Dear Editor:

Recently I have had a terrible time scheduling my classes.

Why is it when I go to see an adviser, there is always some reason why they aren’t available?

I have now counted seven times I have randomly gone there hoping to schedule classes, but instead deal with such responses as, “The adviser is finished today” when it is clearly still within school hours, or seeing anywhere from 20 to 40 students waiting ahead of me.

Why is it that other schools at SIUC provide appointments, but the School of Liberal Arts has not gotten that memo?

Not only are they nearly impossible to talk to, but their help in directing one’s coursework is minimal. The last two semesters that I finally was able to talk to an adviser, the adviser would greet me with, “So, what classes?”

Now I’m all for having a voice in picking the classes that I pay for, but since when is it an adviser’s job to simply press buttons? If so, maybe we should rename them “button-pressers,” because they are not advising. Also, since my major is psychology – with no disrespect toward the adviser – why am I picking my classes with someone who has not picked the same career as me?

In Life Science, psychology advisers are standing by, helping students decide which classes would better fit them as well as providing a better transcript for graduate school. Yet all they can do is help you with them, write them down and send you to wait in line at Faner Hall.

Something needs to change. Why can’t those psychology advisers, who, by the way, spend their time actually helping you and not trying to just get you out of their office, get full responsibility and the ability to schedule our classes?

This would be very helpful for everyone in psychology or any other major who has this dilemma. The offices in Faner Hall are too congested and have too broad of an idea of what students want.

Let each major help out its corresponding students.

EJ Vondran

junior studying psychology