Peer Mentor Program a win-win situation for students and university
Released: August 18, 2003
An innovative new program at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has enlisted 100 upper class students to help new freshmen navigate through their first year.
The Peer Mentor Program, created by the Office of New Student Programs, provides new students with the necessary support to grow and thrive in the university with the help of an upper class UW-Whitewater student. According to Jennifer Bower, coordinator of the Peer Mentor Program, “Peer Mentors serve as an important resource to first-year students, helping them make that important connection with the campus and the university.”
The program is one of the many current initiatives in place to help with UW-Whitewater’s orientation and retention efforts. Like the Academic Advising and Exploration Center, the Peer Mentor Program is committed to helping new students make a successful transition to college and to succeed in their academic and personal goals.
A total of 100 hundred students make up the Peer Mentor program and each are assigned 15-20 first-year students. The peer mentors first meet with their groups of students during the summer PREVIEW program and maintain contact with them throughout the summer via e-mail messages, telephone calls and postcards. The peer mentors are also on hand to help with move-in day.
Amy Lester, a senior majoring in English education, has been a resident assistant at UW-Whitewater for the last two years and is now a peer mentor. “Being a peer mentor is another way for me to be a resource for students,” said Lester. “I like to think that I’m someone the students can turn to for help.”
As a peer mentor, Lester, along with fellow mentor Dana Strohm, will provide various opportunities throughout the year for her students to learn about university resources, share in recreational and cultural activities, meet other first-year students and explore different opportunities to get connected with the campus and community.
Strohm, a junior majoring in elementary education, has already planned several different activities for his group of 14 new students, including a cookout and bowling at the UW-Whitewater Recreation Center.
“I love my role as a peer mentor,” Strohm said. “I had to find my own way around campus as a freshman and I’m glad to have the chance to help new students prepare for success at UW-Whitewater.”
According to Bower, the response to the program has been very positive so far. “The students have been really excited about having a mentor.”
“As have the parents,” added Strohm. “Many of those I’ve spoken to have said how impressed they’ve been with the mentors and the program.”
Students interested in becoming a peer mentor must have completed at least one semester of academic work at UW-Whitewater, be in good academic standing with a 2.0 minimum grade point average, have been involved in at least one co-curricular activity on campus, demonstrate good oral and written communication skills, and have at least one recommendation from a faculty or staff member, resident assistant, or other student leader. Peer mentors receive a $1,000 stipend to be paid throughout the year as responsibilities are completed.
To find out more about the Peer Mentor Program, contact Bower at (262) 472-1939 or bowerj@uww.edu.
- Melissa DiMotto,dimottom@uww.edu
