Academic Advisement

Communications Department Advising

Advisors: Communications Faculty Dr. Nancy A. Cheever (chair); Dr. Ryan Bowles Eagle; Dr. Brant Burkey; Ms. Toddy Burton; Dr. Linda Dam; Dr. Sharon K. Sharp; Dr. John Vanderhoef, Penny White
Location: LIB 5324 (the Communications main office)
Phone: (310) 243-3313

Communications students should set up an advisement appointment with a faculty member when they need to discuss the following:

1. Major requirements.
2. Switching or declaring options within the major.
3. Submitting a graduation application (see Graduation Applications below).
4. 4. Graduate school and other long-term goals.

Communications students should set up an advisement appointment with the Department Chair when they need to discuss the following:

1-4 above, plus:

1. Internships
2. Study Abroad course substitutions
3. Petitions for Exception
4. SAP Appeals

Scheduling an Appointment: Students must sign up for a major advisement appointment at the Communications main office (LIB 5324) or by calling (310) 243-3313 during business hours. Students should make a note of the following when signing up for an appointment:

• The name of the faculty member with whom they have made an appointment.
• The office number of the faculty member.
• The date and time of the appointment.  

Cancellations: Students who wish to cancel an appointment should come by the Communications main office and cross their names off the list. If that is not possible, students should call the Communications main office at (310) 243-3313. Students should call the main office if they are running late for an appointment: an appointment may be cancelled if a student is at least five minutes late.

Graduation Applications: Students can apply for graduation through MyCSUDH once they have completed 90 units and should make an appointment with a faculty advisor and see a UAC (General Education) advisor after submitting the application online. Students are responsible for completing all requirements for graduation and for meeting with a faculty advisor and a UAC advisor to confirm that they are on track to degree completion. Check the CSUDH website for graduation application deadlines.

Walk-In Hours: Communications faculty members may also have a couple of hours a week designated to see students on a “walk-in” basis. The walk-in hours for a particular faculty member can be found listed at the bottom of the faculty member's appointment signup sheet. The following guidelines apply to walk-in advisement:

1. Students who come to a faculty member’s walk-in hours to discuss matters related to a class the faculty member is teaching (such as upcoming paper assignments) have priority over students who show up for walk-in major advisement regardless of who was there first.
2. 2. Students should only come for walk-in major advisement to discuss matters that can be taken care of quickly (such as petitioning to drop or add a class). Students with advisement issues that will take more time—such as planning registration or graduation applications—should make an appointment.
3. Faculty members may not have enough time to see all students who show up for walk-in hours.

Communications General Education and Special Projects Advisor

Advisor: Penny Roebuck-White
Location: LIB 5389
Phone:  (310) 243-2162
Email: plabaun@csudh.edu

In most cases, Penny will contact students for a variety of advising issues. Communications students may set up an advisement appointment via phone or email with the General Education and Special Projects advisor when they need to discuss the following:

1. General education requirements for the bachelor’s degree
2. Overall graduation requirements
3. Academic probation and disqualification advising
4. University policies and procedures

University Advisement Center

Location: Welch Hall A-220 (by appointment and limited walk-in hours)
Phone:  (310) 243-3538
Website: https://www.csudh.edu/uac/ 

For information on general education requirements for the bachelor’s degree, overall graduation requirements, academic probation and disqualification advising and university policies and procedures students should visit the University Advisement Center.

Expectations of Students

It is important for students to understand that they must take an active role in advisement. Students are responsible for making and following through on their own decisions. As such, they are expected to do the following in relation to the advisement process:

1. Meet regularly (at least twice a year) with the appropriate advisor(s)
2. Come to advisement sessions with a written and prioritized list of questions and issues to discuss with the faculty advisor.
3. Familiarize themselves with all degree requirements, including those for their major option, and University requirements for the BA.
4. Check their campus email account regularly. This is the official means of communication used by the University.
5. Check the Academic Calendar (available via CSUDH.edu) well before each semester begins and note all relevant deadlines such as the fee payment deadline, the drop deadline, etc.
6. Maintain accurate and complete records of all advisement-related materials.