With class registration for the spring semester opening within the next week, the School of Communication still does not have a full-time advisor replacement. However, the university is in the “offer” phase for the position, according to an email sent last Wednesday from Molly McClelland, assistant vice president of academic affairs and student success and interim academic advisor for the School of Communication.
“While it’s tough to replace someone I relied on as a dear colleague and friend for so many years, we are in the offer phase for a new CSS coordinator,” McClelland said in the email. “Given the timing, we’ll be working as a team to support your spring registration needs.”
The email also stated that Emily Quidetto, the previous academic advisor for the School of Communication, stayed behind the scenes to make sure academic records were up to date through the drop period in mid-September. Quidetto announced in August that she was taking on the role of the coordinator of planning and assessment in the Institutional Research department.
Robert Fornataro, a freshman broadcast reporting and sports communication major, said that registering for classes for the first time is stressful amid the current academic advisor situation.
“It’s been hard without a full-time advisor because my schedule is very busy, and having to worry about if I am able to discuss what I need to with an advisor is hard,” Fornataro said. “I’m also attempting to double major and minor in dance which makes it even more complicated.”
Despite this, Fornataro said he thinks the current offering stage of the position is “hasty.”
“I think the offer was hasty, and that the repercussions were not discussed enough,” Fornataro said. “This change has affected a lot of students, including my friends, and made scheduling a nightmare for the fall semester. I think the offer should’ve waited.”
Julie Lignoski, a senior graphic designer, said that it has been difficult not having a full-time academic advisor.
“As a transfer student and senior, I’m always having questions,” Lignoski said. “But it’s confusing and difficult on who to go to.”
Lignoski said that she most likely will have to stay an extra year to complete her degree.
“There are classes I have to take in a certain order, but they always seem to offer classes in the evenings on Tuesdays in the spring,” Lignoski said. “If we had an advisor specifically for school of comm, maybe there would have been a way around this.”
Here is the class registration schedule for the spring semester:
Thursday, Nov. 2- Honors, Veterans, Athletes
Monday, Nov. 6- Seniors- 90+ credits
Wednesday, Nov. 8- Juniors- 60-89 credits
Monday, Nov. 13- Sophomores- 30-59 credits
Wednesday, Nov. 15- Freshmen- 0-29 credits
Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on each date on PointWeb.
