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Some students unhappy with UA advising

UA junior David Priniski's biggest problem this semester hasn't been navigating his way through construction.

Instead, Priniski had been trying to find an academic adviser who can help answer questions about his classes.

A former music major, Priniski said he did not have trouble finding the necessary information until he switched to an undecided major.

"If you have a major you've got someone to help you," he said. "But if you change majors, no one wants to help you. It seems like once you lose direction in this institution, you're lost in finding someone to get you back on track."

Priniski encountered his first roadblock at the Freshman Year Center.

After deciding to switch majors, Priniski relied on the help of the FYC staff members to find out which of his credits would apply to a new major.

He was told because he was not a freshman they could not help him.

"Advising should be for all students," he said.

Priniski turned to the resources at the academic advising office. There, advisers told him they could see him in two weeks.

"It doesn't help if you're getting penciled in for two weeks from now when you're trying to make a class schedule," he said.

Priniski said several other advisers offered him pamphlets they believed offered "magical answers."

"Everyone redirects you to someone else," he said. "I felt like I was getting the run around."

At the suggestion of a friend, Priniski turned to Jennifer Jenkins, an assistant humanities professor and adviser in the humanities department, and found the answers to his questions.

"It seems like one out of every 20 advisers cares about their job," he said. "But when you find that one person, they're really good at their job."

While Priniski said he felt lost trying to maneuver his way through the UA's bureaucracy, he is one of many students with complaints about the university's academic advising services.

A 1997-1998 survey showed that 42 percent of undergraduates had to speak with many different advisors to find the information they sought, according to the University of Arizona Office of Curricular and Enrollment Research.

Another 38 percent had trouble making appointments with advisers, the survey stated.

The Arizona Board of Regents agreed with the students' disappointment with the advising services offered.

The Regents' 1999 annual report card of the three state universities said UA academic advising "needs improvement."

"It's not right when students are having a problem here," said Regents President Hank Amos.

Amos suggested advisers and students discuss the problems and reach a solution together.

"Advising has a direct correlation with graduation rates," he said.

While advising is still problematic for students, the situation has improved, said regent Rudy Campbell.

The Regents' report card indicates that one to two percent more students are satisfied with advising than last year.

The curricular and enrollment research office's 1997-1998 survey indicates that 58 percent of respondents had to seek assistance from several different advisers before finding the help they needed, and only 36 percent had difficulty making an appointment.

"It's constantly in need of improvement," Campbell said. "There's no way you can ever have too much advising."

UA advising officials could not be reached for comment.