Southwestern College Collegian

Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: Collegian Front Page

Monica Springer/Collegian photographerStudents cheer on the women's basketball team March 4 in Sterling. The Moundbuilders lost 64-60. They finished second place in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and secured a trip to the national tournament March 12-18 in Sioux City, Iowa.

It's time again to load up your shopping carts with courses for next semester. But do you know which classes to choose? Are you on the right track with your four-year plan? Should you meet with your adviser before registering? Phil Schmidt, professor of history, is the general advising coordinator. He said, "We don't have a systematic requirement. We do however have an expectation that the general advisers are to be in close contact with their general advisees about what they're going to be taking." So just what is a general adviser? All incoming freshmen are paired up with an adviser to help them through their first and second year of college. Schmidt said, "General advisers can knowledgeably advise an incoming freshman with what he or she ought to take during at least their first two semesters. After their sophomore year, it becomes more complicated. It's a good idea to switch over by then because then you have the expertise of your adviser within your own major field." You might be wondering just what is "switching over?" After the first two semesters, students go through a gradual transfer from a general adviser to a major adviser. That is, an adviser in their major field of study. So where do you sign up for classes, when does it start, and should you meet with your adviser first? Course selection takes place solely online. On March 31 online registration will begin. Students can log onto IQ.Web to access available courses and load them into their shopping cart. Bob Gallup, professor of physics and mathematics, is a general adviser. Gallup has 10 general advisees and 11 major advisees. He requires all freshmen to meet with him before registering. He said, "It surprises me the number of students I've had who have never signed in to IQ.Web. I make sure they know their password and they know where to find courses, what courses are available, and so forth. I want to know that they know what they're doing." Every professor has different requirements. Schmidt is not only the advising coordinator, but he also has his share of advisees. He said, "Require may be a little strong but the thing is I see these people all the time. I'm in close communication anyway so I don't have to require. It just sort of happens automatically and I think that would be true of every major adviser." Dick Barnes, associate professor of business, requires all of his advisees to meet with him. On the other hand, Cheryl Rude, associate professor of leadership studies, does not require her advisees to meet with her before selecting their courses. She said, "Sometimes I will not approve their choices until I meet with them if I have questions or concerns about the courses they selected. Some students request to meet with me prior to registering for courses online to help them make their selections." Before marking "meet with adviser" off of your list of things to do, consider what might be best for you. John Dupuy, associate professor of accounting and finance, is the business division chair. He said, "I personally do not require that my advisees meet with me before registering for classes online. However, my experience has been that approximately 80 to 90 percent do request a meeting to discuss their academic plan and be sure they are selecting the correct classes to keep them on a path for graduation in the semester and year they wish." Gallup sends all his advisees an e-mail before registration stating that if they want to meet with him because they are unsure of what courses to take, they can come sign up for a time to meet. He said, "I'm here to help if you need it and I'm here to catch mistakes that you might not be aware of that I see." Gallup said registering online for courses gives students the opportunity to take responsibility for their course selections and be really involved with the process. "In the previous system you always had students who were really invested. This way I think it puts a little more responsibility on students which is where I think they need to be." Your best bet in this situations is to send your adviser an e-mail or stop by their office on your way to class to see what their requirements are. And don't wait until the last minute to begin thinking about which courses need to be taken. Gallup said, "When you run into a problem it's nice to have someone around who knows the system." Jessica Bernhardt is a junior majoring in journalism. You may e-mail her at jessica.bernhardt@sckans.edu.

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