As we all know KSU is growing at a very rapid rate, currently having more than 24,000 students enrolled and where there is demand, there has to be a supply to match. With an influx of 3,248 freshmen, first year advising has become a relevant topic on campus. Some students are saying first year and undeclared students are having trouble getting advised because the department is understaffed. On paper, when the number of freshmen is compared to the six full-time advisers and one part-time adviser, the odds don’t look very promising for the first year advisers. Of course, what’s on paper doesn’t always reflect the reality of the situation.
When visiting Willingham Hall, where the first year advising department is located, the reception area appeared empty of freshmen and undeclared students. Mr. Brian Glankler was surprised at the concerns circulating about the department because he has “received no complaints from students or faculty.” He also said the department sees an estimated “2,500 students each semester” and this number is comprised of both scheduled visits and walk-ins. So what is going on to make advising seem like such a difficult task for KSU’s new students?
Dr. Robert Mattox, Director of the Counseling and Advising Program Services Center, confirmed that he “has personally gotten no complaints” either, and overall, “though the student population has increased, our advisers are experienced and very efficient.” However, this still leads back to the previous question. Are the new students just ignoring their equired advisement sessions until the last minute, causing a longer wait time during the end of the semester or is it something altogether different?
The issue was explained by Dr. Mattox in an interview: advertising. While that exact word was not used, this is exactly what the issue at hand is boiling down to. During orientation, new students are told about the required advisement meetings and they take a tour of the campus, including being shown where Willingham Hall is, but when students are bombarded with new places, policies and people, it isn’t hard to forget some of what they are being told. Not only are they taking in all of this information at once, but during orientation, 500 students are serviced together making the scene even more chaotic.
In a hypothetical situation, take one of these new students who just so happened to remember he has to meet with an adviser. He probably doesn’t remember the building that advising is in and turns to the next likely source: Kennesaw’s website. There are multiple avenues leading to first year and undeclared advising, but none of these are paths that are obvious or just one click away. Finding it online is almost a guessing game: does the student click current or prospective students? Where does he go after that when none of the tabs specifically say advising? In this scenario, the student is probably busy with incoming school work and will continue to put off the required advising until it gets down to the last minute. This, happening to multiple students, leads to a rush of students upon the advisers in a short amount of time.
With accessibility working against the advising department and students waiting until the last minute, this concern of understaffing became the rumor result. Students must plan accordingly and schedule a visit with the department before the end of the semester. The department can be contacted by phone 678-797-2860, Kennesaw website and Facebook. In regards to the difficulty of locating first year and undeclared advising on KSU’s website, Dr. Mattox has spoken with IT personnel. He hopes to have advising as a prominent tab or link on the website in the near future. If the IT department can help them out, the staff of first year and undeclared students might not remain to be misrepresented.
