By Megan Khor, Student Communications Assistant for Student Affairs
 

For 317 campus faculty and staff, advising 449 student organizations offers a direct pathway to connect with students outside of traditional, professional and academic settings.

“You get to see students outside of your normal environment,” said Tavaris Baxter, associate director of Student Involvement. “If you’re a faculty member. You may have 150 students in a class, but when you’re an advisor, you may just have 15 or 20 that you get to actually have one-on-one relationships with.”

Since this past May, UNC Charlotte officially adopted a mandatory advisor requirement for all clubs and organizations across campus. Implemented by the Board of Governors across all 16 UNC system schools, all student organizations must have an advisor in order to receive university funding. 

By April 1, the University had registered approximately 491 student organizations, the highest number in its history and a notable rise from the roughly 350 active groups when Baxter initially joined the department.

For Baxter, the most rewarding part of implementing this new system is getting to hear the stories and experiences advisors share. Although some advisors carried over from prior years, Baxter is only now meeting many of them for the first time. 

One such example is Ayanna Morrison, who serves as the advisor for Cheer Nation, Royal Ninerettes and the Black Student Union. Morrison, who works as the financial support specialist for Student Involvement, began advising in 2010 because of her passion for helping students maximize their college experience.

“One of the things I enjoy most is watching students grow into confident leaders,” Morrison said. “It is rewarding to see students develop professionally, take ownership of their organizations, overcome challenges and accomplish goals they never thought possible.” 

Being an advisor has allowed Morrison to gain crucial skills like adaptability, patience and relationship building. Over the years, she’s become a better mentor, communicator and leader because of the students she has worked with. 

Morrison’s most memorable moments are when students achieve milestones they worked hard to reach. Whether it's seeing Cheer Nation and Royal Ninerettes perform in front of large audiences, helping BSU host impactful cultural education programs, or watching students across the graduation stage, those moments remind Morrison why the work she does is so important.

“Seeing former leaders go on to successful careers and continue to make a difference in their communities is one of the greatest rewards of being an advisor,” Morrison said. 

For other advisors, being a part of student organizations on campus has a deeper connection. Kamora Varner, a 2021 UNC Charlotte graduate and former president of 100 Black Women, returned to advise the group in March 2022 while pursuing graduate school. 

“I wanted to be involved with the girls as a resource and someone who could help out wherever needed,” Varner said. “It was one of my greatest decisions ever.” 

One of her recent memories with her students was getting to go to uptown to pass out food and winter apparel for the unhoused. Another memory she recalled is doing a graduation photoshoot with ‌them. 

Varner noted that working with the club's members has also helped to inspire her own professional growth, encouraging her to complete her master in business administration last May. 

“My favorite thing is getting to build relationships with the girls. I love hearing about what they are involved with on campus, their majors, their career goals and anything they are willing to share with me,” Varner said. 

To ensure advisors are prepared to support their student organization(s), Student Involvement offers a mandatory workshop covering baseline administrative duties and policies. To build on these, the department also hosts specialized sessions tackling specific topics requested by advisors, such as funding and conflict management. 

Advisors can support up to three organizations simultaneously, excluding those whose official job descriptions at the university do not already include advising. 

With the new policy, Baxter projects that advisors will be able to help with organization retention across academic years. One example he referred to is professors advising organizations adjacent to their area of study, such as a professor who teaches circus skills that then became the advisor to the Charlotte circus student organization, Queen City Circus.

“In this case, the advisor had a specific interest and recruited students to continue carrying it forward,” Baxter said. “That’s one way I see advisors helping with retention if the advisors really have a stake in seeing the progression of the organization.”

More information can be found on the Student Organizations website.