Students Pack Advisement Center as Deadlines Near

As the deadline for late registration approaches, more and more SUNY Rockland students can be found clustering in the Academic Advisement Center, located on the second floor of the Technology Building. Although the lines to meet with advisors is long, they move swiftly due to the efficiency of the secretaries, coordinators, and faculty advisors in the center.

To avoid mass confusion during the "rush period" for registration, the Advisement Center placed a desk near the entrance into the office, where student secretary Alexarae Vasquez and co-coordinator of Academic Advisement Joan DeLisser, helped students get cleared for classes or place them with a faculty advisor.

"The Academic Advisement Center acts as a clearing house for students to find information about classes and get cleared," DeLisser said. "Students can receive standard advisement about the SUNY general education requirements and also address any career issues that they have."

Additionally, the center set up a 50 seat waiting area in the career/transfer

area adjacent to the sign-in desk. Instead of standing in a long, seemingly endless line, students are given a number and can keep themselves occupied with the computers and college resource books.

However, the "number system" is only reserved for days when the lines are extremely extensive and even then, the waiting time is never more than a few minutes, Delisser said.

Although the center has only been in existence for five years, it's become a centralized resource that students can utilize at their convenience. New students are able to meet one-on-one with highly trained adjunct professors and full-time faculty members.

"Advisement isn't a transaction—it's an interaction between a student and advisor," said co-coordinator of Academic Advisement Joe Planck.

In order to ensure that the Advisement Center is accurately targeting the needs of students, surveys are distributed for students to fill out as a way to voice their opinions of how to improve the advisement process.

Even though the primary goal for the staff in the Advisement Center is to ensure that students are taken care of in respect to their schedules, transfer questions, or any other class-related questions, the coordinators also stress the importance of registering for classes on time to avoid the late registration hassle.

"The registration process is a seamless pipeline…students can enroll in Admissions on the first floor of the Tech building, take their placement exam on the third floor and then come here for advisement," explained DeLisser. "But it really helps if students apply early."

In addition to all that the Academic Advisement Center provides, it is also closely linked with the learning communities project being implemented on campus. Overall, the center provides students with various resources that will help them receive a degree and create a path for their future endeavors.

resource area adjacent to the sign-in desk. Instead of standing in a long, seemingly endless line, students are given a number and can keep themselves occupied with the computers and college resource books.

However, the "number system" is only reserved for days when the lines are extremely extensive and even then, the waiting time is never more than a few minutes, Delisser said.

Although the center has only been in existence for five years, it's become a centralized resource that students can utilize at their convenience. New students are able to meet one-on-one with highly trained adjunct professors and full-time faculty members.

"Advisement isn't a transaction—it's an interaction between a student and advisor," said co-coordinator of Academic Advisement Joe Planck.

In order to ensure that the Advisement Center is accurately targeting the needs of students, surveys are distributed for students to fill out as a way to voice their opinions of how to improve the advisement process.

Even though the primary goal for the staff in the Advisement Center is to ensure that students are taken care of in respect to their schedules, transfer questions, or any other class-related questions, the coordinators also stress the importance of registering for classes on time to avoid the late registration hassle.

"The registration process is a seamless pipeline…students can enroll in Admissions on the first floor of the Tech building, take their placement exam on the third floor and then come here for advisement," explained DeLisser. "But it really helps if students apply early."

In addition to all that the Academic Advisement Center provides, it is also closely linked with the learning communities project being implemented on campus. Overall, the center provides students with various resources that will help them receive a degree and create a path for their future endeavors.