Services

Every Elon student is assigned an advisor, a university professor or administrator, who will work with students to plan, problem solve, and help explore interests and majors. Advisors are also a contact for getting information regarding programs, tutors, special needs, or just general information.

Elon 101
Selection of Major
Individual Services for Students
Faculty Support

Elon 101

More than 97 percent of new students select this advising "class" of 12-16 students, one faculty/staff advisor, and one student advisor. This one-hour credit class is designed to help entering students get acquainted with life at Elon. Elon 101 meets weekly through the fall semester, and though classes vary depending on the interests of the group, it is informal and covers a broad range of topics designed to ease the transition from high school to college. Topics may include study styles, the ups and downs of roommates, and managing preregistration. Activities have ranged from cooking at the advisor’s home to goal setting and honor code discussions.

*Students who do not request Elon 101 will be enrolled in an Elon 101 class for the advising/orientation activities that occur during Welcome Week. Students who later choose to drop the Elon 101 advising class have two options for advising described by Premajor Advising and Declaration of Major below.

Premajor Advising
Students may keep the Elon 101 advisor after officially dropping the class. This advisor will assist with preregistration and other concerns when the student schedules appointments.

Selection of Major

Exploration of Major
Advisors in the center work with a variety of students and majors. Therefore, they are skillful at helping students assess their strengths, weaknesses, and preferences when considering a major. In the Advising Center, brochures entitled What I Can do With a Major in . . . are available on nearly all majors. These may also be accessed online from our web site.

Each semester Advising Center staff also offer several sections of a course entitled Exploring Careers/Majors. This COE 110 class carries one hour elective credit.

Declaration of Major
Most Elon students do not need to declare a major their first year. However, some majors such as elementary education, the sciences, engineering, and performing arts/music need early decisions so that students will graduate on time. Students’ advising folders are designed for the advisor and student to develop graduation plans that fall within the traditional four year period.

Regardless of what a student has indicated on admission papers, the procedure for officially declaring a major begins in the Academic Advising Center. A student fills out a declaration of major form in the center. Next, the chairman of the department is notified of a new major and assigns the student an advisor from that discipline. Once the Advising Center is informed of the new advisor’s name, the student is in turn notified by e-mail. The center is responsible for obtaining the student’s advising folder and forwarding it to the new advisor.

Elon students are expected to declare a major no later than the spring of their sophomore year.

Individual Services

Individual Degree Audit
At any time during a student’s university career, the student may access a copy of his/her degree audit through OnTrack. Students are encouraged to use this advising tool when they meet with their advisor or advisors in the center to determine what courses and hours are needed for graduation. The *official graduation audit is conducted by the Office of the Registrar before the first semester of graduation to determine credit hours/grades needed for graduation.

*According to a long-standing tradition at Elon University, students do not participate in the graduation ceremony unless every aspect of their degree program is completed prior to the graduation date.

First-Year Registration (excludes transfers)
Once students are admitted to Elon and deposits are received, they are sent an Advising Folder with an instruction sheet explaining how to access Elon's online course request module. This electronic site discusses majors, outlines freshman core requirements, and suggests freshman level courses to satisfy general university requirements.

Students complete these forms online and submit to the Advising Center at Elon. Students may receive help with this process by attending one of two spring orientation weekends. During those weekends, students meet in groups with an advisor to discuss courses and to ask questions.

Students who cannot attend a spring orientation weekend may call the Advising Center for assistance. (336-278-6500)

Except for special populations, i.e. honors, early action/ early decision, etc., schedule requests are processed in date order. Students are more likely to receive first choice schedules if they are returned promptly.

Registration days are also held at the beginning of each term. Pre-registered first-year students must meet with their academic advisor in order to obtain access to online drop/add procedures.

Transfer students
Advising Center staff prepare checksheets on transfer students’ major requirements in order to clarify their course needs. Students are assigned a major advisor. Undecided students are advised by center personnel until a major is declared. The Advising Center notifies transfer students of the dates and times for registration.

International students
The Advising Center assigns advisors for international students. No advisor has more than one new international student due to the unique advising needs of that relationship.

Suspended/probationary students
Students who have been suspended but are approved for readmission under a probationary status are assigned to professional staff in the advising center. Once probationary status is removed, they are returned to their major advisor.

Readmitted students
Readmitted students on probationary status are assigned advisors from the Advising Center. Once probationary status is removed, students are returned to their major advisor or assigned an advisor once they officially declare a major.

Readmitted students who left the university in good academic standing return to their major advisor.

Students with disabilities
Students with disabilities including physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or serious health concerns should contact Ms. Priscilla Lipe for more information.

Office phone: 336-278-6500

E-mail: plipe@elon.edu

Faculty Support
The Advising Center works as a team with faculty and other campus professionals to provide accurate and useful information. Current checksheets and degree audits on each major are maintained and available to both faculty and students. Through professional meetings and journals, the staff is aware of issues and trends in the field of academic advising. While the Advising Center formally assists the training of new faculty and Elon 101 advisors, the center is also a resource to departments and individual faculty interested in upgrading their own advising procedures.

Early Warning
The Advising Center maintains a system designed to be a back up for faculty who cannot reach their students and to address systemic problems of not having local telephone numbers for students. EWARNING is an e-mail account that has been set up for faculty to report any students with excessive absences, missing quizzes, lack of class participation, etc. The Advising Center will collect this information and send it to the student’s academic advisor, who will be asked to contact the student and put the information in the advisee’s folder. Professors may report any student, any time. The Center will track this information and report to the faculty at the end of each semester. Reports can also be made by phone to the Academic Advising Center, 278-6500.

Notification of Student Absences
Students, parents, and faculty may notify Academic Advising when a student must miss classes. This notification is especially encouraged when the absences are prolonged. Academic Advising will forward the information to a student’s professors and academic advisor. Academic Advising does not verify the legitimacy of this information, nor does it issue written excuses for students. It is the student’s responsibility to contact each professor upon returning to class to discuss make-up work and/or missed tests.