Welcome back, Missouri State Bears! We are officially halfway through the fall academic semester and it’s already time to start thinking about the spring. It is also common that your instructors will be publishing mid-term grades and new opportunities will be coming up. Every student at Missouri State is paired with an academic advisor who meets with them to discuss changes in degree paths or other challenges/questions that may arise. When planning an advisor meeting for the next semester there is no need to stress – this blog is for you!

Create a Talking Points List

Every student at Missouri State is assigned an academic advisor, which means the advisors have a lot of students to meet with. Once you have a date on the calendar for the meeting go through and identify any questions you may have or advice you are seeking. Creating the list will keep you on track and lead to full productivity in the meeting so that you leave feeling confident. Examples of questions that you may ask an advisor:

• What plan should I follow to graduate by my desired date?
• What academic resources are available to support me in my courses?
• What are the requirements of my major? Are there any GPA expectations?
• What courses could benefit me in my major and my minor? 
• What courses would you recommend to enhance my resume?
• What is the drop/add date for courses this semester?

These are just a few questions that could be good to ask an advisor but you should feel comfortable asking your advisor anything related to campus academics. 

Review All of Your Documents Beforehand 

Oftentimes many of the questions students have can be answered by reviewing course descriptions, degree audits, or past advising notes. You can access these through your “My Missouri State” page and find the “Degree Audit” card or the “My Student Records” card. When you locate these documents you can do a deep dive to explore what possible options you have or eliminate some questions prior to your meeting to maximize your time together. 

If you want further guidance on accessing these documents or preparing questions for your advisor, visit the Center for Academic Success and Transition office to meet with a Peer Mentor or a Success Coach. You can request to meet or stop by during drop-in hours. (Drop-in hours change every semester; see the Student Academic Assistance page for this semester’s hours.)

Bring Supplies to Take Notes

When you meet with your advisor they will share with you new information, and updates to your program, and answer the questions you came in with. Your advisor can track the discussion in shared advisor notes on your student portal but it’s never a bad idea to bring your own form of note-taking. This will help with your engagement in the meeting and show that you’re ready to take action. If you need a refresher on the meeting or need access to links and contact information referring to the advisor note page is helpful.

Takeaways

Academic advisors are provided at Missouri State and they are ready to meet with students to encourage success in the classroom. To make the most of your time make a list of everything you need to discuss, review your personalized documents beforehand, and come to the meeting ready to listen. If you find that you need further guidance or support the Success Coaches or Peer Mentors of the Center for Academic Success and Transition office would be happy to meet. 

~Aubrey

(Bio: My name is Aubrey Hardy, and I am a senior studying special needs education. Fun fact: I’ve read over 15 books this year!)

Welcome back Missouri State Bears! This week’s post is exciting because we are collaborating with an on-campus organization. The Center for Academic Success and Transition and the Student Government Association (SGA) thought it was important to come together and share each other’s services and opportunities. If SGA is something you want to learn more about after this blog post, you can find contact information in the attached link concluding the post.  

SGA’s Mission 

The tagline of SGA is “Your student body, your student voice.” SGA is an organization made up of students from all across Missouri State’s campus looking to improve the MO State experience for all students, whether that’s through the opening of the Commuter Corner in the PSU or serving as a student voice in the hiring process of the new university president. The Student Government Association provides students with an excellent opportunity to truly make their Missouri Statement.   

Recent Resolutions

SGA has the opportunity to listen to the campus body and enforce changes that better the university. The SGA website has a tab titled “Student Proposals” where you can learn more on this topic, but in summary, any student has the chance to present their ideas of change to the representatives. Examples of recent resolutions that SGA has helped with are listed below:  

• Establishment of a Commuter Corner in the Plaster Student Union 
• Hosting a Leadership Summit for student leaders from across the university to develop their skills 
• Hosting a Women in Leadership Mixer for female student leaders to connect with each other 
• Construction of Bear Line shelters for stops along Greek Row 
• Hosting Sustainability Week events that encourage students to practice environmentally conscious and friendly behaviors 

Student Testimonial

For a student member perspective of the SGA experience, we turned to Addie Kimmerle, a current first year student and senator. She says, “Through my membership in SGA, I have found that even though we each come from different experiences, we all share the common goal of creating a safe, inclusive, and entertaining environment on campus.” Addie also says that SGA is a great way to connect with other students with similar interests and diverse backgrounds. “SGA provides the opportunity for students to advocate for themselves, their peers, and their communities to inspire change that benefits everyone.”  

Takeaways

The Student Government Association has and continues to do a lot of great things for Missouri State, many of which you have probably seen around campus. Not only do they advocate for the needs of students, but they are also an amazing opportunity for student involvement, especially if you want to gain leadership and advocacy experience. If you are interested in getting involved with Student Government Association, consider visiting the Student Government Association’s webpage on the Missouri State website. This page includes all of the information about involvement with the organization, as well as answers to any other questions you may have.  

We hope that you enjoyed learning more about this incredible organization! As the semester approaches its conclusion, keep working hard and be sure to finish strong!  

~Aubrey and Hallie 

Hello again, Bears! Welcome back to another blog post. This week, I wanted to discuss a resource that I think every student should be aware of. Have you ever spotted a tall red pole with a light on the top during your walks around campus, or received a Missouri State Alert on your phone? These features and many more come from the University Safety Office. As a student, you have all of the services listed here available to keep you safe while you are on campus, and you should absolutely know about them in case you ever encounter an emergency or unsafe situation.  

Blue Light Telephones

Remember those tall red poles with a light on the top that I mentioned a few sentences ago? Those happen to be one of my favorite safety features on campus. You have most likely seen one or several of these telephone poles any time that you’ve walked around campus. These poles, while they may appear unassuming, can provide essential help during an emergency situation. If you ever encounter an emergency or feel unsafe on campus, you can press the emergency button on the pole to activate the blue light at the top and immediately be connected to a dispatcher that is familiar with campus and can view your location via security cameras. University Safety also has a blue light telephone map of where all of the blue light telephone poles on campus are located on their website.  

Safe Walk

This is yet another great safety service available to you as a student. Safe Walk is an on-campus walking service that is available at any given time if you need an escort to walk with you from one location to another. University Safety works incredibly hard to keep our campus safe at all times, but this service is especially great if you are studying or on campus late at night and feel unsafe walking back to your car or residence hall. To receive this service, you can call 417-836-5509, and a campus safety specialist will be dispatched to you.  

Missouri State Alert 

Out of the three services listed here, Missouri State Alert is the one that you might be the most familiar with, considering that every student and faculty member is automatically enrolled in Missouri State Alert by being present on campus. If you ever receive a Missouri State Alert, whether on your phone or through email, it’s very important that you pay attention to these messages, as they usually detail university closings or potential emergencies that you need to be aware of. If you would like, you can manage your preferences for how you receive Missouri State alerts by visiting the Missouri State Alert page on the University Safety website.  

Takeaways 

Along with the services listed here, University Safety is an incredible resource that offers many other services to you. If you would like to learn more about all of the services available or how you can contact University Safety, the University Safety page on the Missouri State website contains all of this information and more.  

Our Peer Mentors and Success Coaches here in the CAST office can also help direct you to any on-campus resources that you might be interested in learning more about. Consider visiting us during our drop-in hours (Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.) or requesting a meeting online. As you complete your midterms and get ready for Spring Break, I hope that you have a strong and satisfying finish to the first half of your semester!  

~Hallie 

(Bio: I am a junior out-of-state student studying Creative Writing and Philosophy.)