ESC Plans Changes to SEAS Advising System

The Engineering Student Council has hefty plans for the coming semesters, including making textbook information available to students before the semester begins, reforming the current advising system within SEAS, and making the Center for Career Education more in tune with students' needs.

Michael Fu, SEAS '09 and chair of the council's Academic Affairs Committee, said the council is hoping to get textbook information to students early so students have time to turn to cheaper suppliers than the Columbia Book Store without getting behind in their coursework.

"Textbooks are often an underestimated component of the cost of attending Columbia. On average, students spend nearly $1,000 every year on textbooks, and given how that cost can be easily reduced by buying your textbooks from other discounted sources, we feel like it's something very worthwhile to pursue for the benefit of students," Fu said.

Fu estimates that the system could be implemented for the next spring semester.

According to Fu, the Columbia Book Store is not ready to lend a helping hand.

"So far, the bookstore is pretty hesitant about giving us that information, for obvious reasons," Fu said.

The ESC is also looking to improve advising within the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Currently, each department in SEAS has its own advising system. In an effort to see what works within each system, the committee intends to distribute departmental advising feedback forms so students can give their input about changes that need to be made.

"Now every adviser has about 300 advisees and every time I meet with my adviser I kind of have to spend 10 minutes reminding the person who I am," Fu said. He said that the group hopes to implement this by the end of this semester.

Also, Fu said he is hoping to create a committee that would meet once a month to review the feedback from the forms to inform Vice Dean of SEAS Morton Friedman about the advising situation on a regular basis.

"The goal is to have good academic advising, there has to be some personal connection between the adviser and the advisee," Fu said.

Another change the committee said it hopes to make is providing students with one adviser for the last two years of school so students can foster closer relationships. Fu said that the applied math and electrical engineering departments already have such systems, which the committee would expand to all departments.

In addition, the ESC's Professional Development Committee is looking to implement a feedback mechanism for the career center. Patti Lin, SEAS '09 and chair of the committee, recently wrote a survey that allows students to note convenient times and useful events.

Lin said she is also working to find a way for students to receive summer internship credit. Columbia students with internships can currently apply for R-credit, which does not count toward a degree. The committee is looking into which administrators to approach with regard to the subject.