In an effort to save time, money, space, and paper, the BCC Advising Office has eliminated advising folders by using the campus’ online system, WebAdvisor.  This initiative has been a few years in the making, with June 2013 marking the first intake of new students without folders.  Anne Fortune, Advisor Extraordinaire, informed us that before shifting to online advising, the office had to create two folders for every student, taking up valuable space and time.  By using WebAdvisor, the office estimates that their paper consumption has dropped by 80%!  This not only frees up filing space, but reduces the number of man hours required for the regular maintenance of the advising folders.

With online registration now in full swing, the campus can maintain student records in real time, therefore providing advisors with the most accurate and up-to-date information. This green and efficient approach has been well-received.  Although Advising rarely prints out paper copies anymore, they are happy to make accommodations for those who still want folders.

What’s next for the greening of Advising?  They hope the campus will implement system-wide scanning, thereby making the addition of transcripts and other information easier and greener.

Has your department made any green changes?  If you would like to share your story, please email Roz at rbroch@berkshirecc.edu