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Surge LogoMSU’s Campus Advising Action Team (CAAT), a collaboration between the Office of Academic Affairs and the Division of Student Success, has implemented a first to second year retention initiative called the Sophomore Surge.  The intention of the Sophomore Surge is to guide and support students throughout their first year of college in order to successfully Surge them into their sophomore year. Goals of the program are to provide first-year students with additional support to develop a better understanding of university policies and procedures, academic expectations, and opportunities for curricular and extra-curricular engagement; all factors considered important for retaining our students. 

This support and engagement will be provided through a Surge Mentor, an MSU student in their 2nd year or higher who will support first-year students through their transition to college by providing experience, expertise, and relational support. Building on the supportive small group format provided in University Seminar (US) core courses, Surge Mentors will be partnered with a section of CLS 101(US), US 101(US) or BGEN 104(US) and collaborate with faculty to mentor the first-year students enrolled in that section. Surge Mentors will attend every class meeting of the seminar course with which they are partnered, as well as involve their mentees in out-of-class activities while maintaining a personal, academic, and social relationship with them.

The Sophomore Surge and the University Seminar Coordinators/Directors would like to thank all partners of this effort and look forward to an engaging and meaningful experience for first-year students at MSU.

Expectations of the partnership between

Sophomore Surge Mentors and University Seminar Faculty

 

Roles and responsibilities of the Surge Mentor in the University Seminar classroom

The Surge Mentor will attend every class meeting of their assigned seminar section, where the majority of community-building takes place.  Surge Mentors must be aware that the seminar classroom is an academic environment in which an academic curriculum takes place, and the role of the Faculty maintaining an academic environment must be respected. The University Seminar Faculty and the Surge Mentor should meet at least once prior to the beginning of the semester; and on an ongoing basis once a week (schedule to be determined by Faculty and Mentor) to build rapport between Mentor and Faculty and to strategize efforts to build community and engage the Freshmen in the college experience.  The specific role of the Surge Mentor inside the University Seminar classroom consists of:

  • To be a positive role model of student success and effective study skills.
  • Assistance in facilitation of class introductions and ice-breaker activities in order to establish a strong foundation of community among the first-year students and their Mentor and Faculty.
  • To obtain knowledge of university people, processes, and procedures necessary for first-year student success.
  • To connect mentees to campus resources.
  • To empower mentees to advocate for themselves.
  • To introduce mentees to learning and engagement opportunities that might be of interest.
  • To attend every class meeting of the BGEN 104, CLS 101, or US 101 class with which they are paired.
  • To obtain knowledge of the class syllabus of the University Seminar with which they are paired and to gain awareness of the curriculum.
  • To read all assigned texts for meaningful contribution to discussion with the opportunity to facilitate one of the readings with approval and support of the seminar faculty.
  • To observe student engagement and conversations in class and provide outreach to those who may be struggling.
  • To announce upcoming campus events and activities and engage the first-year students in out-of-class activities and events.
  • To conduct one-on-one meetings with each first-year student outside of class during Weeks 3 and 4 of the semester and before faculty begin their own one-on-ones with the students in or around midterms.
  • If agreed upon between Faculty and Mentor, Mentor may assist students in preparation for essays, projects, and presentations. Note: Mentor is not to be responsible for official evaluation of any coursework.
  • The Surge Mentor is not to be tasked with any grading, managing attendance, or facilitation of Seminar curriculum content.
  • The Surge Mentor is not to serve as a substitute and facilitate class in the faculty’s absence.
  • The Surge Mentor is not to be the point of contact in dealing with students in violation of COVID-19 safety protocols, e.g., coming to class without a mask, or students not adhereing to social distancing. 

Updates and Check-ins on Sophomore Surge and University Seminar activities.

Ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of the partnership between the Sophomore Surge and University Seminars is necessary for improvement. Therefore, a mid-semester and end of semester evaluation will be administered to the University Seminar Faculty with the intent to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in general and the effectiveness of the Surge Mentor.   

If you have any concerns about the Surge Mentor/Seminar Faculty member with whom you are paired, please discuss your concerns with the coordinator of the relevant seminar (Mary Beth Melchior for CLS 101, Deb Blanchard for US 101, Susan Dana for BGEN 104).

Please note: The Sophomore Surge has a Facebook page where photos and messages of Surge activities and events will be posted. Like and follow @SophSurgeMSU to follow ongoing activities and events the Surge Mentors and mentees are engaging in.

What to do about seminar students of concern.

Occasionally, a seminar student may stop attending class, submitting assignments, attending Surge activities and events, and/or have other general issues of concern. The appropriate response to such students is as follows.

  1. For University Seminar Faculty:

Please work with your Seminar Program Director to determine what the appropriate steps are for dealing with issues regarding students of concern, which may include:

  1. Direct communication with the Surge Mentor to discuss common concerns and steps to be taken.
  2. Submitting an Early Alert to the AYCSS.
  3. Submitting a Safety & Welfare Reporting Form to the Dean of Students Office.
  4. Seminar Faculty should first communicate with their Program Director and receive direction. Program Directors may communicate with the Sophomore Surge Coordinator to inquire about similar concerns of that student(s) and possibly take larger action with campus resources to help the student of concern. When appropriate, the Seminar Director and/or Surge Coordinator may include the Seminar Faculty and Surge Mentor in correspondence regarding the action taken to reach out to the student(s) of concern.
  1. For Surge Mentors:
    1. Attempt to contact mentee through text, email, or direct communication to inquire about their well-being and help find campus resources or academic guidance.
    2. Communicate directly with seminar faculty about the student of concern to discuss common concerns and what steps should be taken.
    3. If necessary, discuss concerns with the Seminar Program Director. The Seminar Program Director may communicate those concerns to the faculty or offer Surge Mentor specific support and advice on how to proceed.  In some instances, the Surge Coordinator and Seminar Program Director may communicate and coordinate with one another to inquire about similar concerns and take more action with campus resources to help the student of concern.         

 

Last updated Aug 2020; subject to change