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I have recently earned my Academic Advising certificate and upon completion of my Master of Education in Student Development and Leadership I would like to be an Academic Advisor at a community college in the North Texas area. I want to advise and coach students looking at technical degrees as well as transferring to a university. In addition, I would like to focus on career counseling and pathways to ensure students are intentional and see a clear path to their educational and career goals. I intend to provide holistic support to students to ensure they are getting everything they need to be successful.

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Takeaways from interview with J. Aviles, Assistant Director of an Advising and Counseling Center at a large community college. He is also a licensed counselor and takes on the role of counselor when necessary.

1.) The state of Texas requires students to show they are at college level before they can enroll into certain college level courses. If a student takes the Texas Success Initiative assessment (TSI) and does not place at college level, there are a range of developmental courses for reading, writing, and math in which they may place. Course placement is important, and he must ensure that all advisors are constantly up to date and trained on TSI changes and course placement. This includes changes that happen due to new legislation, such as House Bill 2223.

2.) He is always looking over course policies, as they can change frequently. Recently, the Texas legislature enacted House Bill 2223 – it requires institutions that offer developmental education to also offer them as co-requisites with freshmen level college courses. It is so students who require developmental education have the chance to graduation sooner. He works closely with Academic Affairs to ensure there are enough of these courses offered throughout the academic year and informs his staff of advisors and counselors on how to place students into these courses.

3.) The college he is at also houses an Early College High School campus, this leads to a lot of parents coming to the advising department looking to get information on or for their children once they move on from those courses to fully undergraduate courses. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal policy that does not allow institutions to release various information about its students to anyone without a waiver from the student. Unfortunately, this can lead to parents becoming angry and he must sometimes step in to diffuse the situation as the Assistant Director of the department.

4.) Confidentiality is something that must always be kept in mind – whether you are an advisor or a counselor. As an advisor you are required to report serious issues students tell you about, such as domestic abuse, to the campus’ support team, so a counselor can step in. He must ensure his staff are accurately trained on how and when to report these concerns. There can be serious legal implications if the information a student shares is handled inappropriately, or in a way which violates their rights to privacy and confidentiality.

5.) Some students who experience sexual harassment, abuse, or misconduct seek out counseling services at the campus. He must be sure that he and his staff are properly trained on Title IX requirements and changes to be sure they are responding to these reports in the most appropriate way. When a student is talking to him as a Counselor and they wish to report their assault or abuse he works with them throughout their case at the college.

(J. Aviles, personal communication, June 5, 2018)

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Food insecurity can be a major concern for some students. according to the article about 40% of students reported feeling food insecurity in the passed 30 days. While congress decides how and if it will reform SNAP benefits, many students still struggle to find adequate food. Many college and universities have taken on the responsibility of trying to assist these students by helping them apply for benefits, advocating for them, or directly supplying food via their food pantries on campus.

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While Congress Squabbles, Some States Take Their Own Steps to Help Hungry Students

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California and Massachusetts are working within the limits of existing law to expand students’ access to a key federal nutrition-assistance program.

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Title IX has prompted colleges and universities to take more action when it comes to investigating and punishing sexual harassment and assault. Now, some groups are claiming that colleges and universities are taking away the right to "due process" by handing out their own form of punishment for those accused of sexual misconduct.

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The principle was once invoked largely by lawyers and legal scholars who worried that colleges were too eager to side with accusers in sexual-assault complaints. Now, though, it has become a far-ranging battle cry.

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How Due Process Became a New Front in the Culture Wars

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The principle was once invoked largely by lawyers and legal scholars who worried that colleges were too eager to side with accusers in sexual-assault complaints. Now, though, it has become a far-ranging battle cry.

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Food insecurity is a real and serious concern for many college students, when they have to worry about where they will get their next meal it can affect their ability to be successful in their courses. I have worked with students struggling with this issue and want to learn ways in which other institutions are trying to assist these students and ethically, how much of the responsibility to help those students do the institutions feel falls on them.

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Food Insecurities Among College Students (Step 5)

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Food Insecurities Among College Students (Step 5)

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Educators working within student affairs assist and serve students in a variety of ways to ensure they are successful and meeting their educational goals. Many times, this involves a comprehensive approach where educators are helping students with more than academic goals. Students today face many problems outside of school that can seriously affect their academic performance – one such issue is food insecurity (Maroto, Snelling, & Linck, 2014). Food insecurity is when someone may not know where their next meal will come from and it can lead to students missing class, not buying books, having a lower GPA, and even dropping out altogether (Dubick, Mathews, & Cady, 2016).

It is crucial for educators to be aware of this fact, especially those that work with students one-on-one, such as advisors or counselors. Students may open up to their advisor when talking about reasons why they are not doing well in class. If a student states they are sometimes worried about where they will find food, an advisor may feel they should do something to help this student. Ethically, are they obligated? Many institutions have things in place to help students: food pantries, café vouchers, or help with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (Dubick et al., 2016). If a student is struggling with their courses, then educators within student affairs should have tools available to them to help those students. It is the job of the educator to help students succeed in their courses and ensure they are getting the proper assistance and resources they need to be successful.

Changes in federal and state SNAP benefits have greatly affected students. Some colleges are making changes to ensure students that apply for federal financial aid (FAFSA) also automatically apply for SNAP as well (Dubick et al., 2016). Some scenarios that may come up, can also raise the question of ethics. Personally, I have had students sit in my office and tell me they are hungry and have no money. This is an upsetting and unfortunate scenario that could happen when working with a student.  Often, I would refer them to resources for food, such as our food panty or to see a counselor for long term assistant. However, I also have snacks I keep in my office to offer, if needed. This is not a requirement and may not even be allowed at some institutions, so it does raise a question of ethics. However, institutions should have something in place to assist food insecure students because it can be very difficult to pass courses or even stay enrolled when they must worry about food (Maroto et al., 2014).

References

Dubick, J., Mathews, B., & Cady, C. (2016). Hunger on campus: The challenge of food insecurity for college students. Retrieved from Student Against Hunger: https://studentsagainsthunger.org/

Maroto, M. E., Snelling, A., & Linck, H. (2014, October 1). Food insecurity among community college students: Prevalence and association with grade point average.  Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 39, 515-526. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2013.850758

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"Food Insecurity among Community College Students: Prevalence and Association with Grade Point Average"

Maroto, M. E., Snelling, A., & Linck, H. (2014, October 1). Food insecurity among community college students: Prevalence and association with grade point average. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 39, 515-526. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2013.850758

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Angelo State University - Library Online Resources

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Unauthorized use is prohibited; Usage may be subject to security testing and monitoring; Misuse is subject to criminal prosecution; No expectation of privacy except as otherwise provided by applicable privacy laws.

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The organization Students Against Hunger published this 2016 report on food insecurities among college students.