Student groups usually don't have control over who serves as their official advisors. Sometimes, reluctant faculty or staff are corralled into "volunteering" by the administration, even though they're too busy to be accessible and useful to the group. Other times, clubs just need to have a faculty member's name on the charter to be officially recognized, then the leaders seem surprised when they get an absentee advisor who rarely offers input.
     Before you get frazzled and end up wanting to dump your bad-advice advisor, remember that he may need as much training on how to advise your group as you do in how to be an effective club leader.
Great Expectations. When you take office, meet with your advisor and ask questions about his expectations and then share yours. Is it reasonable to ask him to come to your regular meetings, or is it more likely that he'll show up only at your monthly events? Do you want him to be a resource you can call every once-in-a-while to help you jump through hoops on campus and wade through the bureaucracy? Do you expect your advisor to be there for emotional support or serve as a confidante?
      "I tell students I'll stay out of your hair as much as you want me to, but tell me if you want feedback," says Bill Faulkner, former student activities director at the University of Tampa in Florida. "Do you want me to show up for your events and meetings? Do you want me to give you constructive feedback?"
Know who's doing what. Instead of using the trite excuse "That's not my job," define your responsibilities and those of your advisor. Who's designated to prepare purchase orders and deal with the college's business office? Who's in charge of submitting the club charter to be approved each year? Who tabulates election results for the group? "We have eight advisors for one sorority chapter — each takes a separate role," says Shawn Salata, an advisor for Chi Omega at the University of Michigan. "The financial advisor works with the treasurer, the rush advisor works with the rush chair. We work quite closely with executive officers."
Don't wait `til it's too late. Avoid rushing to your advisor at the last minute when a major problem flares up. Instead, be proactive — keep her in the loop and alert her if you think there's a chance that a prob-lem could crop up. There's nothing more frustrating for both you and the advisor than having to frantically scramble to fix a crisis that could have been prevented. "There was dissension among the officers of one of our honor societies," says Monica Mendez-Grant, director of student development at Texas Woman's University. "The advisor could have intervened, could have helped the group communicate better and establish some working guidelines. But the students didn't ask for help. By the time the advisor got involved, it had escalated and was a serious problem."
Keep each other informed. If nothing else, a short weekly phone call or a regular memo should be enough to keep your advisor in the know. Ideally, your advisor should get a carbon-copy of every major correspondence that you send out on behalf of your organization. Some colleges require club advisors to sign-off on just about everything the club does on campus: making meeting-room reservations, placing food orders, submitting supply requisitions, and even making copies.
Make your advisor feel appreciated. When was the last time you thanked your advisor for helping out? Remember, most advisors volunteer their time— they're usually not getting a stipend or a raise. At research-oriented universities, helping your group may be cutting into the time your advisor can spend on research activities and publishing to fulfill tenure requirements. That's why making her feel appreciated is so important. At the least, say "thanks" with a personal note, a message on her answering machine, or maybe even pool your funds and take her out to dinner.
How experienced is your advisor? If your advisor is new to your school, recently out of college, or a first-time advisor, he may not have enough experience to help you immediately. He may not know all of the hoops to jump through and may not have developed strong relationships with key administrators. Knowing his limitations will help you understand what kind of a role he can play in your group.
     If she's aggressive, she can pick up skills quickly. But it may take her a term or even a year or more to get up to speed enough to be useful to your organization. So be patient — you're stuck with each other and should make the best of it.
How to get a new advisor tactfully. If, after trying everything to educate and get along with your current advisor, you're still not satisfied, find a new one. Maybe there is someone else in student affairs or you could have a second or co-advisor. You can ask the administration about available options if your advisor just isn't working out. "They'll come to me and I'll try to mediate and get an open discussion going," says David Klein, associate dean of students at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. "Try anything you can to save the relationship before you `go into surgery.'"
     Frequently, the advisors who you think are hopelessly apathetic actually are unaware of what you're looking for. By being candid and proactive, you can teach your advisor how to be effective and to be a super advisor who does more than occasionally show up for meetings and sign-off on invoices.

Copyright © 2005 Oxendine Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved