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NEWS
| JAN. 28
Honors College
4 mentor seats available
Residential mentors mix advising
and tutoring to aid students in their adjustment to university life.
By Marisa
Alvarado
Contribution to The Shorthorn
Honors College officials want to fill four
of nine residential mentor spots for the next academic year.
In exchange for tutoring and mentoring free to students, the Honors
College provides mentors free rooms in a residence hall and meal
plans. The total amount paid varies per hall, but the average amount
is about $2,800, said Andrew Quicksall, director of student affairs
for the Honors College.
Applications will be available in March.
An applicant must be part of the Honors College and go through an
interview. Quicksall said the committee looks at a person’s
academic background, interpersonal skills and how one deals with
hypothetical situations.
“We want to make sure they can handle themselves in any setting,”
Quicksall said.
He said the committee also wants to know the “freebies”
are not the reason a student is applying. Residential mentors are
responsible for posting regular study hours, making appointments
with students for tutoring and promoting study break activities
within the residence halls.
Honors Council President Titi Lope said study break activities give
students a rest from the stress of studying — especially around
major exam time.
A talent show held in Arlington Hall is the biggest study break
activity and is co-sponsored by Arlington Hall Council and the Honors
College Council.
Interior design freshman Amanda Jackson won first place in two categories
at last semester’s talent show.
Jackson said she visits Courtney Pace, computer science and engineering
senior, on a semi-regular basis for tutoring in English and math.
Pace is mentoring for her third year.
“I got an ‘A’ on every paper she helped me with,”
Jackson said. “I didn’t go to her once, and I didn’t
get an ‘A’ on that paper. I figured it was her.”
Jackson said she also goes to Pace to find out what’s happening
on campus.
Lope has mentored since the program began in fall 2000. The biology
senior was already a SOAR mentor, so she had the training experience
all mentors must get.
She spent her first semester living at home, so to her, having a
paid room on campus was a good incentive. She said for the most
part, she has no complaints about the program.
“I wish more students would take advantage of it,” she
said.
Lope said some students have apathy toward classes. They’re
content with just passing, she said, so they don’t ask for
help or may be apprehensive about it.
Because advisers have the double job of mentoring and tutoring,
Lope said a problem they run into is overly attached students.
The program began in fall 2000 with Arlington Hall and has expanded
to nine mentors spread through four dorms.
Progress is tracked at weekly meetings by looking at the completed
number of tutoring and mentoring hours done. At the meetings, they
discuss problems they’re having and ways to help each other.
Mentors tutor for all basic undergraduate core classes and courses
in their majors.
Quicksall said the concept is to have someone from each college
living in the dorms as a mentor so that someone on campus will be
available for that area.
“Tutoring seems to be more successful if it’s a regular
thing,” Pace said. “It’s amazing to see how people
change — to see people who have gone and come back and to think,
‘I maybe had something to do with that.’ ”
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