USU’s A-Team mentors and educates incoming students
The A-Team stands for “truth and valour,” according to Kate Gourley, one of the coordinators for USU’s student orientation and peer mentoring group, the A-Team.
Lisa Hancock, program administrator of New Student Orientation, said the A-Team exists to help students with the transition from high school to college.
“We are basically mentors for the new students and parents,” she said.
Jo Olsen, also an A-Team coordinator and senior studying public relations and communications, echoed Hancock.
“We basically help the new students feel comfortable,” he said.
The A-Team, a separate entity from the USU Ambassadors who also help with new students and retention, consists of more than 30 USU students who study university policies and procedures, conduct Student Orientation, Advising and Registration (SOAR) and work as peer mentors in the Connections classes.
Hancock said the A-Team focuses mostly on orientation and retention of new students. She said the students in the organization are well-informed.
Olsen said SOAR and Connections are helpful for new students who aren’t familiar with a college environment.
“I’m from Logan and I just assumed I knew everything about campus,” he said. “I was surprised how scared I was the first day, freshman year. You don’t expect what happens the first day of class.”
Olsen said SOAR goes along with the other half of the A-Team goal-retention.
“We help students stick around,” he said. “We want students to stay at USU and if they don’t have a good start, they won’t see the benefit of that.”
Connections and SOAR give new students an opportunity to experience college life before classes start, from registering for classes to finding a good place to eat.
Alyssa Craig, an A-Team coordinator and senior in exercise science, said, “some things are hard to comprehend until you get into that situation.”
Hancock said one of the ways the A-Team helps new students get comfortable with campus events is through the Aggie Passport Experience.
Students receive stamps in their passport by going to different events on campus, which can be found at www.usu.edu/passport/events. Once students have collected enough stamps, they are rewarded with money on their Aggie Express and, for filling the passport, dinner with USU President Stan Albrecht.
Hancock said the passport is a way for students to enjoy one of the perks of college.
“We do it not necessarily so students get money but because the events are experiences you wont get anywhere else in life,” she said. “The goal is to make USU home.”
Events that apply for the Aggie Passport experience include going to Saturdays at the Museum, presentations, etc. The Aggie Passport Experience page said the objectives of the program are to “develop an increased awareness of campus events, broaden their engagement in the university experience, and become more involved in the university community.”
Hancock said lectures are particularly helpful for new students who are unsure of their career path.
“A lot of students don’t know what they want to do and going to lectures can help them decide,” she said.
Working with new students does have its difficulties. Craig said she finds it difficult to build trust with them.
“The difficulty throughout SOAR, but especially Connections, is getting close enough to them that they’ll come to you for help,” Craig said.
Gourley said the hard part for her is developing relationships with so many new people each year.
“I sincerely care about each freshman, but logistically speaking you can only get to know so many,” she said.
Another big function of the A-Team is to help in-coming students with transitional issues. Hancock said this can include time-management, roommates, communication, finding a job, managing money, responsible independence, home-sickness, loneliness, stress, anxiety, knowing which major to pick and making friends.
Gourley said the social aspect and the excitement it causes are the best contributions of the A-Team.
“I feel like it kind of knits people together and the freshman get to know each other. It creates this tidal wave of joy,” Gourley said.
– k.vandyke@aggiemail.usu.edu