The BB H Advising Process
University policy (Policies and rules, A guide for Students) states that the role of the academic advisor is consultative in nature and is not one of granting or denying administrative approval to students for particular academic procedures or actions (Policy 32-10). As specified in Policy 32-20, advisers should be prepared to carry out the following functions: information giving, short-range program planning, long-range planning, conveying the purpose of the University, and student referral.
Each undergraduate program in the College of Health and Human Development has a "pre-major adviser" who works for the unit to advise freshman, non-declared sophomores and other students who are not yet officially in the major. Dr. Susannah Barsom is the pre-major adviser for Biobehavioral Health; she meets with pre-major advisees in 315D HHD East (by appointment or drop-in). Students choosing to major in BB H will be assigned to Daniel Treviņo, the Academic Advisor of the undergraduate BB H program, at the time they enter BB H at the University Park campus. They will be reassigned to a BB H faculty advisor by the start of the next semester. The faculty advisor will provide career related advising. Students are urged to consult with their faculty advisor as soon as possible to discuss interests and to plan how they will tailor their curriculum to their own individual interests and post-graduate goals. This plan will guide the selection of courses in the BB H curriculum. It is important to start the process of planning early, because many courses are taught only in the fall or spring semesters, and some advanced courses have prerequisites. It is a good practice to get a copy of your current degree audit from eLion and review it before meeting with your faculty advisor.
Advising is sometimes a difficult, complicated, and time-consuming process. Students should try to schedule appointments with their advisor as early as possible in order to avoid "last-minute" and "rushed" advising. Advisors will make every effort to provide timely and accurate advice. Since some of the BB H advisors are new to BB H and to the Penn State system, there may be times when the advisor may not know the answer to your question. In some situations the advisor may need additional time to obtain accurate and up-to-date information. In other instances, your advisor may contact or send you to Frank Ahern, the Professor-in-Charge of the BB H undergraduate program, to help with an advising problem. You should always talk with your advisor first. Dr. Ahern may also need time to help you with complicated problems. Please be assured: you are not getting the "run-around;" BB H faculty take the advising process seriously and will make every effort to get correct and appropriate information regarding any of your academic problems. Please do not seek advice from Frank Ahern without first talking with your advisor. If you are officially in BB H, please do not seek advice from Dr. Barsom unless referred by Frank Ahern. Sometimes Dr. Barsom will ask that you and your advisor meet together with her. In a joint consultation the student gets the answers at the same time as the advisor learns how to determine the answer in the future.
Please note: Students preparing for admission to professional programs in medicine, physician assistant, physical therapy, etc. should seek specific admission information from the schools to which they plan to apply.
There are certain actions which are appropriate to discuss with one's faculty adviser, but which also require a "Dean's Office" consultation and approval. These include Independent Learning (correspondence) courses, Faculty Senate petitions, Leave of Absence and Withdrawal from the University. Students should go to the Student Services Center in 215 Henderson to consult on these matters. Most can be handled as "intake" without an appointment but senate petitions typically require an appointment to have enough time.
Responsibilities of the Advisee
- To be aware that final responsibility for selecting courses and meeting degree requirements belongs to the advisee. An advisor can suggest, recommend, and remind the student of rules and requirements, but the advisee has the primary responsibility for meeting degree requirements.
- To obtain a copy of the current degree audit and to monitor it as requirements are fulfilled.
- To inform the advisor of changes which affect academic performance and educational goals.
- To take advantage of registration priority and to complete the telephone registration process each semester and to use the Internet for list of current course offerings.
- To be familiar with the published academic rules and regulations of the University.
- To discuss with the advisor unsatisfactory academic performance and its implications as well as to develop a program of action.
Responsibilities of the Advisor
- To be knowledgeable about the program in which s/he advises.
- To inform the advisee of changes in the degree program.
- To communicate and emphasize the advisee's responsibility for satisfying degree requirements.
- To assist the freshman advisee in developing a well-planned exploratory program to facilitate choice of major and career.
- To assist the student in career planning.
- To be familiar with published academic rules and regulations of the University and to maintain an up-to-date academic advising reference file containing current program, college, and University materials pertinent to advising.
- To assist the advisee in planning a suitable schedule of classes, at least one semester in advance.
- To establish, post, and maintain adequate office hours throughout the semester with particular emphasis given to the advanced registration and the add/drop period.
- To keep records of the advisee's progress, including a copy of the current degree audit, notes on meetings with the advisee and copies of any documents related to transfer credits.
- To discuss with the advisee his/her academic performance and its implications.
- To refer the advisee to appropriate sources of information and services.