Meeting Minutes
Adult Learner Student Parent Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes
September 19, 2006 Meeting
Attendance: Jerry Rinehart, Susan Warfield, Patrick Troupe, Amy Rosenthal, Katie Granholm (replacing Beth Lindgren for term), Megan Kamarath, Jerri Wagner (new SPHC Direct Service Coordinator, visiting), Kristin O’Quinn-Morrris and son Kamal.
I. Announcements:
- Glenn Griffith will not be able to continue with the committee due to increased academic commitments.
- Beth Lindgren will also have too many other duties and commitments to attend this term, but is sending Katie Granhom to represent First Year Programs.
II. Minutes from May and June 2006 were approved with the following correction: Amy Rosenthal was in attendance at both meetings but was not listed as attending member on the minutes. Our apologies to Amy.
III. ALSP Agenda for 2006-2007 Academic Year: The top agenda item for this meeting was establish a long range agenda and course of action for this academic year. The following are items that attending members jointly agreed were worthy of committee attention in the year ahead:
- Still need to engage as broad a range of participants as possible for ALSP Committee. Brainstormed possible programs and people to engage and decided the following:
- Susan will invite someone from the new Veteran Assistance Program in Fraser. Will contact the program coordinator and invite to next meeting.
- Susan will also contact admissions and see if they can recommend a recruiter specializing in non-trad and student parent outreach.
- We need a non-trad student who is not a student parent, since we already have two student parents on committee. If everyone could think of potential candidates and refer, that would be great.
- Advising: this item has come up on multiple occasions. Key points raised for further consideration are:
- Susan W raised point that she has seen numerous examples of how problems with advising services to students can directly impact the 4 year graduate rates.
- Amy R stated hours of operation can be a concern for some students, that maybe we need to look at offering more flexible, expanded service delivery hours to meet student need, particularly with special populations such as non-trads and student parents who may have heavy off campus obligations. Onestop is currently trying to expand their contact hours in various ways.
- Several members mentioned the fact that there is no set, campus wide standard of best practices for advising. Caseloads, access, knowledge base of advisors and overall practices vary widely between colleges.
- Kristin O/student parent rep., stated that from a student’s perspective advising was a key factor in her experience. She gave the example that her first two years of college she had one appointment with a college advisor. She saw this as a direct cause of her transfer out of that program.
- Patrick Troupe raised issue of the need for a universal database. He and Susan both utilize forms of the database established by GC, and stated that it is a significant tool that can be used to track student outcomes, advising contacts and aid in communication between staff members who may be working with the same student. Robert Diggins is the person that designed the GC student db, and he is now available through the CEHD.
- Susan pointed out that with the new “helicopter parenting” phenomenon we can look forward to more and more in-put from parents when their students do not get the services they believe they should. Susan has seen specific examples of parents who could have easily become U of MN donors but are so angry about the advising issues and the lack of contact with their child, that they are alienated before their child even graduates.
Jerry Rinehart is on the Strategic Planning Committee that will be reviewing advising issues on campus. They will be holding their first meeting within the next month. He can easily carry some of our concerns forward to his fellow committee members.
- Safety Issues on Campus: There was general agreement that the recent increase in seemingly unprovoked attacks has a different feel and level of intensity than the norm for our campus.
- Katie G is going to see if there is a way to possibly put safety related information on the Portal. She will contact Andy Howe about this issue.
- Susan reported that she has raised this as an issue to be discussed at an upcoming OSA director’s meeting and Amelious Whyte has added this to a future meeting agenda.
- Although typically-aged students seem to be at greatest risk due to high risk drinking behaviors, tendency to live on or near campus, and late night activities; it does seem to be an issue that warrants tracking and further discussion as it impacts all areas of campus life and all students and staff.
- We will continue to pursue the necessary steps to become an “official” committee with some connection to the Student Affairs Senate Committee. Will work with Jerry Rinehart and Amelious Whyte as the year progresses on this task.
III. The ALSP meeting schedule for 2006-2007 remains the same, the third Tuesday of every month September through June, 10:30 to Noon. The meeting location is 351 Appleby Hall for all scheduled meetings, which are:
October 17, 2006
November 21, 2006
December 18, 2006
January 16, 2007
February 20, 2007
March 20, 2007
April 24, 2007
May 15, 2007
June 19, 2007
IV. We will begin rotating the note taking and minute distribution duties among members for 2006-2007. It is too much to ask of Mark McKay now that he is not getting paid to do so, and Susan is chairing the committee.
Meeting adjourned at 12:00 PM
Next meeting schedule for October 17, 2006 10:30AM -12:00PM, Appleby 351
Submitted respectfully by Susan Warfield
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