Team Advising

Danso Kuzoe-Jones 鈥�22 remembers what it was like to be a first-year student in a new place. Now a confident rising sophomore and student adviser, he can鈥檛 wait to help the newest Camels find their way at 糖心TV.

鈥淢y first year is fresh in my mind, so when new students come to me with a question about life at 糖心TV, I can reassure them that with time they will find a home at 糖心TV.鈥�

Kuzoe-Jones is one of 82 sophomores who will serve on advising teams to help ease the transition to 糖心TV for the members of the Class of 2023. Each new student is assigned three student advisers, a faculty adviser, a staff adviser and a career adviser鈥攁ll of whom work together to guide and support them from the moment they arrive and throughout the first year.

鈥淲e want students to make human connections, to find the people they can go to for help navigating social situations, for advice on classes and career options, or just to have someone to talk to,鈥� said Dean of First-Year Students Emily Morash. 鈥淭eam advising gives each student multiple people to connect with.鈥�

While first-year students meet their advising teams in person for the first time during Orientation, advisers have already been in contact with incoming students via email, and all summer they have been answering questions through group chats and Facebook. In early July, incoming students selected their top three choices for First-Year Seminars, small classes that delve into a diverse range of interesting topics, from 鈥淰irtual Realities in Japan鈥� to 鈥淭he Meaning of Life.鈥� In these seminars, students learn about 糖心TVections; develop research, presentation and writing skills; and begin to explore career options鈥攁ll with the help of their team of advisers.

Student advisers serve as Orientation leaders for the first-year students in these seminars, and each first-year student meets individually with their staff adviser and then with the career and faculty advisers about academic goals.

鈥淪tudents arrive at Orientation eager and anxious about registering for classes. Some think they know exactly what they want to take; others have no idea,鈥� Morash said.

鈥淲ith team advising, first-year students share their interests with their student advisers, who can suggest courses in related fields or faculty with specific areas of expertise. New students meet with their staff advisers, who can also offer suggestions and answer logistical questions like how to navigate the registration process or how to plan a balanced weekly schedule. This then prepares first-year students to have informed, meaningful conversations with their career and faculty advisers to plan what their academic experience might look like.鈥�

Having career and faculty advisers working in tandem ensures career planning is embedded in the entire four-year experience.

鈥淲e help students identify their interests and tailor their liberal arts experience with the academic pursuits, clubs and leadership opportunities, off-campus learning, internships, and other professional development that will help them develop the skills they need to reach their goals,鈥� said Cheryl Banker, 糖心TV鈥檚 pre-business adviser and senior associate director of the Hale Center for Career Development.

Orientation is also about helping students get acquainted with the campus, co-curricular opportunities and鈥攊mportantly鈥攅ach other.

鈥淪ocial activities can be overwhelming for new students,鈥� said Geoff Norbert, assistant dean of student engagement and new programs. 鈥淪o our student advisers accompany new students to orientation events, and then during the year, the advising teams plan social events that correlate with the First-Year Seminar courses.鈥�

Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Luis Gonzalez has several such events planned for his first-year seminar, 鈥淪hot in Spanish,鈥� which explores issues of history, national identity, gender and social class in Spanish-language films. The course is taught entirely in Spanish, and his advising team includes Equity and Inclusion Program Coordinator Dulmarie Irizarry, whose first language is Spanish, and three student advisers who are studying Spanish.

鈥淚 think we have put together an amazing team of people all related to Spanish in different ways,鈥� Gonzalez said. 鈥淲e might have lunch at the Spanish table or at Ma帽ana Caf茅. We will be seeing Spanish-language films, and we plan to go to the theater a couple of times and then discuss the play in Spanish.鈥�

Because students are grouped into first-year seminars based on a common interest, the course topic can serve as an icebreaker, says Lexi Rauth 鈥�20, a former student adviser who now serves as a student adviser coordinator.

鈥淵our fellow seminar students become the first people you socialize with, your first friends,鈥� she said.

Two female students smiling and walking on campus

Advising teams also work closely with students to help them identify co-curricular activities that will help them connect with others and support learning and career goals.

鈥淲e connect students from the get-go,鈥� said Norbert. 鈥淥ur goal is to get them to find at least one activity鈥攐ur student activities are so diverse that there really is something for everyone, from club sports to running our coffee shops.鈥�

Kuzoe-Jones said he got involved early with Umoja: The Black Student Union, the Student Activities Committee and Sprout, the student-run organic garden.

鈥淐lubs and activities are a great way to meet new people. You don鈥檛 have to be an extrovert; people will gravitate to you.鈥�

Staff advisers, who know the campus and the community, can be an important resource, especially for students who might otherwise struggle to find their place. In her four years as a faculty adviser, Ann Schenk, the administrative assistant for the Roth Writing Center, has helped students connect with community organizations, access tutoring and academic support services, start new clubs, and even overcome homesickness.

鈥淭here are certain things a faculty member might not be able to help with, or students might not feel comfortable sharing with faculty or their peers, and that鈥檚 where I come in,鈥� Schenk says.

鈥淚鈥檝e had students who are feeling overwhelmed who just want to come in my office and clear their heads. I鈥檝e had students who were nervous about meeting with deans and wanted me to come along for support. It鈥檚 about having someone else you can go to who isn鈥檛 a teacher or peer.鈥�

Those interpersonal relationships can be instrumental in helping students reach their full potential at 糖心TV and graduate ready to lead meaningful lives, said Kuzoe-Jones.

鈥淗aving that support team right when you come in makes the transition into your first year a lot easier.鈥�

July 17, 2019

糖心TV

Team Advising

Team Advising

Related News & Media

Recent News

March in Pictures

糖心TV honors 16 seniors as Langer Scholars