Amid rising University budget cuts, professors aren’t the only ones facing employment changes — some academic and professional advisers will be dealing with the cuts as well as a decision is expected at the end of next week.

Academic advisers are professors who also advise students, and normally are tied to the college of their specialization.

The expecteed short-term change will have academic advisors teaching, and all undergraduate advising will be left in the hands of professional advisors, Undergraduate Academic Program Dean John Ambrose, said.

“Professional advisors are crosstrained,” Ambrose said.

Jamie Mills, a senior in English, said the cuts of academic advisers first, is a good plan.

“I’m glad that they are cutting it from profesors because professors are not trained to do it,” Mills said. “They don’t always know what’s going on, so it’s a double-edged sword. Professors are not well-equipped to advise students.”

Still, the cutting of adviser positions in general, worries Mills.

“Overall, it’s the worst thing they could do to cut advisers,” Mills said. “That’s why some people stay at this University for five years. Students need advising — bottom line. It’s doing a great disservice to students to cut advising overall.”

Professional advisers, Ambrose said, do not specialize on just one subject or area, as opposed to academic advisers, and thus they can help many more students, including those changing majors.

Advisers working with the students in the First Year College program, for example, are able to assist students in choosing majors and courses at the very beginning of their studies, according to Ambrose.

Ambrose said students who seek assistance from academic advisers in individual colleges are three times more likely to change majors as compared to students of First Year College, where they work with professional advisers.

In the First Year College program, there are a hundred students per professional adviser, Ambrose said.

“We are trying to do the cuts with the least disruption,” Ambrose said. “We want to keep as many advisors in their positions as possible.”

According to Ambrose, if advisers are laid off just in First Year College, and one adviser is left per 150 students, these same advisers would not be able to perform an in-depth session for each student individually. This could  lead to some students making wrong choices about the courses they need to take, which some students may not be able to afford, Ambrose said.

Student Body President-elect Jim Ceresnak said he intends to work along with Amber Joyner, Student Senate academics chair, to work out problems with advising.

“In the face of classes being cut, we need to have effective advising, so students are taking classes they need to take and staying on the path to graduation,” Ceresnak, a junior in political science, said.

Ceresnak, who is a transfer student from UNC-Charlotte, said this has been an issue he’s wanted to address.

“Students feel like the advising system is failing them,” he said. “It’s something I want to work with Dean Ambrose to fix.”

The University has about 200 degree programs, so advisers are are hired to help make clear to students what each of them needs to take to graduate and how to best prepare for their chosen programs of study.

“Cuts having to do with operational funds will take place before further elimination of personnel,” Ambrose said.

The first advisers that officials lay off will be those intending to leave their positions anyway, according to Ambrose.

Although the exact dates for layoffs are still unknown, Ambrose said the cuts need to occur as soon as possible.

“The cuts should occur in April,” Ambrose said. “Waiting till May would mean eliminating an additional position.”

The University, he said, follows the policy of paying personnel their salaries for 90 days after they leave thier positions. Thus, the earlier people leave, the more money the University will be able to retain, he said, and fewer people will have to be leave in the long run.

A 10-month employment salary is likely to substitute the 12-month employment for the advisers who remain, as well as for the University staff in general, Ambrose said.

“This way, we will be able to keep the benefits for the employees,” Ambrose said.

Editor-in-Chief Saja  Hindi, Managing Editor Derek Medlin and News Editor Ty Johnson contributed to this story.