By Kimberly Prather, Student Reporter
Preparations for Welcome Week 2008 are already in full effect with the choosing of mentor group leaders that will be announced Friday. All interviews have been conducted throughout the last week.
One thing that sets ACU aside from other schools is Welcome Week. Welcome Week is a week filled with fun, information and service that prepare students for college life. This year the emphasis of Welcome Week is serving.
Mentor group leaders are a big part of the Welcome Week process. They lead a group of incoming freshmen and prepare them for the experience that is college.
“Mentor group leaders are expected to help new students with the transition from high school to college during Welcome Week,” said Amber Smittick, junior psychology major from San Antonio and student director for Welcome Week.
Eric Gumm, director of orientation and assistant director of the First-Year Program, is looking for qualified students who show a love for the school and care for students.
“Our focus this year has been on finding current students who are interested in investing in the lives of new students,” Gumm said.
Mentor group leaders work hand-and-hand with peer leaders during Welcome Week.
A peer leader is an upperclassman chosen to help an instructor in a University 100 class during the fall semester. Their job is to be a vessel, helping new students make a successful transition to ACU.
Mentor group leaders are involved only throughout Welcome Week, but the affects of their work will continue for a student’s lifetime. Mentor group leaders are trained and must meet certain character and academic requirements. Welcome Week could not happen without mentor group leaders.
“Being a mentor group leader is a great way to be involved and serve the ACU community. If you liked Welcome Week when you went through it, it is a way to make sure that someone else has that same great experience, and if you did not like Welcome Week, being a mentor group leader is a way to make sure someone else has a better experience,” Smittick said.
Mentor groups welcome new students into their first year experience by establishing ongoing mentor relationships with students. A mentor is a student role model who is an exemplary student with a passion for ACU, wellbalanced in every way.
Welcome Week 2008 will take place August 19-23.
