May 3, 2005
NEWSAdvisement seeks ways to reduce long waits
As MCC’s admission skyrockets at the beginning of each school year, so does the demand for advisers.
Students who recently visited the advisement center to enroll in summer and fall 2005 classes, were left wondering, what is being done to relieve these extremely long waits?
MCC is the Valley’s most populated community college, with more than 27,000 students enrolled, leaving college administrators keeping a close eye on the long waits in enrollment, financial aid and in the cashier’s office caused by enormous growth.
The advisers agree that more needs to be done to aid the long waits.
Currently, when a student needs to see an adviser, they will log into the advisement offices computer registry and receive a pager so that they can wait to be seen.
“More statistics are being made available to college administrators to prove that more advisers and different alternatives are needed,” said Kathy Silberman, one of the seven full-time academic advisers at MCC’s Southern and Dobson campus.
Which poses a question: Is there sufficient space available to retain a large number of students and advisers?
“We’ve definitely got a space problem, because there isn’t space for them to sit,” said Silberman.
Many students who have had to wait 30 minutes to an hour or more for an adviser, understand that extra advisers during the busy season are needed.
Students who need an adviser solely for signatures, which are needed for classes that require a prerequisite that hasn’t been met yet, can now make a request for a “signature only” adviser.
In turn this is being done to “cut out” the students who don’t have degree pathway questions.
“It can be irritable to have to set aside an hour or two to meet with an adviser, especially because we have classes to go to, homework to do, and jobs to be at,” said Cherise Montoya, a dental hygiene major.
The advisement office offers a few tips to reduce students wait for the fall rush.
Months such as March, July, August, November, and December are the busiest for student advisement. MCC students can now use the Internet to speak with a “live” online adviser for any questions that need to be answered. To do so visit, www.mc.maricopa.edu/services/student_services/online/chat/.
Finally, degree pathway checklists can be found online as well at MCC’s home page.
The checklist is a guide for classes required for their degree, they can potentially cut-out the whole second visit to the advisement center.
The advisement center wants all students to have a “smooth and speedy experience” while in their offices this fall.