2020 Peer Mentor Position Description

Peer Mentors will be responsible for providing guidance and mentorship to students and instructional support for faculty in one section of INTG 105: College Success Course. This course is a 1-credit course for incoming First- Year students that will meet once weekly for 55 minutes throughout the fall semester. The course aims to foster a sense of belonging, promote engagement in curricular and co-curricular campus life, articulate expectations of students, and help students continue to clarify their purpose, meaning and direction in their professional and personal lives. Peer Mentors will develop meaningful relationships with their mentees, gain practical competence to carry out duties successfully, and develop an understanding of their personal leadership style and goals.  

Reports To:

Lucas Vetsch | Program Assistant, FYX | [email protected]

This position is a multi-faceted one, requiring skills and flexibility in:

Time Management & Organization: Peer Mentors are expected to be positive examples of a CSB/SJU student, meaning your engagement in on-campus activities, experiential learning, and coursework are all important. Effective engagement means effective time management and organizational skills to ensure you are meeting expectations. PMs are expected to show up on time for INTG 105 class, out-of-class activities, and meetings; adjusting accordingly to changes in schedule; completing online training activities and email outreaches to mentees by established deadlines; and effectively balance other obligations.

Communication: Peer Mentors are expected to share information and concerns with your instructor and/or FYX staff in a timely manner; maintain confidentiality with student information; facilitate small and large group discussions around course content; possess strong one-to-one communication skills and excellent listening skills for mentor-mentee meetings; and ability to develop useful and timely written/email communication to mentees.  

Inclusion and Relationship Building: respecting and celebrating the differences of mentees; creating an inclusive environment for all new students; encouraging interactions within small and large group; providing a platform for approachable, individual conversations; facilitating social connections; forming effective relationship with instructor, mentees, and FYX staff.

Knowledge of CSB/SJU & Information Sharing: sharing knowledge of resources and events as they relate to the first year students including policies, procedures, campus departments & offices, and opportunities for involvement; promoting full participation in the classroom discussions and activities; ability to communicate information in a variety of formats depending on student needs (Canvas, email, in-person); willingness to share personal experiences, tips, and tricks.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: identifying problems or concerns and taking steps to address and/or report the issue; formulating and evaluating possible solutions to problems, with or without guidance from supervisor; working through stressful situations and handling them appropriately; responding to unclear or ambiguous situations or directions; knowledge of when to make a referral or take steps for intervention.  

Teamwork & Leadership: collaborating with Instructor, fellow peer mentors, and FYX staff to reach a shared vision & goal of supporting a holistic first-year experience; mediating and addressing conflict; fostering community among mentees; serving as a positive representative of CSB/SJU; attending all trainings and workshops as required by FYX staff.  

Other Requirements:

  • Priority is given to students with Junior or Senior status. Sophomores are still encouraged to apply.
  • Peer Mentors must have a 2.5 minimum GPA and be in good academic and disciplinary standing with the institutions.
  • Peer Mentors must be full-time undergraduate CSB/SJU student at the time of submitting the application through Fall 2020.
  • Expertise with campus technology (Canvas, Banner, Coursicle, Degreeworks, Forms Manager, etc.) is desirable but not required.

Length of Position – Interviewing, Training, and Beyond:

The Peer Mentor position runs March – December, which includes interviewing, training, and executing responsibilities.

Interview Process:

  • PM Candidates are required to go through the Interview Group Process during the first week of March.
  • Candidates studying abroad will complete an alternative interview assignment.

Training:

  • All students selected to be Peer Mentors will be required to attend our Student Leader Spring Workshop on the evening of April 1, and PM Workshop on April 13 from 5-7pm. Details will follow if selected.
  • During the summer months, Peer Mentors will complete an online Canvas Course to further prepare you for your role in the classroom. The Canvas Course runs end of June through the first week of August; regular engagement is required to meet deadlines, but is not burdensome to other summer plans you may have. All course content and assignments are due August 7th.
  • All Peer Mentors are required to attend the Instructor/Peer Mentor Joint Workshop on August 26th from 3-5pm.

Fall Semester:

  • Starting the first week of classes, Peer Mentors are expected to put in 2-3 hours of work per week. This includes 1 hour in class with your mentees and 1-2 additional hours prepping for the course, meeting with your instructor partner, facilitating out-of-class activities, and being available to students as needed. Peer Mentors can expect two weeks of “busy” time during the semester where they may put in 5-7 hours per week meeting one-on-one with each mentee.
  • Ongoing training during the fall semester includes submitting the First Six Weeks reflection paper, attendance at a professional development event related to the position (select from a pre-approved list), and a monthly training module via Canvas.

Compensation:

New Peer Mentors are eligible to receive a $100 stipend upon successfully completing spring and summer training duties, paid out in September. During Fall semester, Peer Mentors will be paid at the hourly student employment rate, submitting timecards for their regular assigned duties and ongoing training.

Application:

Applicants much complete the application available here:
The application includes a section on demographic information, three short answer questions, and a resume upload. Students should take advantage of XPD to develop a strong resume related for this position. Refer to qualifications outlined in this position description as you work on your resume and short answer questions.
Applications are due February 11th at 11:59pm.