing. This is a new process so it is unclear how long STARS will be unavailable but
it could be until 3:00 a.m. on May 15.
April 29 (Monday) – GRRP screen opened for final grading
May 14 (Tuesday) – GRRP screen closed at noon; grades will post overnight
May 15 (Wednesday) – Grades available; Academic Status letters printed and mailed
May 23 (Thursday) - Last day to drop pre-session courses or withdraw from pre-session
May 24 (Friday) - Deadline for clearing deficiencies for the May 11 graduation date
May 29 (Wednesday) - Degrees will be posted overnight
**Reminder: If you have new freshmen taking summer courses, their bill will need to be paid down in
order to register for classes at their SOAR program!!
VII
College/Area News – Council Members

Jennifer Grimm had her first student to retake a course after failing the first time due to an academic integrity
incident. In these cases, the "F" grade stands and is averaged with the first retake (second time taking the
course). If a student takes the course for a third time, the third time counts as no credit and is not included in the
GPA.
Ehren Kuzekov from Study Abroad will be out next week but students working with her for study abroad programs
have been notified. Office of Study Abroad has a new office support specialist, Dawn Gray.
Schuyler Isley in College of Business and Technology has taken a job off campus; MBA students will be advised
by Dr. John Drea. The Knoblauch Hall advising center has a new clerk, Amy Poffenberger.
VIII
New Business

There was no new business.
REMINDERS:
Next Meeting: Thursday, May 23rd at 10:30 am in the Union Board Room (Note….this is in THREE weeks)