Smart Stop
Smart Stop Services Discontinued Beginning Fall 2009
Who oversees Smart Stop?
Smart Stop is under the budget and supervision of the Office of Academic Advising and Student Retention.
What was the reason for starting Smart Stop?
Smart Stop was started to prevent students from getting the "run-around" while performing basic Academic functions, such as Academic Advising, Registration, making payments, taking care of financial aid, etc. The original mission of Smart Stop was “Smart Stop is to be an advocate for students in their experience at Biola--academically, socially and spiritually--through a variety of services at one location.”
What responsibilities, besides Smart Stop, does the Office of Academic Advising and Student Retention have?
We advise all Undeclared students, transfer students, students on academic probation and any other students seeking supplemental advising. Our office oversees the First Year Seminar program for all majors, in addition to teaching the 8 sections of Undeclared First Year Seminar. We create all incoming student schedules each Fall and Spring. We also provide the university with research, insight, and intervention strategies for the retention and graduation patterns of our students.
Will Smart Stop be around in the Fall 2009 semester?
Smart Stop services will be discontinued beginning Fall 2009
What are reasons behind the decision made to close Smart Stop?
The Office of Academic Advising and Student Retention serves Biola in the following capacities: providing advising to undeclared, transfer, and probation students, as well as providing the university with research, insight, and intervention strategies for the retention and graduation patterns of our students. We are eliminating Smart Stop in order to serve the university as a traditional “advising center.”
In evaluating our work as the Office of Academic Advising and Student Retention, we believe that the functions of a copy center do not directly relate to the needs of advising and retaining our students. When the university asked all departments on campus to make budgetary cuts given the difficult economic times and in light of the university’s commitment to limit tuition increases and raise scholarship dollars to make Biola more affordable, this decision to cut printing and copy services at Smart Stop seemed appropriate.
In the future, students can utilize the DigiNet services available in the library, Welch Labs and various departments. The duplicating center also has copying services.
Where is the money that was funding Smart Stop going?
Each department across Biola's campus was asked to make budget cuts to ensure Biola's financial stability in the midst of this tumultuous economic climate. The funds have allowed Biola to provide an additional $1 million in student aid and increase tuition by the lowest rate in 8 years.
Should the economic climate turn around, will Smart Stop re-continue it's printing and copying services?
No. While the budget constraints hastened the decision to close Smart Stop and discontinue its printing and copying services, the decision was never fiscally driven. The decision was made to ensure that all functions of The Office of Academic Advising and Student Retention were aligned with its role and purpose as a department. That role is to advise and retain students.
Why cut something that provides students with on-campus jobs?
The student positions are going to be retained for the Fall Semester, but under a different job function. The new positions will better align with the role and purpose of our office and we will.
Where am I supposed to make my prints and copies now?
Biola is already equipped with DigiNet, a campus wide system that allows students to load their account with money to be able to print in the Library and other campus computer labs.
Why place a bigger financial burden on students by making them pay for their own prints?
Smart Stop currently allots 50 prints and 25 copies per semester. At $0.10/page students would have to pay $7.50/semester out of pocket to match this allotment using DigiNet. While we understand Smart Stop has provided a valuable free service to students, we believed the cost to our ability to provide quality advising to students to be greater than the cost of these prints and copies. Additionally, students will be benefiting from these costs in other ways because of the cuts across the university to provide more scholarships and limit tuition increases.
Where can I send faxes?
The Office of Academic Advising and Student Retention is still working through this solution. Currently the bookstore allows students make faxes at .75 cents for the first page and .50 cents for the second page. Also, there scanners available in the Welch computer labs where students can make digital versions of any document and email it. There are conversations with IT underway seeking a solution.