Are you the only undergraduate student-facing advising employee in your department or unit? Are you looking to form connection with other advising colleagues around campus in similar roles? We invite you to join the Advising Solo Staff Community!
We are a group of undergraduate student facing-employees in a solo role in our department or unit who want to support, connect with, and learn from others in similar roles around campus. We use Teams, in-person meetings, and casual virtual meet-ups to engage with each other.
Thank you for your interest in the Solo Staff Community. We are excited to welcome you! We invite anyone who wants to consider these topics together. We are also always interested in ideas for other ways this group might offer support to each other moving forward.
If you would like to join, please become a member of our Teams Channel.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Erin Polnaszek, Lynn Bartholomew, or Sabrina Manero.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What topics does the Solo Staff Community connect about?
Examples of topics we cover include:
- The challenges of being a solo staff member
- Advocating for resources in your department or unit
- Rotating supervisors or faculty as a supervisor
- Space (office space, space for students, etc.)
- Staying motivated on your own
- Safety in meeting with upset students
- Sharing knowledge and resources
- Onboarding new folks into solo advisor roles
- Transition documents, templates, and models for roles
- Case studies
- Tips and tricks
- Community building and professional development
- Building on-going relationships with other advisors
- Performance evaluations
- New learning opportunities
We are always open to facilitating discussions about other topics important to group members!
How does the community engage with each other?
- The Solo Staff Community Teams channel
- Two formal meetings during the semester with varied modality
- Virtual coffee meet-ups every few weeks for casual conversation and connection
How do I join the community?
If you are interested, you can join the Solo Staff Community via our Teams Channel. This is where we send updates on upcoming meetings and other more informal opportunities for connection. You will also find a list of folks already in the community and where they are located around campus.