Advising Oracle
September 2022
Resources Spotlight
Events
Personnel Updates
Dr. Danielle Bostick is the new Academic Advisor in Residence for Franklin Residential College!
Nance Ellen D. Maiorino, aka Dr. NED, joins the Franklin College Academic Advising Team
Andi Diamond joined the Franklin College’s Graduation Certification Office in August
New Team Members in the Exploratory Center
The Exploratory Center welcomed two new hires to our Intended advising team at the end of the Spring 2022 semester. Victoria Cooper + Dr. Drew Craver started just in time to begin advising first-year Orientation students at full speed!
Victoria is a returning UGA Advisor and double UGA alum earning her B.A. in History and M.Ed. in Adult Education. Victoria previously advised for Grady for many years + is still very involved on campus. Outside of her advising work, Victoria started a podcast (little decisions) and has been curating this for over a year!
Drew may be new to advising, but he's no stranger to UGA. He earned his Ph.D. in Religion from Franklin College of Arts + Sciences, taught several upper and lower level undergraduate RELI courses, and previously coached the UGA Club Wrestling team. Prior to joining their team, Drew worked as a Student Support Specialist at the Athens Community Career Academy.
The EC is extremely grateful to have these two wonderful individuals on their team!
Courses & Curriculum
AAEC 2710 - Food Fights!
Bits & Pieces
How to Prevent (or at least attempt to slow) Advisor Burn-Out from Our Friends in FACS
1st step is to ask, what is in my control? What is not?
Here are the small, baby steps I can control:
1) Rearrange my office/workspace. Something as simple as shifting furniture or the placement of my computer, and changing out pictures on the wall can make it feel like a new office.
2) Rotate duties throughout the week so every day is not a repeat of the day before. Our job has so much repetition, shifting appointments, answering emails, administration duties, etc. to different time slots, can help to keep me more alert.
3) Offer various appointment types. Last semester I offered 4 different formats for advising appts. (Virtual, Phone, Email, & In-Person) This helps break up the monotony of the same style each day. Email will no longer be an option, moving forward, but the others still are.
4) Carve out chunks of time to reset your body & mind. I schedule a bathroom break mid-morning to get out of my office. Taking the stairs to the 3rd floor helps get my heart rate up before diving back into the next round of appts. Take 2-5 mins & walk outside for fresh air & sunshine. Do a 2-5 min. chair yoga, arm/leg in–office stretches, etc?
5) Say “no” sometimes. We are so busy w/ duties coming in left & right, if there is no more space, then say no to taking on one more thing (unless, of course, it’s required for our job) !
6) Change up your notetaking format/layout. Add in new notes, systems, etc. to keep from having to repeat excessively. I’ve added links, policies, suggestions, to my notes, so I’m not typing out each time. I just check the box and move on.
7) Required students are more prepared before their advising session. Send students a list of items they are to prepare on the front end, so the advising session runs smoother & there is less repeating. I’m working on what this looks like for me. I’d like to make a couple of infographics and maybe even a video.
8) As opposite as this sounds… take on a new responsibility. We are all busy & overloaded, but I stepped out on a limb this semester & joined a new committee. It has given me a different perspective & offered me something different to focus on here & there.
Julie Till Patterson
Other suggestions from SSAC staff:
1) Play mindfulness exercises for just a couple of mins. during quick breaks (ex- Solitaire, The 7’s, Wordle, Viva through Outlook for setting focus times)
2) Arrive 30 mins. early when it’s quiet
3) Yoga app to use at desk
4) Find a connection point for an initial conversation w/ students
5) If you’re out on leave, then don’t schedule appts. on your 1st day back, if possible. Use that time for emails & catching up
6) Play music in the background of your office
7) Bring “comforts” from home (blanket, slippers, smells, pictures)
8) Use soft lighting in office (lamps, string lights)
Brought to you by the AACC Communications Committee
Email: aacccommcommittee@uga.edu
Website: advising.uga.edu