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VI. Student Registration & Advisement

Initial Freshman Registration

Freshman Advisement Process

Introductory Advisement Meeting

Progress Advisement

Registration Advisement

Student Advising & Retention Services (SARS) Database- WSTR001

Accessing SARS- WSTR001
Advisement in the Major

Mandatory Advisement- Registration PIN #’s

Advisement Process

Graduation Deadline
Summer School

Advising Undecided Students

Advising Students in Severe Academic Difficulty

Guidelines for Students to Maintain State and/or Federal Financial Aid Eligibility

Student Advisement & Registration

Initial Freshman Registration
All students are registered for their first semester courses prior to their arrival at Freshman Orientation. Advisors in the Student Advisement Center register each student based upon their intended major, course preferences as indicated on the
Course Preference Form they returned to the SAC, and their math, writing and reading placements as determined by a comprehensive review of their high school academic records by Dietrich Kuhlmann (Math), Candy McCombs (Linguistics), and Bob Grebenok (Biology).

Freshman Advisement Process

Introductory Advisement Meeting
Students will be encouraged to meet with their advisors during the first three weeks of the fall semester. This meeting is an opportunity for students to meet their advisor and discuss any questions or concerns they may have.

Progress Advisement (October; March)

  • Advisors will be e-mailed progress reports for all freshman advisees
  • Meet individually with advisees and discuss all Progress Reports in the file. If a report is missing for a course(s), have the student follow up with the course instructor(s).
  • Make appropriate referrals if necessary. Contact the Student Advisement Center with any major concerns.
  • Inform SAC staff about students who miss appointments or who may need special attention.
Registration Advisement (November; April)

  • Meet individually with advisees and discuss course selection for the following semester.
  • Complete the appropriate DRS form for each student.
  • Demonstrate the on line registration system for each student.
  • Discuss academic progress and any deficiencies the student may have.
  • Discuss any registration holds that may prohibit the student from registering on time and direct the student to the appropriate office to clear the hold.
  • Give the student his/her registration PIN#.
  • If a student tells you he/she wishes to transfer to another college, refer the student to Tom Hersey, Director of Student Retention.
  • Make appropriate academic referrals if necessary.
  • Inform SAC staff about students who miss appointments or who may need special attention.
Student Advising & Retention Services (SARS) Database – WSTR001

SARS is a new database that interfaces with Banner to provide a myriad of student information all in one place for advisor convenience. This is also the database that all advisors will use to record notes from their advisement meetings with their advisees. Advisement notes are stored in the system and can be accessed by other people who may also have dealings with the same student. The creation of this database is the first step in transitioning the academic advisement process to a paperless system.

The student information contained in SARS is grouped by the following tabs:

Attributes: Student demographic and contact information. FERPA release information.

Academics:Current and past major(s), current advisor, SAT/ACT scores, current and past deficiencies, and degree data.

Misc. Academic:Transfer and AP credit, current and past academic probation status, current and past course withdrawals, and leave of absence status.

Academic History:Cumulative GPA, individual semester GPA, all courses completed and grades receives, current semester schedule.

Holds/PINS:Registration PIN #’s and all student account holds that may prohibit registration.

Activities/Referrals:Student activities history, collegiate athletic status, outgoing transcript requests, and referrals to support services and associate deans.

Communications:Allows advisors to send a message to other faculty and staff on campus regarding the student. All messages are sent overnight on the day submitted. The message will be saved in the system and only viewable by the sender.

Advisor Comments:Allows advisors to save electronic advisement notes in the system. This field is central to the advisement process and should be used to document all advisement meetings. Notes are saved in the system and are viewable by others who have dealings with the same student.

Accessing SARS – WSRT001

All advisors may access the SARS database by following these simple directions:

  1. Begin at www.canisius.edu
  2. Click on Faculty & Staff link
  3. Click on SCT Banner Resources
  4. Click on Desktop Banner in the top right column
    (You can save this in your favorite’s list to simplify the process)
  5. Log in with your Griffmail username and password
  6. Type in WSTR001 in the “Go to” field and hit Enter
  7. Type in a student ID # in the ID space and click on “Block” and “Next” on the menu.
  8. Navigate the tabs by clicking on them.
  9. When entering a comment be sure to save before exiting the student by either clicking on the disk icon or “File” and “Save” in the menu,
  10. To bring up a different student click on “File” and “Rollback” and enter a new ID.
Advisement in the Major

Mandatory Advisement – Registration PIN #’s
Academic advisement is mandatory on campus for all undergraduate students. In order to ensure each student has met with an advisor prior to course registration, all students are required to submit their Registration PIN # when they use the on-line registration system. The only way students can obtain their Registration PIN #’s is by meeting with their assigned academic advisor. Each semester the Registrar generates random Registration PIN #’s and distributes the PIN #’s to each department chair. The chairs then distribute the PIN #’s to their faculty for use in the advisement process. PIN #’s are good for one semester only, and expire at the conclusion of the Add/Drop period each semester. Students who have double or triple majors should be assigned to a faculty advisor from each department. The students’ Registration PIN #’s will be sent to each of their advisors. Please note: the Student Advisement Center will not provide students with their Registration PIN #’s. All students assigned to a major advisor must meet with that person or a department representative to receive their PIN #.

Advisement Process
Each department is responsible for the advisement of their majors. This can be accomplished in a variety of formats from individual student appointments to group meetings. No matter what the format, each department should communicate the advisement process to their majors prior to the advisement period each semester so that the students can plan accordingly.

In addition, all faculty advisors should complete DRS forms and document each student advisement meeting in the SARS database for future reference. This creates a paperless trail and is especially helpful when a student claims he/she was never told about certain requirements. On occasion, an associate dean may need access to this information if a student is deficient in completing requirements and claims misadvisement. In most cases, advisor documentation solves the problem and reveals that the student did not do what was recommended by the advisor.
DRS forms for all majors and minors are available for printing on-line at:
/student_advise/drs.asp
For further information about working with your major advisees, please refer to the other sections of this handbook or the College Catalog.

Graduation Deadlines
Please be aware of the following important deadlines as you are advising your senior students.
Application for Graduation
All graduating seniors must fill out an application for graduation/request for diploma form which is available in the Office of Student Records and Registration. The month in which students will complete their degree requirements will determine the deadline to submit this request form.

Requirements Completed in:        Request form due by:
May
December 15th
August
August 1st
December
December 1st

Request to Walk through Graduation Ceremony
Those students who will not complete their requirements in May but would like to walk across the stage at commencement must complete a request to walk form which is available in the Office of Student Records and Registration. The absolute deadline for submitting this form is April 15th. If the form is received after April 15th the student’s name will not appear in the commencement program.

Summer School

Canisius Courses
Students interested in enrolling in summer courses at Canisius may register by using the online registration system. Registration PIN #’s are not required for the summer sessions. Summer registration generally takes place the week prior to the fall registration period.

Course at Other Colleges
Permission to take summer courses at other colleges is granted by the appropriate associate dean, who will consider all aspects of the student’s request, including the quality and level of the proposed course and its role in the student’s program. Courses intended to fulfill major requirements must also be approved by department chairs. Permission to take courses at other colleges must be requested in advance of taking the course by completing the appropriate form which is available in the Student Advisement Center.

Generally, the following guidelines apply:

  • Students are ordinarily limited to one course at another institution for every ten courses taken at Canisius.
  • Junior and senior level core curriculum and major course requirements are not transferred from community colleges.
  • Courses taken at a four-year college/university will be accepted only if they are offered at a comparable level at Canisius (i.e., freshman/sophomore level or junior/senior level).
  • Students who live outside the greater Buffalo area may receive more lenient consideration in taking a summer course at another college. However, the dean may recommend a cassette course as a preferred option if he/she considers it more appropriate than the off-campus course.
  • No more than one of the two area study requirements within a specific area can be taken at another college.
Advising Undecided Students

For many students, choosing a college major is a source of concern that can affect their personal, academic, and social lives. Undecided students often feel a sense of urgency about selecting and declaring a major, and are sometimes reluctant to admit to other students that they have not yet decided on a major. Research conducted by Penn State and other institutions has shown, however, that up to 80 percent of entering college students indicate that they are not certain of their choice of major, even if they have initially “decided” on one. In addition, over 50 percent of entering freshmen change their majors at least once before graduation, and some change many times.

Making a decision as meaningful as choosing a major is one that should not be hurried, and should be made with the benefit of accurate information and advice. There are no shortcuts in selecting a major thoughtfully. Students must actively participate in their search by becoming involved in a decision-making process. To be effective in choosing a major, students will need time, information, and commitment. They will need time to consider all of the options, to think about the implications of their decision, and to do the work necessary to make an appropriate decision. Students will need information so that their decision is based on up-to-date statistics, data, knowledge, and advice. And after they have taken the time to gather the information and consider the options, they will need commitment, that is, they will need to make the decision. Having only time and information will not make the decision for them. The commitment must come from within. It is a personal choice based on sufficient time and accurate information. No one else can make the commitment (although at times they might wish that someone else would). Ultimately, whatever the decision, the decision is theirs.

Adapted from the Penn State University Major Decisions: For Students Who Are Exploring Majors
website- http://www.psu.edu/dus/md/mdintro.htm

Questions to Help Undecided Students Become Aware of the Choice Process

Self-Exploration
As far back as you can remember, what general occupational fields have you thought of?
What subjects did you enjoy in high school?
What type of extra-curricular activities did you take part in high school?
What are your best personal qualities?
What do you see as your limitations?
Why are you in college?

Academic Major/Occupational Information
What academic areas are you considering?
How do your abilities and skills fit the tasks necessary to succeed in these areas?
What are the differences and similarities between the majors (occupations) you are
considering?
Who has influenced your ideas about these alternatives?

Decision Making
How do you generally go about making decisions?
What specific strategies do you use?
Do you make decisions by yourself or do you need other people’s opinions first?
Are you feeling anxious about deciding on a major?
How long do you want it to take to make the decision?

Adapted from Modes and Models for Designing and Implementing a Successful Advising Plan, Noel-Levitz, NACADA conference, October 7, 1999, pages 100-101.

Help for Undecided Students at Canisius College

The Career Center at Canisius College is an excellent resource for students who need assistance in choosing a major. Professional career counselors are available to discuss students’ interests and administer various self-assessment tools that can help students become more aware of their personal interests and abilities. Once students a have assessed themselves, they can use the many resources available in the Career Center to research various career and majors. More information is available at www.canisius.edu/career/majors_careers.asp. Please refer any students who are struggling with choosing a major to the Career Center for assistance.

Advising Students in Severe Academic Difficulty

In extreme circumstances it may be necessary for students to withdraw from one or more courses during a single semester to avoid multiple failing grades. In cases of severe academic difficulty, all students who receive state and/or federal financial aid are required to meet minimum requirements to remain in “good academic standing” in order to receive their aid for the following semester. Students who withdraw from courses that drop them below 12 credit hours after the add/drop deadline will maintain their full-time student status and remain eligible for financial aid the following semester as long as they meet the requirements outlined below. Advisors who have further questions about the minimum requirements necessary for students to maintain financial aid eligibility should contact Tom Hersey, Director of Retention at x. 3737 or the Financial Aid Office at x. 2300.

Guidelines for Students to Maintain State and/or Federal Financial Aid Eligibility

To receive student financial aid, a student must remain “in Good Academic Standing.” This means that students must: (1) make satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of their program requirements and (2) pursue the program of study in which they are enrolled. The two elements of program pursuit and satisfactory academic progress must be met for each term of study in which an award is received.

Satisfactory Progress: A student must acquire a minimum number of credits at each semester interval and a minimum cumulative G.P.A. prior to being certified for aid each semester.

Program Pursuit: A student must receive a passing or failing grade (A, B, C, D, and F) in a certain percentage of a full-time course load. Grades of W (indicating a student’s withdrawal from a course), FX (failure due to excessive absence), and I (incomplete) do not satisfy Program Pursuit requirements.

Withdrawal Guidelines for Freshmen in Severe Academic Difficulty
A first-semester freshman must maintain an enrollment of at least 6 credit hours and successfully complete 3 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 1.1. Second-semester freshmen must maintain an enrollment of at least 6 credit hours and have successfully completed a cumulative total of 9 credit hours with a minimum cumulative GPA of 1.2 prior to beginning the third semester to maintain financial aid eligibility.

Withdrawal Guidelines for Sophomores in Severe Academic Difficulty
A first-semester sophomore must maintain an enrollment of at least 9 credit hours and have successfully completed a cumulative total of 21 credit hours with a minimum cumulative GPA of 1.3 Second-semester sophomores must maintain an enrollment of at least 9 credit hours and have successfully completed a cumulative total of 33 credit hours with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 prior to beginning the fifth semester to maintain financial aid eligibility.

The chart below summarizes the minimum credit hour and GPA requirements necessary for all undergraduate students to maintain financial aid eligibility. Before being certified for aid each semester a student must attain:

Semester of Study

 
Program Pursuit

(credit hours per semester)
Satisfactory Progress

(cumulative credit hours)
Cumulative GPA


 
1st
0
0
0

2nd
6
3
1.1

3rd
6
9
1.2

4th
9
21
1.3

5th
9
33
2.0

6th
12
45
2.0

7th
12
60
2.0

8th
12
75
2.0

9th
12
90
2.0

10th
12
105
2.0


Waivers: If a student fails to maintain program pursuit, fails to make satisfactory progress, or fails to meet both of these elements of good standing, the college may grant a waiver which would allow the student to receive financial aid for the next semester. A maximum of one waiver at the undergraduate level and one at the graduate level may be awarded to a student. The waiver will not be automatic since it is intended to accommodate only extraordinary cases.

Advising Students in Academic Difficulty

Some of the important things to do when you and the student are planning strategies for academic success include:

  • Talk with the student about lifestyle changes that will help to improve study habitsand about any personal issues that may be affecting academics.
  • Suggest resources available to help with academics as well as to help with personal issues (ex. tutoring center, counseling center, etc.).
  • Talk about repeating classes, explain the course repeat policy and calculate whatGPA would be needed to get off of probation. An interactive GPA calculator isavailable at http://cs.canisius.edu/~rmmeyer/QPA.html.
  • Make arrangements for the student to return and talk with you about how he/sheis doing.