13 FEATURE SA program strengthens community MAR
PAGE
6
by ANNA ZHENG Staff Reporter
M
ore than 30 years after its creation, the Student Academic Advisers program remains successful in helping new students and bringing a stronger sense of community to first-year housing. Student Academic Advisors are Whitman sophomores who live in first-year dorms to help alleviate the stress of transitioning to a new environment and new classes while also giving academic advice. First-years are encouraged to see SAs as role models and seek advice from them about academic resources on campus, such as the Writing Center. The program is run through the Academic Resources Center, with support from the Residence Life and Housing Office. It was originally created to help students transition from high school to college. “The SA program is not so much a [tutoring program] as it is to help students get initiated into Whitman and to realize all the resources that are available for them,” said first-year John DeBuysser, who will begin working as an SA next fall. “[They] encourage good study habits and behaviors that will help them in the four years.” According to the ARC, every spring an average of 50 firstyear students apply for the 16 SA positions on campus. This semester’s pool of applicants went through three rounds of interviews before hiring decisions were announced on March 7. According to Resident Director of Anderson Hall Cory Kiesz, who helped interview potential hires, SAs are selected for good time management, effective communication skills and a positive attitude, among other things. “I think one of the most important parts of the selection pro-
2014
cess is recognizing that there isn’t a ‘cookie cutter’ SA,” said Kiesz. “What I mean by that is that no two SAs that I’ve ever worked with have been the same. Everyone has something different they bring to the position, strengths and weaknesses, and it’s our job to see how each unique individual can work with the SA and RA staff to best accomplish our goals.” First-year Hallie Barker, who will also be an SA next fall, applied to the program because she finds talking about school with people interesting. According to her, the program is a way for students to connect with first-years who may feel too intimidated to talk to faculty or professors on campus. “I think that students really find the best example [from other students] for how to enjoy school and take advantage of school,” said Barker. “It’s really great that you can also have a student who has all the same answers and knows all about registration and everything, but they’re more approachable and more relatable.” First-year Henry Sanborn applied to become an SA because it seemed like a good way to get to know more people at Whitman. “There are a lot of benefits,” said Sanborn. “I enjoy the process of learning, and it’s nice to be able to help other people. There’s some freedom in that it’s not for your own grades or anything.” For the majority of students, their experiences with their own SAs influenced their decision to apply. Former SA and sophomore Arden Robinette’s firstyear experience inspired her to apply for the position. As a frightened first-year who had many questions about Whitman academics and college culture, Robinette’s SA helped her. “That’s why I wanted to be an SA, because I saw my SA and I was like ‘Wow, that is some-
50+ On average, more than 50 students apply to become SAs each year; 16 are chosen.
16 one who has it together, and they made it through their first year, and they’re still alive,’” said Robinette. “If they can do it, then that must mean I can sort of do it.” The program also builds a stronger sense of community for students living in dorms.
ADVERTISEMENTS
“Now I have a ton of people who I can see in the hall and be like ‘hey, I know you,’” said Robinette. “It’s really cool to have that community-building aspect, and I feel like I’m more involved in the Whitman community as a result.” DeBuysser believes there could be some improvement in creating more relationships between residence halls— what he calls “cross diversity.” “I know for myself, it’s been hard to get to know kids in other resident halls,” said DeBuysser. “Having SA programs where somehow we get
two halls together for a talk on something [might] spark conversations in the groups.” Although Barker did not personally go to her SA for help often, she still recognizes the program’s significance as a way for the college to provide additional, peer-based help for new students. “It shows that Whitman does understand the importance of nurturing a really healthy learning environment,” said Barker. “They’re trying to find ways to make students feel supported even in residence life and not just in the classroom. That’s really unique.”
Retiring dean leaves legacy in student advising program by LANE BARTON
Are you ready for swimsuit season? Laser hair reduction is fast, comfortable and permanent. Prices per treatment range from $80 for your bikini area to $150 for your lower legs. Some areas are as inexpensive as $25 per treatment.
Call for a free, professional consultation. 509-522-5765
What are you doing after graduation? Expand your career options with the Bridge MBA at Seattle University. • For non-business majors • 12 month program to completion • No work experience required
The Bridge MBA at Seattle University. For more information, call (206) 296-5919 or email mbab@seattleu.edu Check out all of our highly ranked graduate business programs : w w w.seattleu.edu /albers /gradover view /
Staff Reporter
A
ssociate Dean of Students for Academic Support Services Clare Carson will retire at the end of the semester after 38 years working on campus. During her tenure, Carson helped create the Student Academic Advisors program that trains peer advisers to help each incoming class make the transition from high school to college. But when the next batch of SAs begins working in fall 2014, Carson won’t be on campus to see them. “I was planning to retire last year and I stayed on one more year to get kind of a transition ... it’s been a wonderful number of years here,” said Carson. Although Carson has not worked directly with SAs for a few years now, she was integral in founding what has become a staple of the Whitman experience. She and her colleagues first conceived of the idea of the SA program in 1977, shortly after Carson became the director of the Academic Resource Center, which was then called the director of the Student Learning Center. Their vision became an institutional reality in the early 1980s, after a few years of pilot programs. The SA program was and continues to be centered around helping first-year students get through the rigor of college courses while providing a peer in the dorms who is easily accessible. It also hopes to give new students the tools to be self-sufficient in finding help once they leave residence halls. SAs are assigned to live in a first-year section for the fall semester. According to Carson, the residential aspect of the SA program is what truly sets it apart from the tutoring and peer advising programs at Whitman’s peer institutions. “Being able to merge an academic program with a residence life program was what I think made our program successful,” she said. This sentiment is echoed by former SAs, such as senior Zoë Erb. She notes the benefits of having an expe-
rienced peer to confide in. “The SA program is ... one of the only programs like it around the country where we actually have mentors living in the first-year residence halls, and I think it’s really nice to be able to go [to] someone who’s not an adult,” said Erb, who is currently the ARC intern. But while the unique idea of peer mentoring in a residence life environment was a contributing factor to the success of the program, Carson’s personal involvement and commitment to the SAs is something that reverberates through campus today. It will be missed by many after her departure, Carson’s coworkers say. “She just provided incredible amounts of support to the SAs because she knew the job that they were doing was demanding ... and she wanted to make sure that they knew that what they were doing was important and that they were making a difference,” said Program Coordinator of the ARC Mary Claire Gegen, who currently supervises the SAs. “So in that regard, Clare was making a difference.” The impact Carson has had on Whitman College is widespread, ranging from the students that the SA program has aided, to the SAs benefiting from her support and guidance and even to fellow administrators like Gegen. “Because of [her care for the program], I take my role very seriously and I realize the value and importance of what I’m doing for the college,” said Gegen. Carson, however, deflects most of the attention from herself, citing the SAs themselves as the part of campus life that she will miss most after retiring. She notes that it is their contributions that have made the program successful and created a lasting legacy on the campus. “We get students that come in and they are concerned about other students, and that makes it a really good place to work and study through the rigorous academic work that they have to do. It’s hard enough, but when you’ve got people helping you along the way, and students who care about you, it makes it a lot better,” said Carson.