Over 600 members of the Class of 2023 have participated in the formal declaration of major process. Close to a third selected a different major than the one that they indicated upon enrollment, while a host of others used this opportunity to add a second major. The next steps involve the Office of Advising and Co-Curricular Programs compiling and confirming all responses as well as working with the Registrar’s Office to upload the information to Banner.
Lists of newly declared/confirmed majors will be distributed through individually shared Google folders to department heads and program chairs within the next week. It is the department head/program chair’s responsibility to coordinate adviser assignments for all newly declared students. Some students may already be assigned to an adviser in their selected major, and if so, I ask that you also confirm the appropriateness of the current adviser.
Once assigned, we encourage all newly assigned advisers to contact their new advisees in order to begin getting acquainted. Advisers can do this on an individual basis or by getting together as a group via Zoom. Perhaps you will decide to include a few of your upper-class advisees in this meeting as role models for the younger students. No matter what you do, the priority (now more than ever) is to foster connections and engagement with the process!
Finally, a special thank you goes out to the first- and second-year advisers who have helped guide the Class of 2023 to this point. In my many conversations with students, it is these early relationships that tie students to Lafayette, and so your role is extremely important. If your pre-declaration advisees are moving to other departments, now may be an ideal time to check in and wish them well as they enter the second half of their undergraduate journey. Keep in mind that adviser assignments will take a few weeks, and even after you are no longer serving as the student’s official adviser, you can still play a valuable role in guiding and supporting them as they transition to adulthood!
Christopher Selena, associate dean of advising and co-curricular programs