WHAT IS U

TA HOSTS?

A N D WH A T D

O WE D

O ?

INTRODUCTION UTA-HOSTS! (Helping Other Students to Succeed) is a student mentoring program

sponsored by the Leadership Center. New students, or mentees, are matched with returning students, or mentors to build a mentoring relationship which assists with the transition to college life. Mentors assist mentees to develop personally and academically by introducing students to the many resources and variety of learning opportunities offered in the university community.

The program is designed to last two semesters. Participation in the program is free and all positions are voluntary.  

WHAT IS MENTORING?W H A T A R E T H E R E W A R D S ?

QUALITIES OF A MENTORA mentor is most often a person with

more experience, who acts as a : Role Model Guide Friend Advisor Support System Network to others 

THE REWARDS OF BEING A MENTOR

The rewards of being a mentor are self-evident: Help someone out Be a useful, positive influence in another person’s life Gain ideas from interactions with mentees Develop a sense of pride in seeing a mentee learn, progress and focus on goals Make a valuable contribution to the University community Develop leadership skills Enrich your college experience Develop valuable transferable skills used in professional and personal life

Mentoring is human interaction, support, caring and empowerment. It can be a life changing experience. Like any other relationship, you must put effort into it - keep working on it.

WHAT DOES THE PEER MENTOR POSITION ENTAIL?

W H A T A R E T H E E X P E C T A T I O N S O F T H E P O S I T I O N ?

THE PEER MENTOR POSITIONThe peer mentor is a sophomore, junior or senior student who provides

leadership to a group of new students making the transition to college life. The peer mentoring program runs from Fall – Spring.

Mentors assist in achieving the goals of the program which are:  To foster a network of support for first year students

To aid in the academic, emotional and cultural adjustment of first year students

To promote leadership skills in the student body

To encourage the development of student relationships with other students and staff

To provide consistent, reliable sources of support, information and inspiration

EXPECTATIONS OF MENTORS

Contact mentee weekly via any method: email, phone, text messaging, face-to-face contact, (such as meeting in hallways during class, lunch in UC, social events)

Keep commitments to mentee Acquaint your mentee to the UTA life from your perspective Monitor mentee’s progress Assist in the development of skills necessary for mentees to succeed in college Communicate university resources and services to mentee Accompany mentee to program activities, if at all possible, such as mixers and

other events Complete check-up forms according to program requirements Maintain confidentiality in your relationship unless there is a serious concern Provide feedback to the program coordinators especially if you are unable to

contact your mentee Provide support, guidance, encouragement and information to first year mentees Meet 1:1 with mentee(s) each month to talk about goals for the fall semester

BOUNDARIES A mentor is not a parent, a professional counselor, a social worker, or an “ATM machine”. If you

have any problems or concerns about communications or behaviors, please contact the UTA-HOSTS!-Staff.

Termination of a mentor or mentee’s participation in UTA-HOSTS! may occur for several reasons, including:

When one of the participants cannot be reached despite repeated tries.

When a participant is unresponsive to requests to contact or meet and does not give reasons or appear interested

When a participant exhibits inappropriate behavior

When a mentor/mentee withdraws from UTA

When unexpected personal circumstances arise that prohibit one from participating

Please do not try to handle any situations you are not prepared for.

PLEASE BE AWAREIf any of these circumstances occur please notify the UTA-HOSTS! Office as soon as possible and the staff will seek to end the relationship in a positive way. In the case of participation issues, the UTA-HOSTS! Staff will send an e-mail to thementor/mentee prior to termination requesting circumstances that may explainnon-participation. If termination of a participant occurs the other mentor/menteewill be notified and a rematch can be initiated.

YOU’VE BEEN MATC

HED

N O W WH A T ?

BEFORE YOU MEET YOUR MENTEE Sit down and give some thought to how you will work with your mentee to achieve a successful

experience for both of you. You are in a good position to offer advice and support. Develop an action plan. This is a great opportunity for you to continue to develop leadership

skills such as goal development, time management and communication skills. In the appendix to this training manual you will find tips on these subjects.

 Review the appendix section on Resources and Services. Recall your first days in college and

information that would be useful. Review the chart in the following slides so you will be prepared as the semester progresses to

inform and remind your mentee of important tips.

YOUR FIRST CONTACT• You should contact your mentee as soon as possible after you receive match information. • Ask your mentee about his/her expectations for the mentoring program.• Clearly outline and discuss mentee responsibilities.• Compare schedules and determine the means of communication that will work best.

Frustration and wasted time can be avoided by knowledge and understanding of your mentee’s student life.

• Conditions for the meeting should be comfortable for both parties. It should occur in a public place such as the University Center where you are both “on familiar territory”.

• Remember that students will require a lot more help and support the first few weeks.• Relax, be yourself, make a new friend.

FIRST SEMESTER TIP CHARTPotential Issues Questions SuggestionsConcern about fitting in.

Want and need to develop social ties.

Students living off campus don’t get involved on campus and need

special encouragement.

What do you like to do with your time?Are you participating in Residence Hall

events?Encourage them to attend Welcome

Week events.

May not realize importance of attending class.

Are you attending class? Have you paid your fees and have financial aid in order?

Have you read each class syllabus?

Let them know that regular class attendance is very important; can get behind very quickly and catching up is

difficult

May have roommate issues.Have you talked with your roommate

about how things are going? Have you completed a roommate

agreement?

Encourage them to discuss issues with roommate or talk to a Residence

Assistant

Questions about how to get involved.

What interests do you have? (i.e. sports, art, music, religious, etc.)

What type of organizations did you join in High School?

Tell them about Activities Fair Day and attend with them if possible. Tell

them to go to www.uta.edu/studentgovernance for

a list of more than 300 student organizations.

Students living away from home may start to get homesick. (can

occur the first 2-3 weeks)

Do you miss your family and friends? When do you plan to go home for a visit? Can any friend come here to campus to

visit you?

Keep in touch, and if possible, meet up with them.

Early Semester

FIRST SEMESTER TIP CHART

Start to realize academic demands and expectations.

Are you taking advantage of extra credit?

Are you using the Library?Encourage them to talk to their

Professors or Teaching Assistants.

Encounter first round of exams and assignment deadlines.

Are your class notes complete?Do you have people to study with for

tests?Join a study group or find a study

partner.

Might feel a mid-term slump. Have you talked with Professors about any coursework concerns? Be proactive about their success.

Need to think start thinking ahead to next semester.

Have you talked with your Academic Advisor?

Do you know how to register for classes for spring semester?

Tell them to keep in contact with their advisor.

Tell them procedures for registering if they need help.

Mid-Semester

Potential Issues Questions Suggestions

Can be a time of mental and physical challenge.

Are you completing your required coursework?

Are you keeping current with readings?

Suggest pacing themselves in preparation for projects, papers and

exams.

May lose “balance” by not eating well, pulling all nighters, not

getting exercise.Are you getting sleep?

Do you have a study schedule?Encourage getting exercise, sleeping

enough and eating well.

Can have mixed feelings about the holidays at home.

Are you excited about the break?How do you feel about being at home

with your family and seeing your friends again?

Talk with them about the fact that it will feel different returning home

after the independence of the first semester.

May experience anxiety and depression, so emotional support

is important.

Are you feeling down? Have you considered counseling? (offered

individually or in a group setting)

Encourage them to contact Counseling Services if experiencing

anxiety or depression.

End of SemesterFIRST SEMESTER TIP CHARTPotential Issues Questions Suggestions

THE GOODIES FO

R BEING A

MENTOR AND A LE

ADER

O P P O R T U N I T I E S F O R Y O U T O B E R E C O G N I Z E D F O R B E I N G A G R E A T M E N T O R

CREDIT AND SCHOLARSHIPS Mentors provide a valuable and much appreciated contribution to UTA. WE ARE PROUD OF

YOU and want other members of the University community to share our pride and appreciation.

  The response rate of check-up forms is one indicator that quantifies program participation. We

want you to get “credit” for your activity as a mentor and important contributor to the university community.

The UTA-HOSTS! Program offers scholarships that are awarded in the spring semester. Check-up forms must be submitted in order to qualify for a scholarship.

BEYOND MENTORING: THE LEADERSHIP TEAM AND PROGRAM COORDINATOR The Leadership Team plays a valuable role in the UTA-HOSTS! Program in the following ways:

mentor recruitment, training, program input, publicity, and planning for and assisting at events. Please consider volunteering for this group.

The Program Coordinator is a paid position that serves as the coordinator of all UTA Hosts! Programs and aides with the training and matching of mentors and mentees. The position becomes available for application in the spring and begins in the summer of

each academic year.

BENEFITS: MENTORING IS MORE THAN HELPING A PERSON College offers endless possibilities for growth intellectually,

emotionally and socially. We want participation in UTA-HOSTS! to be a meaningful and relevant

experience for both you and your mentee. You can use your mentoring experience to grow as a person. Many of the skills you use and develop as a mentor are transferable to many other aspects of your life; these skills are valuable in your professional and personal life.

These are some skills to focus on during your time as a mentor: Self Reflection  Personal Accountability Goal Setting Time management Communication

cd“Reflection is one of the most underused yet powerful tools for success.” -Richard Carlson

ba

MENTO

RING AND PERSONAL

RESPONSIBILIT

Y

B E I NG A

ME N T O R I S

A C

H O I CE

ACCOUNTABILITY Becoming a mentor was a choice. 

With choice comes personal accountability.

With Personal Accountability we ask: What can I do to make a difference? How can I contribute?

“Not many things are as freeing as realizing we

have the power to choose”

From Personal Accountabilityby John G. Miller

ACCOUNTABILITYA C C O U N T A B L E P E O P L E T H I N K H A R D A B O U T H O W T O M A K E T H I N G S B E T T E R . B E I N G A C C O U N T A B L E E M B R A C E S :

Learning Service Courage Excellence Ownership

Ownership Creativity Trust Clarity Integrity

Through your active participation as a mentor you contribute not only to others and the University as a whole but have the opportunity to grow as a person. Look at the list above, we learn and change when we challenge ourselves to grow and improve.

COMMUNICATION SKILL

S, TIME

MANAGEMENT, A

ND GOAL SETTI

NG

B E I NG A

ME N T O R R

E Q U I RE S S

O M E SP E C I F

I C S

K I LL S

COMMUNICATION SKILLSRapport building a rapport with your mentee is important to a successful mentoring relationship.

Rapport is established in two ways, verbally and non-verbally.

TIME MANAGEMENT These thoughts about time management cited below are excerpted from Time Management

Made Easy by Patty Marler and Jan Bailey. We cannot manage time, we can only manage ourselves. Efficient time management is a life choice, a process of stream-lining, an exercise of self-

knowledge and discipline……and no one mentioned it would be easy.   Needing to evaluate your time management does not mean you are disorganized or lazy. There is only so much time in a day. At the end of it all, you need to be happy with what you

have done and what you have become. Manage yourself, manage your time. It’s all about choices.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.

-Benjamin Franklin

GOAL SETTINGGoal setting can be readily applied to the mentor/mentee relationship. Mentoring offers a great opportunity to hone goal setting skills. When you sit down to develop an action plan prior to your first meeting with your mentee you may want to proceed by establishing goals for the semester.

RESOURCES AND TRADITIO

NS

G E T T I NG H

E L P AN D B

E I NG I N

V O LV E D

RESOURCES ON CAMPUSUniversity Resources When wanting to get help on campus…Health Services A friendly reminder that tuition covers the co-pay costs of seeing a doctor at the health clinic!Study Abroad Every student should try to get to study abroad as a way to take their education to an

international level. UT Arlington Traditions Every student should be involved with student traditions!

CONTACT USE. H. Hereford University Center,

lower level B120 CPhone: 817-272-6054E-mail: hosts@uta.edu