Advising is taking another proactive step toward student feedback through the restructuring of the UOSA Academic Advising Task Force.

Undergraduate Student Congress passed an amendment Tuesday, changing the task force to facilitate communication between students and the university about academic advising.

The group will feature two students from every college, and will work closely with Joyce Allman, associate provost for academic advising, on undergraduate advising.

The changes arose from Allman’s desire to bridge the gap between her and the students, Jason Robison, chairman of Student Congress’ academic affairs committee and bill author, said.

The group would probably meet once a month with Allman, she said. Their primary purpose is giving undergraduate students a chance to voice their opinions about advising, she said.

To achieve this, the task force needs to take its job seriously and speak to other students and find out what their needs are, Allman said.

“This isn’t just a position to put on your resume,” Allman said.

The task force will also work with members of the student retention, the graduation task force and the student advisory boards specific to each college. The new UOSA Academic Advising Task Force differs from these other groups because it provides a focus on advising, Allman said.

If all goes according to plan, Allman said, she will get the information she needs to make academic advising better for all students.

The task force restructuring comes a week after Allman launched an academic advising website to help students find all the information they need in one place. The associate provost for academic advising was created to make academic advising more efficient, she said.

This isn’t the end of the plans, she said. Allman is currently working on putting drop slips and other academic advising forms online. Other possible plans include advisers in the housing areas and extending advising hours.

The amendment will move to the Graduate Student Senate Sunday. Pending their approval, the new members of the task force should be assembled sometime in November, according to Robison.