'Catalyst' for Student Government forum on advising: 'general student dissatisfaction'

The forum, hosted by Student Government, will address student concerns with academic advising at Mason. (Jake McLernon)

Student Government is hosting a forum on Tuesday, Nov. 29 as a way to further discussion between students and faculty and staff regarding “general student dissatisfaction” with Mason’s advising system, according to a Student Government member planning the event.

The forum, which will largely provide a space for student testimonials, was prompted after Student Government members noted “general student dissatisfaction” with advising processes through their “What Do You Want Wednesdays" and other feedback avenues, according to Alex Williams, Student Government chief of staff.

“The purpose of the event is to hear stories from students about their experiences with academic advising at Mason,” Williams said. “[We want] to bring these narratives to the various departments to improve students’ experiences with advising.”

Student Government has a history of hosting forums and town halls on subjects its members feel are on the mind of Mason students. Three other events open to students are scheduled for the week of Nov. 28: town halls, hosted by SG’s University Services division, for parking, housing and dining.

Although the issue of academic advising was raised at the recent General Assembly protest on campus, any links between the two events are "purely coincidental," according to Williams. Working to resolve student concerns with advising, one of the main academic processes outside the classroom, has been on the Student Government agenda “since last year,” Williams said.

“This is not a protest movement,” said Williams. “We are merely advocating for a more positive academic advising experience.” The Student Government chief of staff said that he does however “admire student activism” and would “love to see any mutual effort between students and the Student Government […] to achieve common goals.”

Williams called the amount of negative feedback Student Government has received – which includes complaints from summer registration about registration, time with advisors and “general confusion” – the “catalyst” of the forum.

Six members of Mason's faculty and staff are RSVP'd to attend the forum as of Saturday evening, according to Leslie Cook, Student Government’s secretary of government and academic affairs, who is also helping plan the event. Student Government was awaiting responses from 25 others.

“The intended audience for the event is students,” said Williams, who works with Cook in Student Government's Executive Cabinet, “We don’t want departmental attendance to overshadow student attendance.”

Cook, whose position in Student Government includes work with advising and other academic aspects of student life at Mason, will examine the data after the forum, with the next step being determined by student feedback, according to Williams.

"If we do not hear many grievances, then we may do nothing,” said Williams. “The more information we have, the better idea we'll have of what we should do next.” The forum does not advocate for any specific reform, according to Williams.

The current advising system used by most departments, known as the “one-to-one” system, assigns each student a single advisor and has “proved unpopular with both students and advisors,” according to Williams.

Students seem to be “very happy” with alternative set-ups, according to Cook. The Government and International Politics department recently switched from the one-to-one system to a “three-tier” advising system, which separates underclassman, upperclassman/graduate, and non-major advising into different branches, in addition to providing walk-in advising assistance. The English department runs off of walk-in advising.

"[U]ltimately, departments decide how they are run," said Williams, "[But] what we do know is that we have been receiving enough student complaints to justify hosting a forum to see what reforms [Student Government] can pursue and in what manner."

The forum will take place Tuesday in Lecture Hall 1 at 5 p.m.

Students with academic advising-related stories or questions can contact Williams directly at awillil@gmu.edu.

C2M Executive Editor Kevin Loker contributed to this report.

UPDATE: Saturday, Nov. 26 8:45 p.m.

Cook confirmed the following faculty members and staff as RSVP'd for the event:

• Marcelle Heerschap, Dean of Student Academic Affairs, Academic Advising & Transfer Center
• Kimberly Carisi, Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Forensic Science Program
• Catherine Wright, Undergraduate Academic Advisor, Communication
• Alison O'Brien, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, School of Management
• Jamie Cooper, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, CHSS & COS Undergraduate Academic Affairs
• Matt Green, Academic Coordinator, Public and International Affairs

Cook said Student Government is waiting to hear back from 25 others.

The piece has been updated from its original version to reflect the confirmations.