Community College of Rhode IslandAdvising & Counseling maps the way for students
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This is the first in a series of articles profiling CCRI departments and services.
It’s a typical day for the advising and counseling staff on each of the three main campuses. Registration has been open for a little less than a week, and students are coming in to ask questions about courses, scheduling, and other concerns that are typical for this time of the school year.
Warwick
A student on the Warwick campus walks into advisor Mike Basileo’s office. She wants to register for fall courses, but there are two that she cannot get into. One is due to a scheduling conflict and another because she doesn’t have the prerequisite, but she has an override form.
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Basileo takes care of the problem easily. While doing so, he asks her about her plans. “Do you want to transfer?” he asks. “You want to be a teacher, right?”
The student explains that she would like to transfer to Rhode Island College to get her bachelor’s degree, and then go to an out-of-state college for her master’s. But she is concerned about her GPA. She is not doing well in her math course, and would like to take it over in the summer.
“If I don’t do well in math this summer, what happens next semester?”
Basileo encourages her to do her best and that “we’ll worry about that situation if it happens.” This is not said dismissively, but reassuringly, so she knows that if there is a problem, he will be there to help.
“When a student comes in, whether she is 18 years old or 40, I look at our relationship as a partnership,” Basileo explains.
Lincoln
Brenda McGill, coordinator of advising and counseling in Lincoln, speaks in a calm, soft voice as she works with a student who is obviously wanting help, but very hesitant to give any information. She masterfully extracts the information she needs while not relieving the students of his responsibility.
“There is a catalog there,” McGill says. “I want you to find your major to see what you’ve taken and what you need.”
McGill’s instructional style clearly reflects her philosophy of what it means to be an advisor.
“My theory is that I will teach you everything you need to know so you are totally prepared when you leave.”
McGill also plays a role as an academic-success enforcer when a student comes in with a hold on his account because of academic probation.
“This hold is put there to make sure you are OK. We want to make sure you have the support systems in place to do well,” she explains.
As the student leaves, McGill says sincerely, “It was wonderful to meet you,” then prompts, “I will see you regularly, right?”
Providence
Leisa Young, director of advising and counseling at Providence campus, has been an advisor for 18 years. She has seen many terrified students taking that first step toward education, and many proud students taking that step onto the stage to get their diplomas. She even has a ‘Wall of Fame’ displaying photographs of many of the students she has advised – a wall that also serves to motivate other students.
“It is a small community,” Young explained. “Students see someone on the wall that they know and it motivates them.”
Because of the diverse population and number of non-traditional students in Providence, Young explains that her staff takes a holistic approach to advising and counseling.
“We look at all aspects of the student’s life. We even give referrals to food pantries and clothing resources. We create that kind of atmosphere where students feel comfortable talking to us about those things,” she says.
Adding it Up
The numbers are impressive. A minimum of 22,000 students are helped by the Office of Advising and Counseling in a one-year period. In addition, more than 10,000 students in one year have been tested on Accuplacer. The department also runs new-student orientations seven months out of the year, holds workshops on topics such as career exploration and time management, and offers short-term personal counseling.
But looking at the numbers alone can obscure the most important service the department offers: the one-on-one, undivided and unrushed attention students get when meeting with a counselor.
This attention, however, is becoming increasingly difficult to provide. With as much as 50 percent of the student population having mandatory holds on their records requiring them to see an advisor, advising and counseling is seeing a large increase in the number of students coming into the office.
These student/advisor meetings occur, according to Assistant Dean of Student Development and Assessment Robert Cipolla, because the advising and counseling department plays a critical role in enforcing the college’s initiatives aimed at improving academic success and student retention.
“Three key initiatives that the college has put in place are mandatory testing and orientation, the implementation of an academic standards policy and a mandatory placement hold,” Cipolla says.
Lisa Mallozzi, coordinator of advising and counseling at the Warwick campus, is quick to give the staff high praise, pointing out that it would be impossible to fulfill this critical role without the hard work and dedication of the advisors.
“They’re so motivated,” Mallozzi said. “When they work 12 hours a day without complaining, you can see how committed they are to helping students.”
Millie Blessing, recently named coordinator of advising and counseling for the Newport County campus, was unable to talk with us before deadline.
