Author: Drew Jaffe
The advising center has recently expanded its hours to five days a week as part of continued efforts to increase advising services for students on campus. The center serves as a complement to the more popularly-known faculty advising service. Advisers involved give students guidance on core requirements and address their specific policy concerns.
Though the advising center was previously open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Thursday, it recently expanded its hours to include Friday from 1-3 p.m. The extended hours help accommodate for the busy registration season but are in effect year-round. Much of the rest of the year is relatively empty, however. According to Director of Advising Victor Egitto, this is partly due to the center’s location on campus in the south trailers.
“Unfortunately, the advising center hasn’t had a great location,” Egitto said. “I’ve been fighting for a centrally located advising center where students feel comfortable coming in, asking a question and picking up a form.”
His efforts to move to a more central location are part of a longer list of plans he has for the advising center, including greater recognition and funding from the administration. Currently, the center operates with volunteers from other offices on campus as well adjunct faculty. Greater resources for the center would potentially allow for more services during the summer, including the ability for incoming students to register for all their classes before they arrive on campus.
Egitto established the advising center five years ago after he saw problems arise from having a purely faculty-run advising program. As Egitto pointed out, students require advising during the entirety of their four years at Occidental College, including summer and other breaks when faculty are not typically on campus. Even during the school year, students are often unable to reach advisers on sabbaticals.
“The people in the advising center are trained and updated with all the new policies whereas faculty aren’t trained in that. They’re not as up to date with new policies and changes,” Egitto said.
The advising center can provide interim services for these traveling professors such as signing necessary forms, providing registration PIN numbers and educating students on various school policies. Although Egitto always encourages students to seek out superior major advice from faculty, he noted that the advising center can supply undeclared students with information on the core program and constantly updated policy.
“I didn’t understand the Core requirements too well last year; I would have gone to the advising center had I known it existed,” undeclared major Chris Weeks (sophomore) said.
In addition to advising students who actively seek its services, the advising center also engages in outreach programs for those struggling to meet the core requirements or students who take less than the 12 units required to be a full-time student. For incoming students who do not have access to a faculty member over the summer, the advising center also works with them to register for certain courses and placement exams.
“The more services the advising center can do for a student, the less problems a student will have down the road,” Egitto said.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.
