Our Opinion: This can be less harmful to both students and professors if done correctly.

The University is going to have full-time advisers as a temporary solution due to the budget deficit it is going to have next year, according to Undergraduate Programs Dean John Ambrose.

The University has academic advisers, who are all professors, and full-time professional advisers.

The University must be careful when cutting its services, especially ones like advising, but if it is done in the right way, it can make the University more efficient.

Having all full-time advisers can be a good solution to the budget crisis in more ways than just saving money. It will allow academic advisers to have more time to teach classes and spend time with their students.

Professors who were academic advisers could also have more time to do in-depth research and work with graduate students on their research.

Also, students will be able to work closer with these professors, and professors would be more accessible to students.

Having mostly full-time advisers can increase efficiency for both students and current academic advisors if it is done properly.

Though full-time advisers may alleviate the workload on professors who also serve as advisers, each college must make sure advisers do not take on too much.

Full-time advisers must be accessible to students, especially upperclassmen. They must also be knowledgeable of the programs for which they are advising.

Also, students should use tools, such as the virtual adviser at Advising Central, to alleviate some of the traffic in advisers’ offices.

Before the University considers having only full-time advisers as a permanent solution, it must see if it is a cost-effective solution and make sure this it is beneficial to students.

As a way to make sure advisers are doing their jobs, students should be able to evaluate advisers in addition to class evaluations at the end of each semester. This can be a way to gauge whether having full-time advisers is effective and efficient.

It is vital that this change in the advising system does not hurt students. The University must realize that even in rough times like these, it must keep students as a priority.