Allyson Dean from the College of Education shared information about OSU’s Education Double Degree program at today’s Advisor Coffee Talk.  The Education Double Degree allows students to earn a second degree in Education alongside their primary degree in the subject matter they wish to teach.  Interested students should attend one of the “How to Become a Teacher” group advising sessions, held every Monday and Tuesday at 10:00a.m. in Furman Hall 104.

For the Winter 2014 Professional Development session, we were joined by Dr. Allison Davis-White Eyes, Oscar Humberto Montemayor, and Charlene Martinez from Intercultural Student Services (ISS).  First, the team shared about the purpose and mission of ISS as well as who they serve, new programs, and resources.  2013-14 is a year of transition for ISS in which they are re-examining how they can best serve OSU students in the 21st century.  The ISS team then led advisors in activities, discussion, and reflection centered on helping advisors understand the multiple dimensions of their own identity and how an individual may be a member of both advantaged and targeted social groups.  We then discussed ways in which our identity may influence how students perceive and interact with us in the advising context.  ISS has kindly shared their Presentation as well as the handouts Identity Wheel and Matrix of Oppression that were used during this Advisor Coffee Talk.  They also provided the following suggested readings from Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (2007): Knowing Our Students and Knowing Ourselves.

Charlene announced the new Arts in Social Justice Living Learning Community that will begin Fall 2014 in Wilson Hall.  ISS also has several upcoming events that you can share with your advisees.

We will leave you with an inspirational quote shared at today’s talk:  “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” – Laozi (shared by Oscar Humberto Montemayor)

Tom Watts from the Registrar’s Office discussed the advisor’s role in petition processes, including both Academic Requirements Committee petitions for late registration changes, and the Academic Standing Committee petitions for reinstatement by exception (for suspended students).  He also discussed the Undergraduate Planned Educational Leave Program (PELP), which allows students to temporarily suspend their academic work for a period of time and resume their studies with minimal procedural difficulties.

Notes:  Notes from Registrar’s Office Petitions Coffee Talk

Handout (PDF):  Registrar’s Petitions – Advice for Advisors

Emily Bowling from the Center for Civic Engagement discussed the benefits of volunteering, how advisors can help students get involved in community service, and annual service events sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement.  The Center maintains a list of service opportunities for students which can be sorted one-time/ongoing and interest area.  Staff in the Center are also available to advise students on finding volunteer opportunities.  She emphasized a few things that students should consider when entering a community site, including some tips for students to be mindful of.  Emily discussed service learning as well.  Michelle Inderbitzin is serving as the Service Learning Faculty Development Coordinator for the Center for Teaching and Learning at OSU.  Michelle would be a good contact for any department looking to design or improve a service learning course.

Kris Winter from the Student Care Team and Scott Etherton from the Office of Equity & Inclusion addressed strategies for “Handling Difficult Situations in Advising.”  Kris Winter’s presentation focused on strategies for working with disruptive as well as distressed students.  Scott Etherton addressed ways that advisors can recognize and respond to sexual harassment concerns.

Sexual Harassment Prevention (advisors 12-4-13) 

Sexual Harassment Prevention handout (advisors 12-4-13)

Moira Dempsey and Claire Creighton of the Academic Success Center attended the second coffee talk of Fall term to discuss academic resources for OSU students as well as the programs and services available at the ASC.  You can read notes from this coffee talk here:  Academic Success Center Oct 22nd.

LeeAnn Baker and Rebekah Lancelin of the University Honors College gave an excellent presentation about the honors curriculum, admissions process, and opportunities for students.  You can read the notes from the session here:  Honors College Oct 11th.

Susie Brubaker-Cole and Jeff Malone presented a Professional Development session on using the notes feature of MyDegrees.  You can view the meeting notes in the PDF posted below.  Small group discussion centered around typical advising scenarios. (Contact Jeff Malone for a copy of the scenarios that were used – jeff.malone@oregonstate.edu). The meeting was incredibly informative and well attended. The presentation included a helpful set of printed guidelines for using the notes feature. Both Susie and Jeff emphasized that these are guidelines and not policies and they encourage each unit to meet and discuss the best practices for their program or department.

The Guidelines for using the Notes feature in MyDegrees is available at the link below.
http://oregonstate.edu/ase/guidelines-mydegrees-checklist-notes

Meeting Notes:
MyDegreesBestPracticesNotes

It’s time to start thinking about planning Coffee Talks for the 2013-2014 academic year. Terina McLachlain will be stepping off her two year term as a Coffee Talk Coordinator. Mary Chuinard and Brianna Beene will be continuing for another year. If you are interested in serving on this committee please contact Mary at mary.chuinard@oregonstate.edu. The time commitment is very manageable and there is plenty of opportunity for you to contribute your ideas.

We will be sending out an end of the year survey asking for your feedback and assessment of this year’s format (one hour informal sessions and a two hour professional development session each term), our choice of topics and your needs for professional development in the future. Please watch for it and take the time to respond.If you have topics, guest speakers, or workshops you would like to suggest please let us know.

We would like to take the opportunity to thank all those who volunteered to share information with us and who supported the OSU Advising community. We would especially like to thank Susie Brubaker Cole for her whole-hearted support and commitment to the Advisor Coffee Talks.

And last but not least a BIG thank you to Java Stop and Peet’s Coffee for donating coffee to our meetings!

The Spring Term two-hour professional development session will be held on June 5th from 8:30-10:30am, location TBA. Jeff Malone and Susie Brubaker-Cole will present information related to Best Practices for MyDegrees and OSU Catering is bringing us a full breakfast along with the coffee.

This should be a great session that will help us develop best practices when using the MyDegrees system. We  hope to see everyone there!