Around 30 people attended the Major Meet and Greet between students, deans and professors on May 2 in the CI building, room 159, but some majors were not represented by professionals.
There were seven categories of majors with designated signs around the room consisting of: communications, language arts and library, fine and performing arts, physical education and athletics, social and behavioral sciences, natural, physical and health sciences, and mathematics and business.
The Career Technical Education department did not have a sign, and despite the many areas taught in CTE, two professors came to represent.
“The sad thing is that out of all that two of us showed up,” Ann Everett, esthetics professor said.
She spoke with students engaged in esthetics and those who weren’t.
“A few asked specifically about the curriculum, which was nice,” Everett said.
Half of the room was busy, the other half was empty. For the majority of the meet and greet there were no representatives for communications and language arts and library majors. John Vaughan, dean of visual and performing arts, said there was a professor representing the language arts and library majors, but they left.
There was no sign-up sheet and professors were invited to come when available. However, the meet and greet was between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., when professors have a busy teaching block.
Professor David Kary, who was representing the natural, physical and health sciences, said “I don’t think this was very promoted on the faculty side”.
Linda De Long, adjunct business professor, said she thinks “the challenge is students are going between classes and faculty are going between classes.”
People were standing, eating pastries and drinking coffee while talking. Business major Rita Rivera described the event as casual. She spoke with professors outside her desired field because she recognized them from clubs she frequents, like Indigenous Student Association and the Gender and Sexuality Alliance.
“I had great conversations with professors I didn’t know,” Rivera said.
Rivera said that talking with professors made time go by quickly and she received good advice about which classes she should take.
Another student, art history major Flor Olivares, said she came to the event to get a better understanding of her educational career and to make connections with professors. She found the event “helpful to get other people who care”. Oliviares spoke at length with Vaughn. He recommended she study abroad to Florence, Italy in the winter semester because of its emphasis on renaissance art.
Students that were interviewed said the major meet and greet was a good experience overall. The professors that did attend seemed enthusiastic to talk to students.
