Academic Advising discussed in workgroup

Students Senate postpones charter resubmissions

Student Senators discussed issues of advising and improving student life at their meeting last Sunday.

The Senate meeting opened with the introduction of Michele Gross, director of operations for Student Union Conference Center. She said she attended the meeting "to [become] more actively involved [in the Senate]" and to determine how she can help with Senate's needs and requests.

As the Senate tried to move through its agenda, questions were raised over procedural details. Between agenda items, senator sophomore Blair Heiserman said, "It would be nice to see some dedication or some focus, but maybe that would be asking too much." The group did proceed to focus on issues in its separated work-groups for teh next 45 minutes.

The Academic Affairs workgroup, headed by senator sophomore Joshua Kaye, talked about credit hours, teaching certification and advising. "What's up with credit hours?" asked senator senior Noah Bopp, in reference to the question of how teachers formulate the number of credits their classes are worth. Bopp will meet with Assistant Dean of the College Carol Lasser concerning credit hours.

The next topic was teaching certification. "It's absurd that we don't have [a teaching certification program] because people who come here like to teach," Bopp said.

A discussion of faculty advising followed. "First-year advising sucks," senator senior Matt Cole said.

Last semester, a survey on advising was passed out to students by the Student Senate Distribution and Advising Committee, which has been using the feedback provided by these surveys to discuss advising. Cole said, "I would like to see ... [the surveys] kept over the years, files compiled and used to help decide merit pay."

Senate unanimously approved the Student Affairs Committee's decision to give positions on the Standing Committee on Pluralism and Equality (SCOPE) to college sophomores Sam Krasnow and Gloria Gonzalez.

A proposal to postpone charter resubmissions was approved, with 13 in favor and two against. The purpose of this decision is to "delay the rechartering process until a definite set of chartering rules are passed by the Student Life Committee and General Faculty," wrote Heiserman, author of the proposal.

A procedure, written by Cole, to be used for inviting non-senators to Senate meetings was unanimously approved. Director of Research Ross Peacock will be invited to this Sunday's meetings through the new procedures.