Imagine getting an inside scoop on classes at Cal State Long Beach and hearing everything a faculty adviser wouldn’t share, like first-hand experiences with professors, homework and certain activities – all from students who share the same major as the advisee.
Students may soon be able to seek peer advisers for additional academic advising this semester, as Associated Students Inc. plans to create a new student-run advising program in the Maxson Center.
“Standard advising is increasingly harder to come by,” ASI Chief of Staff Jorge Soriano said. “[The] university has cut advising times, and much of the faculty don’t have the resources or time to advise like they used to.”
According to Soriano, the ASI Peer Advising Program would supplement, not serve as a substitute, to current mandatory advising by the University Center for Undergraduate Advising and individual departments on campus.
Rather than focus solely on academics, however, advisers in the ASI program would help students explore extracurricular activities and ensure they don’t experience a heavy course-load, according to the ASI Peer Advising Program proposal.
“[It would] not be part of SOAR,” Soriano said. “It will be completely independent from other advising places on campus.”
According to Soriano, ASI still needs to hire student advisers and have them undergo training before the program can open. According to the proposal, student advisers would have to be certified by both advisers at the Undergraduate Center for Undergraduate Advising and in their individual departments.
“We’re looking to see if the departments will cooperate [with us] and train the new advisers with the [established] course pattern,” Soriano said.
Secretary for Academic Affairs and one of the ASI Peer Advising Program proposal’s co-authors, Zien Halwani, said the proposal has been well received by students.
“At first Jorge [Soriano] and I wanted to tackle [general education] advising, but we were told that [it] would be too complicated,” Halwani said. “We pursued a departmental approach … [and] it seems that Soriano has received positive reaction by taking that route.”
ASI has secured funding and a location for the advising center; however, the program will only affect 11 departments once it opens, according to Soriano.
“Depending on the student reaction, levels of use, availability of funds, cooperation from departments and a number of other factors, it may not come back next year,” Soriano said. “Only 11 departments have been selected for the pilot.”
The 11 departments include international business, accountancy, finance, anthropology, international studies, economics, theatre arts, art, criminal justice, nursing and kinesiology, Soriano said.
Rae Obnimaga, a freshman civil engineering major, said he likes the idea of having student advising.
“Both methods of having a student and a faculty adviser would be definitely helpful,” Obnimaga said. “The people wanting advising can talk to other students [with] a perspective that is similar.”
For senior history major Roscoe Reed, having student advising would be more advantageous.
“I think it’s a good idea because it’s going to be run by people who have taken the professors and know more than sites like [Ratemyprofessor.com],” Reed said.
ASI will also pay the advisers, according to the proposal. Those who are hired would only be allowed to advise students in their own major, according to the proposal.
According to Soriano, the program could open as early as April once student advisers have been hired and trained.