My daughter’s advisors did much much more than “follow the flow sheet”. Freshman advisor got her on a path to an extra certification that wouldn’t have happened without her. That certification ultimately led to her landing a co-op as a freshman and later her FT job. And for co-op students, the co-op advisor is crucial to stay on track for graduation. They were able to do some essential overrides to the schedule as well if classes were full or if there were conflicts. It was also my D’s advisor who also helped get her into graduate level courses as a junior and senior.
What I hate most about this news out of USC is it’s happened AFTER the start of the school year, there will be less advisors, and the article says they will be paid less.
And yes, this is happening at schools all over the country, even at some of the most well funded.