Lauren Lyerly curated this opinion piece which The Appalachian published on March 18, 1975.
In the Fall of 1971 the compulsory advising system was terminated by the University as a result of student pressure. In the spirit of protest and self-determination, many students reacted against the control placed over them by compulsory advising.
Since 1971, not a few students have encountered problems in meeting graduation requirements. Some, who thought they had met all the requirements for their program, discovered that they had left out a course or two. Still others, whose programs have changed, are not clear about what courses they must take.
Now that the University is in a confusing period of transition with the change to the semester system this coming fall, a lot of students are bewildered about their programs. Especially in the case of sequence courses and incompletes, many students are not clear about what they must do before the semester system is instituted. 
University Registrar C. David Smith has publicized the need for students to iron these problems out before the change takes effect. But what are they supposed to see? In some cases their dean, in others a department head and in still others, the Registrar himself. Is it any wonder that students feel a little confused about what to do and where to go?
We think the time is ripe for a switch back to a modified compulsory advising system. A system which requires a student to get prior approval before he takes a course is still out of the question. However, we believe a system can be devised whereby students maintain control over their academic program yet still are required to see an advisor.
Very simply, a student would take his preregistration form to his assigned advisor before going to the registrar’s office. A space on the form could be provided to show that the advisor had seen the form. Thus, a student would decide what to take and his advisor would simply note that he had reviewed the student’s academic plans for a semester.
Some may ask, “Why bother with a system like this?” Well, we believe that students need academic advice, although we do not feel that students should be compelled to accept it. The system we propose allows a student to get the advice he needs, but allows him to maintain absolute control over what courses he may want to take. If the system were in effect now, there would be fewer confused students.
Moreover, the advising system we advocate still places the responsibility for graduation squarely on the shoulders of the students. All it does is give him a little better chance of getting there without unnecessary confusion or setbacks.
