Student Support

Student Feedback

The following feedback was collected from emails and from student surveys at the PACE Advising Center:

"I can't really think of anything to improve the advising sessions, so...maybe next time you can teach me how to do a magic trick, breathe fire, or something..?"
"Margaret was great and helped me out a ton during my advising session!! :)"
"My advisor was extremely helpful! She gave me all the info i needed."
"Very informational and well explained."
"They did a very good job in making me understand what my schedule will look like and what to expect from my schedule in the coming years."
"Margret was a great adviser, her attitude and charisma toward her helping me really got me excited to start school. I can't wait until Fall 2015."
"Very helpful and informational. Made me feel more confident about this upcoming fall semester."
"Keep up the patience and great attitude."
"She's awesome!"
"margret (sic) was able to answer all my questions that i had."
"Very Fast and Critical Thinking"
"Very nice, and helpful!(:"
"She was great in providing sustantial (sic) information"
"Margaret was fantastic! She helped me so much in keeping with the guidelines of my degree plan...she also made sure I was within the parameters of my G.I. Bill! Thank you so much for all your help and support!"
"It was good to know about the courses and she gave me good notes about everything."
"Very understanding and helpful! Felt assured of my decision for classes to take."
"so helpful when i got into a really sticky situation, i even got a popcicle" (editorial note: that the popsicle was not the cause of the sticky situation)
"Margaret helped me understand my degree plan and was a great help for me."
"She was very friendly and made everything more clear to me."
"She was great at calming my anxiety and explaining what each thing consisted of."
"I had a great experience, Ms. Margaret Garry give some great advice for my plans."
"Margaret was very helpful to me when choosing which classes I should take for the upcoming year. She was in my best interest about which classes would benefit me the most when it came to my major. Very helpful, keep up the tremendous work! :)"
"She was awesome to work with"
"margret was very nice and knowelgeble! very helpful!"
[Received via email after working with a student to submit and confirm receipt of TSI scores]: "Thank you so much!!!! I just did a little dance! You're awesome!"
"My advisor was super helpful and answered every single question I had. My schedule was very difficult and she helped me work out all the kinks and create a plan that worked the best for me."
"Margaret helped me work around my pending IB scores, and gave me great insight for courses I should/shouldn't take."
"My advisor was very helpful in telling me how my schedule will work and what to expect from acc."
"Margaret was fantastic; she helped me out more than I thought someone could have ever possibly helped me out, and I am thankful for her assistance. Thank you again."
"she was probably the sweetest lady I've come in contact with thus far on campus. She truly was. Margarett is A1."
"I appreciate the help given to me by the adviser. I left her office feeling prepared to choose my classes."
"I feel much more confident going forward in my college career."
"I was a little confused as to what I should take as well as not understanding a few other things. Now I understand what I need to do and feel a lot better about my schedule."
"Margaret was very helpful and broke down the lingo so i could comprehend what my future will look like."
"PACE advising experience was great. My adviser was very helpful, and I learned a lot about registering for classes and reviewing my career plan."
"She was very helpful and insightful and seemed very qualified for her job. i was very pleased with my experience."
"Both Margarret and Temple were very helpful and patient with me and I am very thankful for that. They both helped me to stay calm and take my time deciding."
"Margaret was extremely friendly and helpful. She gave me plenty of advice."
"Thank you for personalizing my schedule and being patient with al of my requirements. I really appreciate you!"
"Margaret was extremely helpful in advising me about my classes and my options. She provided a lot of information, and I definitely feel more confident about my schedule after meeting with her. The process was quick and simple."
[Forwarded from a faculty colleague]: "I actually had a very, very, VERY successful meeting with my academic adviser. She helped decide to switch my major, which is usually something the Career Adviser does but there none available so she took it upon herself to assist me in any way she could. She discussed with me the pros and cons of different options and made me feel very comfortable with all my questions and with coming to a decision on what to major in. She was beyond friendly and I'm not sure I would have left there with as much peace as I had if it wasn't for this specific adviser. Margaret was awesome and I really recommend her to anyone, especially freshman. I'm really happy with the things we discussed, as she helped me understand the layout of the degree audit much better and especially explained the way my four year plan works in correlation to my classes."

Supervision

I supervised a team of six Resident Assistants. Resident Assistants (RAs) are student employees who put on programs in the community, take part in an evening and weekend on-call rotation, and act as a general peer support resource for students living in residence halls and apartments on campus. I also managed a team of approximately 20 work-study students who do reception and clerical work at the community's front desk.

As a supervisor of students, I focus on their development as young professionals. My goal is for them to be able to leave their RA job with the tools they need to be successful in a career or graduate program. I work to make this happen by having regular check-ins where my RAs can discuss their needs, their residents, and their school-work-life balance. I believe that it's their job to help me make sure the community's residents are thriving, and it's my job to make sure that my Resident Assistants are thriving.

Emergency Response

I take part in a 24-hour on-call emergency response rotation. I respond to university policy violations, student physical and mental health concerns, and occasional facilities emergencies. When needed, I accompany students to the hospital. I work closely with Resident Assistants and Senior Administrators on-call, as well as University Police and the Health and Counseling Center's On-Call Counselor to respond to a diverse range of after-hours student concerns.

Case Management

Conduct

As a Residence Director, I was part of a team of Conduct Officers on campus. My goal as a Conduct Officer was to help students turn their poor choices into educational opportunities. If a student had violated the Student Code of Conduct, I took time to listen to their decision-making processes and hear their perspective. I worked to assign sanctions designed to help them reflect and learn about how to make educated choices in the future.

Student Welfare

In addition to working with conduct, I kept a close eye on the well-being of students in my community. I followed up with students after a faculty member or academic advisor expressed concern, mediated disagreements between roommates, and checked in on students who have been experiencing academic or other difficulties.

Group Advising

Resident Event Planners

I advised my community's Resident Event Planner team. While Resident Assistants are responsible for implementing several educational programs in the community per semester, Resident Event Planners manage the social life of the community. I met with the group and its president on a regular basis. We planned smaller events such as movie-nights and pre-finals study breaks, but we also worked with a campus-wide Residential Programming Board on larger annual events such as the Halloween Block Party and Haunted House (see photo), Hall Olympics, and the Blue-and-Gold Series (a series of NCAA athletic events with special spirit contests and prizes).

Service Break Experience

I partnered with Campus Ministry to advise a Service Break Experience group during the 2012-2013 academic year. We spent our Spring Break in El Paso, TX, where we volunteered at Villa Maria, which provides a home and resources to women who are overcoming homelessness. At Villa Maria, we painted several interior walls, washed and waxed the floors in residents' rooms, organized a large donation of canned goods, and assisted residents with preparing meals for the community. The theme of our experience was "Border Experience," so in addition to completing our service project, we visited the United States Border Patrol, sat in on immigration court hearings, and toured Annunciation House, a facility that provides housing and resources to homeless migrants.

Prior to Spring Break, we met regularly to discuss the four pillars of our experience (building community, living simply, doing justice, and engaging spiritually), take part in service projects in Austin, and build community as a group.

Living Learning Communities

In January 2014, I assumed responsibility for the Business Living Learning Community (LLC). This group of first year students builds community together by expanding their knowledge about a shared interest and living together on a floor in the residence hall. To provide a quality experience for my students, I worked closely with an LLC Program Director, a team of faculty members from the School of Management and Business, an academic counselor from Academic Planning and Student Support, and student leaders such as a Resident Assistant and a Teaching Assistant. Living Learning Community participants take a course together each semester and participate in community-building activities such as regular shared meals, educational workshops, and service projects. You can see my students participating in a service project where we created Valentine cards to distribute to children who are undergoing treatment in area hospitals.

I also worked with a faculty member from the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences and an Assistant Director of Student Life in preparation for the inaugural year of the Leadership Living Learning Community. We selected participants and developed a plan for the first year of the community.

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