Butler advisers reflect on passion while helping students

There are many full time and part-time advisers at Butler CC. They work to help students fulfill class requirements for their majors. Even as they try to support student success, many students have received conflicting advice from advisers, leading to scheduling issues, specifically in the mathematics field.

Katie Zarchan is a full-time adviser at Butler of El Dorado. It was the best career decision she has ever made, she said.

“I love what I do, as an adviser, we play a role in one small chapter of our students’ journey. My goal every day is to help them complete their academic goals with Butler and prepare them for whatever their next chapter has in store,” Zarchan said.

The hardest part of advising students for her is helping students navigate tough circumstances. The advisers were all students once, and she understands that life does not stop just because someone is in school. While helping students navigate through the day-to-day struggles of life can be tough, the pride and joy the advisers have when they see students come out the other side and finish their program or achieve their goals makes it all worth it, she adds. Some recurring issues students seem to have is concentrating on general education courses.

“One issue that I see students get caught up in is concentrating only on gen-ed courses and waiting too long to take classes related to their major,” Zarchan said. “The first term milestone classes are a perfect opportunity to start to explore the field a student wants to go into. If you end up not loving the class, it is easier to pivot and find a new direction. If you wait too long to take those courses, your path becomes harder or could take more time to figure out your next steps,”

Some students in both the fall and spring semesters had conflicts and problems with their math and scheduling. Zarchan says that creating a schedule that fits the needs of such a diverse student population is hard.

“Each semester we work closely with the math department to make sure we have options that work for our students,” Zarchan said.

Vera Hall is a part-time adviser at Butler of Andover campus.

“I am really enjoying being part of the BCC advising team. My co-workers are so helpful and knowledgeable. Each student brings a different situation when they need advising so that keeps the job interesting,” Hall said.

She states that the hardest part of advising students is when a student isn’t sure of the career path they want to pursue, so it becomes more difficult helping them choose classes. Another issue is last-minute enrollment.

“There are students who wait until the last week or days before a semester begins [to enroll] and some of the classes they want or need to take are no longer available,” Hall said.

Shannon Herbert is another full-time adviser at BOE. The hardest part about advising students for her is that it is challenging when they only have limited information to work with when they are advising their students. It is really helpful when students open up about their goals, interests, and plans so that they can get to know them better. The same is true if they do not have transcripts or test scores to use as a starting point for enrollment and degree planning.

Students seeking help from advisers can find their offices in the 600 building at BOE, and in the 5000 building at BOA.