i said i would write in the mornings...

[kismet09]

so here i am

58 minutes until the appointments start up again. Students have to see an advisor before they register. Most of my advisees' appointments are coming up in the next 2-3 days, which means a lot of frantic students who don't know that they need to see me - despite the three emails I've sent them, and the letter they received from Academic Services - will start flooding my office and begging for appointments. Sigh.

Had my first stoned advisee yesterday. After two years at Grinnell, I know without a doubt when students are high. He stumbled in, disheveled hair, shorts (in 30 degree weather), 1 1/2 hours late for his appointment. Saying he just woke up, he plopped himself down on my couch and sprawled out, expecting to be advised.

Normally, I'd send such students away, telling them they missed their appointment, and that they have to reschedule, but I was feeling friendly and vaguely sadistic, and I really like messing with students when their clouded brains don't realize I'm doing it, so we had a lovely little appointment, and he left.

This is the same student whose father chased me down during Orientation demanding that his son be allowed to take Calc, Chem, Bio, Physics and Computer Science this semester, as a first semester first year student, saying it would be easy for his son. This is one of the times when I wish for a temporary repeal on FERPA, so I could call his father and relay this story to him.

Let's hope today produces stories as entertaining as that one. And let's hope that I can get away with not talking much so that I can make it through the three hour rehearsal tonight.

Good thing I brought my lunch since I seem to have forgotten my stupid wallet again. Sigh.

Comments

[raencloud.livejournal.com]

Mmm, FERPA. I keep predicting the downfall of FERPA because of the parents and students I keep running into.. we'll see about that. : )

Is it mandatory advising for everyone there, or just people enrolled in a program? They just started mandatory advising here and I was curious.

Re:

[kismet09.livejournal.com]

We're mandatory advising, all years, all majors. Pretty fancy, really, and it means a lot of overworked advisors in the advising center, which is why I got my job with the biology department. Once students hit sophomore status, they're farmed out to faculty advisors, so I only have to handle the first years, and the second years who have failed enough to not hit 30 credits.

[raencloud.livejournal.com]

That is pretty fancy stuff. We just switched to mandatory advising for all freshmen, regardless of major. It's been a struggle.. but we just added a ton of new academic advisors, because that was one of our strategic initiatives. Our advising office sucked hardcore when I was coming through..

Man, I am a higher ed geek. I am way too interested in this kind of stuff. : )