Front Desk Procedures and Expectations

Welcoming Students to Our Space 

When a student enters the office, you are the first person they will see! For some students, it's their first time entering our space, you'll notice right away if they feel lost or nervous. Please reassure them that they are in the right space as long as they are a Humanities affiliated student. You want to make sure to welcome all students with a smile and make sure they get their questions answered. Also, please offer them snacks and drinks that are always provided in the lounge area! Humanities students are always welcome into our office, even if it’s just to study or do their homework, they don't only need to be in this space specifically for advising appointments.

Also, students may come to the front desk when they can’t find a certain office. Here are some tips on how to guide them: 

  • On the first floor, you can access all wings in Padelford (A, B, C). 
  • Offices on the Plaza Level (PL on the elevator) will begin with 00. Example: Our office is 002.
  • Offices on the Lower Lobby (LL on the elevator) will have 2-digits. Example: To get to B-37 from our office, the student will need to:
  1. Take the elevator to the first floor 
  2. Take a left when exiting and walk to the B-Wing elevators (lime green) 
  3. Press the LL button in the B-Wing elevator 
  4. When exiting, there should be a sign for the student to follow so they end up in the right office.
  • Offices from the 1st to 5th floors will be 3-digits. Example: Office B-225 is on the 2nd floor of the B-Wing.

Common Front Desk Questions

"Can I get an add code for this class?"

  • Typical Response: No, our office does not give add codes to students. What is your student number and what class are you interested in?
  • Context: You can register students into most Humanities courses except for technical and professional writing classes in the English department, graduate level courses (500+ level), and classes that require an entry code (specifically for special programs like Honors or Educational Opportunity Program sections). 
  • If the quarter has already started, then you can only register students for classes given they have faculty permission to enroll. Faculty have the final say on student enrollment for their classes. Student's will need to forward you a confirmation email from their professor preferably with their signature to get registered into classes.

"Can I see an adviser for a quick question?"

  • Typical Response: Please let the student know our drop-in advising hours. Drop-ins are for quick questions that should take about 5-10 minutes to answer. Keep in mind that these hours can change annually based on operations updates and/or student feedback.

Additionally, if the student isn't able to attend drop-in advising, then please guide them to the iPad (which should be on their right) where they can make an appointment with one of our advisers. Any one of our advisers know about the 12 Humanities departments and can answer all student questions during in-person or virtual appointments.

Viewing the upcoming advising appointment of HAS advisers can be looked through their personal calendars OR through ScheduleOnce. If students want the scheduling to a specific adviser, you can find the links in our HAS website → People Tab. There you select the adviser, and under their biography are the links to their specific calendar to provide to students.

Note: If the iPad happens to reset, here’s the password: 042022. Please make sure the Wi-Fi is connected to the University of Washington Network and that the main advising page is shown on the screen. You can show students where the drop-in advising intake form is located once you click the drop-in section on the website. Whether it’s in-person or virtual drop-ins, please have students complete the intake form before being seen by an adviser. This allows advisers to know what questions students have so they can pull up appropriate resources prior to the drop-in appointment.

Answering Phone Calls and Responding to Voicemails

Answering the phone
  • Greet the caller with, “Hello, Humanities Academic Services Center!” 
  • Make sure the caller knows that they are calling our office, we are an undergraduate advising and support center for B.A. students, faculty, and staff in the Humanities division at UW.
  • If a parent requests information about their child, do not share any personal student details (such as academic records or class enrollment), as this would be a violation of FERPA.
  • Typical inquiries are like the greeting inquiries listed above (add codes, advising appointments, and transfer student questions). 
  • It’s ok if you don’t know the answer right away! Please ask one of the advisers to get confirmation on something you’re unsure of. You can put the caller on a polite hold in the meantime. 
Transferring calls
  • Know who you’re transferring to. See this phone guide for our adviser's office phone numbers. 
  • When you are on the phone with the caller and want to transfer to a specific adviser, press the button below the glowing red button on the top right-hand corner of the phone. On the left there is a 5-digit number, such as 32634. 
  • Once this button is pressed, dial the new number you want the call to be transferred to and it should successfully transfer.

Greeting Students for Advising Appointments 

Please make sure to ask everyone on the team to share their calendar with you including information like student appointments (with their name/preferred name and student number provided). You will then know when to expect students and can let the appropriate adviser know they have arrived.

Example: Hi, welcome in! Are you here to see Arielle? *Yes. Are you Jonathan? *Yes. Great! I will let Arielle that you’re here. You're welcome to help yourself to any snacks or drinks in the lounge area and she will come out to see you when she's ready.

Note: Sometimes students will come into our office expecting to see a specific adviser who may not be on the calendar. In this case, please have the student show you their confirmation email because their appointment may be later in the following week.

Greeting Students for Drop-ins

For drop-in advising, please make sure to have students complete the drop-ins check-in form so advisers can prepare appropriate resources based on the student's questions. Completing this form helps make the drop-in session more efficient and productive for both the adviser and the student, allowing the adviser to prepare in advance.

Also, please ask the student for their name when they enter the office and let the drop-in's adviser know (via teams' message) the order of when students come in so they can be helped accordingly.