College Advisors Are Voluntary, Not Mantatory

I have gone to college, taking a few classes here and a few there, until I could be a FT college student, from 1994-2005.

That is 10 years.

I was only able to take a couple of classes from 1994-1999 because I was not 24 years and "independent" and therefor ineligible for the financial aid I needed.  A student is considered to be a "dependent" of their parents, even if they've owned their own house and have been living on their own for years, until they are 24.  During this time, colleges count the parent's income and factor that into whether or not they provide loans.  Because my parents made too much money, I qualified for zero loans until I was 24.

So this is why it has taken me awhile to go to college.  Then, I had a couple of surgeries even while in college, which affected me, but anyway.

The point is this:  I know what I'm talking about when I say college "Advisors" are voluntary.  In over a decade of college, not once was "having an advisor" mandatory.

When I then enrolled at EOU they kept HOUNDING me to talk to an "Advisor".  They were saying I couldn't register for classes or anything until I did so.  They had it all set up.  "Your Advisor is BONNIE" they said.  "HAVE YOU TALKED TO YOUR ADVISOR?"

I finally said "Isn't having an "advisor" voluntary?"  They replied, "Talk to the ADVISOR before you register for classes."  I said, "Well, I CAN register for classes without talking to an advisor first, if I choose to, isn't that correct?  I mean, it's not mandatory is it?" and EOU said, "No."

They confirmed it wasn't mandatory. 

I signed up for my classes.  Still, they harassed me.  So finally, after I already had classes going, I returned the call of the "advisor".  The MINUTE I did, all Hell broke loose.  Right after I talked with her for the first time, I got a little email from the "student relations" woman, "Cascio".  That was the first time she ever called me.

How about "less government".

Keep your fricking nose out of my business?

If I WANT to talk to an advisor, I will, and have done so in the past, to clarify something.  Otherwise, leave me the HELL alone.

I don't want you to hold my hand, I'm not an idiot, and I don't need the additional time waste if I don't ask for it.

After being harassed as a student at the lowest ranking college in the state, EOU, I decided not to reward their bad behavior by giving them more of my money and switched to take some other classes I need at community college.

I was told I had to talk to an advisor.  This time, they told me it WAS "mandatory" for any new incoming student, no matter who they were.  They said the advisor had to clear you to take classes at the start.  So I said okay.  I tried to talk to an advisor for over 2 weeks, and no one would set it up and I was trying to get it done to register for classes.  When I finally talked to someone it was "Trish" and I told her my plan briefly and she "cleared me" to register for Summer and Fall.  She was knowledgeable but what's bizarre, is that she had no problem clearing me for a class plan that went nowhere and included credits I didn't need (which she could see from my transcript) or that applied to "Nursing", but then she tried to be obstructive the minute I looked over the schedules, charts, and classes, and decided scrap nursing, I'm going pre-med and double majoring as I've always planned.

So she freaks out, shuts me down, demands testing, demands I talk to a panel of people at the college, and in this panel, she included a disabilities person.  I had not once ever said a word to her about "disabilities" or wanting to speak to anyone about such a thing.

After this, I decided she is not the advisor for me.  I was told by this school, "You need to 'develop a relationship with your advisor'"....and I said, "I'm not in college to develop a relationship with an advisor--I'm in college to take classes, study, and get what I need to get done.  If I choose to develop a relationship with a professor or someone, that's up to me."  They were telling me to "develop a relationship" with some advisor they had all picked out for me, a man, "Patrick Platt."  I told them I wanted a woman.

So the whole point is, EOU admitted advisors were voluntary but first they were lying and trying to force me to be "advised" on everything.  And the minute I gave an advisor an inch, if they didn't like the fact I wasn't doing what THEY wanted me to do, they were prejudicing my studies with other faculty.  Then SWOCC said it WAS mandatory so I complied, but then this woman causes a huge problem for no reason.

I have the right to choose my advisor and since this woman can't act like a normal person, I'll take someone else.  It was HER decision to escalate this, try to block "communication" (just a little extreme), and waste my time by interference and making unreasonable demands, and invading my privacy or discussing me without my consent and authorization.  I asked her a simple question and if she can't handle it, she's out.

It is up to the advisor to make such a call.  The only reason they'd do this is if they do not wish to answer the question about how classes fit into majors, themselves.

If I have a different advisor tell me the same thing then it is not even the advisor but someone else at the college who is trying to interfere and making unreasonable demands when all need is a yes or no answer.

The point of being in college is not to be babysat, micromanaged, or encourage to "develop personal relationships" with "advisors".  Most intelligent and independent students are smart enough to look at worksheets and what is required and punch in the classes they need. 

So the new "advisor harassment" is a bunch of garbage and I view it as a way to try to take control of things that I haven't given them power to interfere with. 

Anyone with any level of maturity would agree with me.

These people have been making excuses for trying to get proximity to me that I have not consented to, and then they try to be obstructive and interfere with my life.