Council of Academic Advisors
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
8:30 AM, Multicultural Center
Present: Bryan Barker (UAASC), Laurie Black (Registrar’s Office), Jan Clough (Art), Jane Coplan (UAASC), Sue Dagit (Registrar’s Office), Monica Eskridge (COEHS), Heather Fletcher (UAASC), Jennifer Grimm (Communications), Ehren Kuzekov (Study Abroad), Kathy Meyers (SAPSC and VRC), Katie Mey (UAASC), Caryn Morgan (CAS), Kelly Morris (UAASC), Julie O’Brien (UAASC), Jinny Page (BA/BGS), Andi Potter (CBT), Chris Ramsey (CBT), Jennifer Sandrik‐Rubio (Physical Sciences), Renee Simpson (UAASC), Claire Smalzer (Athletics), Linda Thomas (UAASC), Vicki Walters (Biology), Tammy Wilson (COEHS), Michelle Yager (UAASC) I.
II. By‐Laws Amendment Vote … Michelle The following revisions to the COAA by‐laws were proposed: 1) Change committee “heads” to committee “chairs” Changed wherever noted in the by‐laws Motion by Chris Ramsey/seconded by Vicki Walters to accept the change. Motion passed unanimously 2) Add: “The chair will serve on the committee the following year as a member for transitional purposes” Article VII A Motion by Kelly Morris/seconded by Jennifer Grimm to accept the change. Motion passed unanimously Transfer and Freshmen NRS Program on November 22nd … Michelle The November 22nd program will have a similar format as the NSR events held in April 2013 and July 2013. There will be academic fair and math placement tables for freshmen. Bryan will have a computer set up at check in for those students who want to change their major. Michelle is waiting to hear if we’ll be able to use the computers in Stipes 331 for the COMPASS test. The computers are having Windows 8 installed. Shannon Cramer will test the computers to make sure the new operating system is compatible with the COMPASS system. If there is a problem, registration computer assignments may have to be adjusted. Shannon will contact Michelle as soon as the computers are tested. Students will be sent to their advisors immediately following COMPASS, so advisors should be in their rooms by 2:00. The following college group leaders will pick up students in the Springfield room at 2:15: Business: Andi Potter Arts and Sciences: Ralph Heissenger Education: Tammy will get back to Michelle after their staff meeting COFAC: Sharon Evans will get back to Michelle UA: Julie O’Brien Michelle will check with Shannon about computer passwords and call department chairs with the current password for fall. This will also be discussed at the next COAA meeting. Caryn will check with Boris and Angela about doing math placements at the registration table. III. Standing Committee Reports Professional Development and Networking Renee sent Professional Development dates to everyone on the listserve November 7 … 12:00‐1:00, brown bag luncheon, University Union Board Room Everyone should have gotten an invitation to attend. Sarah Lydle will be leading the discussion December 11 NACADA Webinar WIU is the host. There is no charge to attend. The webinar will be followed by an interactive panel discussion. February 5 Suicide prevention program March 27, 12:00‐1:30, brown bag lunch, University Union Board Room This brown bag will deal with challenges with mental health students and how advisors can work together as a community to develop ideas for helping these students. May 12, Monday following finals Annual Retreat All Brown Bag luncheons, the Webinar, and the Suicide Prevention Program have been approved for PAA points. Campus Affairs and Public Relations There is 1 more TELESTARS announcement to come on November 1 about students seeing their advisor. The interview/professional clothing drive will run from November 18‐25. Dispersing of women’s clothing will be held on January 29th‐30th in the Union in time for the Career Fair on February 4. There are 5 different collection sites on campus: Morgan, Horrabin, Stipes, Memorial, and Sherman Halls. If there is somewhere in your area where a bin or clothing boxes can be stored, please let Kelly know. Assessment Lori Baker‐Sperry will run statistics and comments for the past advisor assessment … the current student survey will be out by the beginning of February for a longer period of time in hope of a higher return rate than last time. The advisor survey will be sent during the summer in hope that the high return rate last summer can be repeated. Awards and Recognition There has been no meeting since the last COAA meeting. The committee will meet this afternoon to select the October ‘advisor of the month’. Michelle sent Ron Williams a request for a parking spot for the ‘Advisor of the Month’, similar to that given to civil service employees. She’s waiting for a response to the idea. IV. CAGAS Report An appeal was heard from a biology student who wanted to transfer in 48 hours of AP credit. The appeal was denied, but this topic will be presented at a future meeting as a policy change. Biology is working with other departments for alternate ways for this student to not lose hours. It was felt it would be hard to recruit outstanding students if we do not give AP credit above the 30 hours presently given. V. News from the Registrar’s Office News from the Registrar’s Office – Sue Dagit 1. Monday, Nov. 4 – SP14 Advance Registration Opens 2. Monday, Nov. 25 – SP14 Open Registration Begins 3. Incompletes from Spring and Summer 2013 will be converted to “F” soon if no other grade was submitted. X College/Area News UAASC For specific questions about tutoring, please contact Estelle. Discussion is being held about how to offer tutoring for higher math classes. A TELESTARS announcement came out today about the tutoring website and app. Another TELESTARS will go out to faculty and advisors at a later date asking them to encourage their students to use tutoring services and the app. For issues with the tutoring website, please contact Julie. Although there are a few bugs, students are using the app. There will be data about app use later in the semester. In September, there were 2,698 hits, with specific area breakdowns available. It is hoped that information will be submitted earlier next year, since the earlier information about tutoring is available the earlier students can access it and get help. Arts and Sciences Approval by IBHE was obtained this week for a new Foreign Language major. By the fall of 2014, Spanish, French, and German majors will be phased out and a Foreign Language and Cultures major will take their place. Foreign Language 101 can fulfill requirements for gen ed, humanity, and global issues. It is taught in English but deals with how to study for a foreign language. Foreign Language 350 is a Critical Thinking Theory Class. Both FL 101 and FL 350 are open to non‐majors. Students were locked out of STARS over the weekend and couldn’t drop a class. Jennifer asked if there was a way to warn students that their STARS account was about to expire 2 weeks before the expiration. U‐Tech was open all weekend. Veterans Affairs Next week is Veterans Appreciation Week. On Tuesday, there will be a panel discussion about how veterans transition into the university. On Thursday, the Vets Club is sponsoring a film through the National Geographic Society On November 11, everyone will meet on the Sherman Hall lawn to pay tribute to WIUs military men and women. Area schools are preparing posters and signs showing their appreciation for what those in the military have done for our country. These will be posted in different locations across campus. If you would like to display one, please call Veterans Resources. It is hoped this event can be expanded next year. The Fallen Solider Run will be held this weekend. Two applications for the Fallen Soldiers Scholarship have been received. Applications are due by November 30. Information is on the website. The deadline for the Salute application is November 1. There has been an increase in individuals with interpersonal issues; however, they seem to be following through with counseling, referrals, and advisors. If you see a veteran in need of assistance, please let Kathy know. Veterans Resources has contacted area merchants to solicit discounts for veterans. Their webpage lists a number of merchants who are offering discounts in honor of veteran’s service. Any veteran who turns in a picture of their family will be entered into a drawing for a free meal at Magnolias. Study Abroad ISAP providers will be on campus at 1:00 pm on November 13 in the Lincoln Room. Advisors can come to the meeting to learn more about the program and have their questions answered. There will also be a student informational meeting for those interested in study abroad at 3:30 on that date. COBT Alex Wegner will start Monday as the Quad Cities engineering advisor. XI. New Business SOAR An updated SOAR calendar was sent to advisors this morning by e‐mail. July 10‐11 (Thursday and Friday) … no Saturday date July 15‐16 … on reserve and not advertised (will fill if needed) The highlighting on the schedule is for readability purposes only. Michelle Aurand will be with ISP through August. Currently, both she and the BGS area are handling appointments. It is not known who will be handling this during SOAR. BGS will discuss this and let Michelle know. No updates on the new SOAR programming details at this time. Sarah Jewel has met with all key personnel regarding SOAR. She is also looking at 2013 parent and student evaluations and is pulling areas together to form student learning outcomes, which will drive what is done at this year’s SOAR. Andy has said that advisors will have more time with students. Contract Meeting There will be a UPI contract meeting at 8:00, noon, and 3:00 on November 8 in the Algonquin Room. An e‐mail was sent yesterday about it. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:25 AM. REMINDERS ~ Advising Brown Bag Discussion Lunch on November 7th, Union Board Room. We will discuss professional articles. ~ Developing Intercultural Communication Skills for Academic Advising, Wednesday, December 11, 2013 from 1:00 – 3:00. The NACADA webinar will be followed by an open forum discussion. Advisors from area colleges and universities have been invited to join us. More information will be coming soon. ~ Next COAA meeting on November 13th at 8:30 am in the Multicultural Center’s Board Room Respectfully submitted, Debbie Carithers