California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State), holds a Student Advocate representative in the realms of Associated Student Incorporated (ASI) student government. This school year has Joshua Lee-Allen Palmer as the Student Advocate.
The Student Advocate manages individual student conflicts with classes and/or the University. Joshua’s role is to serve as a liaison between the University and the student.  
According to the duties list, the following is a list of some areas the Student Advocate can assist with:

• Assist with the grade appeal process.
• Unethical behavior from a professor and/or staff member of the University.
• Help with issues pertaining to cheating and/or plagiarism.
• Professor complaints (Course work, grading policies, work ethic, etc.).
• Aid in resolving issues with various department personnel and/or requirements.
• Assist with issues pertaining to housing/residential life.
• Assist with Graduation Approval Forms.
• Assist with issues pertaining to harassment.

Palmer, a graduate student in the Counseling Education Program, undergoes a commitment in serving the students as their Student Advocate at Stan State.
“I really liked the aspect of helping students,” Palmer said. “The student advocate is one of those positions that can help students with a variety of different issues and problems that they may have. Whether its wanting to change a grade, dealing with a difficult professor, or just questions about resources that are available here at the University.”
According to Palmer, about 10-20 students file a case every semester. During  spring is when most cases filed, due to graduation and grade appeals from the fall semester.
Grade appeals appear to be the most filed cases each semester.
“Grade appeals are sort of the bread and butter of this position,” Palmer said. “They’re usually the most cases that I get to handle and the Student Advocate gets to help students understand the grade appeal process to help them figure out if they actually have a case [and] if they’re not wasting their time, and if they don’t have a case [advise] what other options do they have. So that’s really important for the Student Advocate to really understand all the available resources when it comes to changing the grade.”
Many of the named factors above, prove to benefit student, professor and even those who have not yet experienced a difficult circumstance at Stan State.
“That’s good having someone speak out for other people,” Christine Martinez (sophomore, Sociology) said. ”If they don’t have that voice within them, someone else is there to defend them or stand up for them, or try to change some things that someone probably couldn’t do alone.”
As a liaison between the University and student, clear communication is thoroughly processed between the student, the Student Advocate, and the professor. According to Palmer, he has had some professors seek guidance during these serious measures.
“I’ve never ran into a professor that was extremely difficult or not willing to listen,” Palmer said. “Most professors are very accepting of other opinions. I’ve gotten a few professors that actually asked for my advice on how to handle the situation. So, they are really open to listening and working things out and helping the students.”
Although there are many benefactors and praises to having a Student Advocate on campus, there are places for improvement. Certainly, this is not to say Palmer lacks the consistent outreach to the students on campus. He has given quite an effort to have his presence known to the students at Stan State.
“I’ve recently put out a flyer. I’ve been trying to get the word out as best as I can,” Palmer said. “We’ve been kind of updating the website and shifting things around to where it’s more accessible to get to the Student Advocate page.”
Aubrey Hancock (sophomore, Music Education) gave an idea of possibly receiving more emails from the Student Advocate. She also suggested more involvement in classes.
“It’d be interesting to have maybe like a speaker to come into a music class or something to say, hey, just to let you know you do have these resources or something. I think that’d be pretty cool,” Hancock said.
Palmer wants students to know that he is available for anyone who needs help.
“I’m here to help in whatever capacity that I can offer,” Palmer said. “I don’t have all the answers, but I can offer some assistance, resources, services that could help out. There’s always some way to figure out a solution to a problem and I’m a great resource to use and finding out.”
For further information regarding the Student Advocate, visit the ASI website or set an appointment via his office, located on the second floor of the University Student Union building.