Dartmouth's convoluted advising system which is known for bouncing students in search of answers between campus offices has long been in need of an overhaul. Acknowledging this, we are optimistic about the potential of College President Jim Yong Kim's plan for a new, streamlined College advising system that will centralize students' needs ("Kim plans to alter student advising," May 13). In order to provide a truly useful, effective service for students, however, there are a few important issues that Kim and other administrators must bear in mind in the months ahead.
As Kim recognizes, reform would have to consider a physical reordering, since various departments are currently scattered across campus from Career Services, which is located on South Main Street, to peer advising programs which operate out of Dick's House. Clearly, providing the space to jointly house Dartmouth's advising system would take time, but the administration must first decide whether most or any of the current departments would be better served by moving to another location. It may be most practical to keep the current branches of advising intact and instead have a single representative at the central advising hub. This would still alleviate students' confusion as to where to initially go without requiring a massive upheaval of campus' current construction.
Additionally, choosing which advising departments ought to be consolidated in the central structure may lead to a reevaluation of each group's effectiveness. A successful advising system would likely integrate, or even combine, student advisors such as Deans Office Student Consultants, Graduate Advisors, Undergraduate Advisors, Eating Disorder Peer Advisors and Sexperts. Given the various aims and successes of these different programs, this review would also provide an excellent opportunity to consider bolstering those that function well and eliminating those whose work could done by more effective groups.
The administration must also be wary of consolidating resources too much, lest advising become cloistered and inaccessible. Currently, there is a perceived negative stigma surrounding Parkhurst, and it is essential that this stigma does not pervade other departments. Students need to be comfortable going to one location for mundane questions about major cards and funding, as well as for serious academic, disciplinary or health concerns. Mitigating the potential discomfort that could ensue if a student negotiating a crisis encounters a peer sorting out scholarship awards in the waiting room will not be an easy task. While Kim may compare the new system's delivery of services to a hospital's emergency room, what students need at a time of potential vulnerability is a humane, not clinical, touch. A mechanized and impersonal advising process, designed for efficiency, would drive apprehensive students away even faster than the current system.
Executed with due care, the creation of a new advising system could serve our community well by putting resources to their most efficient use, encouraging students to seek help and alleviating the stresses of dealing with difficult situations. We hope the administration considers the downfalls as well as the benefits of a new advising system by evaluating how its restructuring will affect students from all corners of campus.
