BHSU STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES - PEER MENTORS

Peer Mentors are upper-division students who have been successful in adjusting to university life and who desire to share their enthusiasm and wisdom with new students. Peer Mentors serve as an extension of the Student Support Services staff, helping to welcome new students to the program and facilitate their adjustments to college by providing information, encouragement, and support. Peer Mentors help first-semester SSS students in many ways – as a source of information, a concerned peer, an attentive listener, and a model for campus involvement.

Peer Mentor Services to Students:

• Explaining SSS program services
• Providing a campus tour or walking a student to an office
• Helping a student learn the online system at the library
• Assisting a student with the e-mail and internet systems
• Finding information using resources like the online catalog or handbook
• Introducing a student to faculty, staff, and other students
• Providing assistance with filling out forms and explaining procedures
• Referring a student to appropriate offices and agencies
• Assisting a student in locating resources in the community
• Connecting students with organizations and events on campus
• Listening and providing support and encouragement

Peer Mentor Qualifications:

• Have at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA
• Have completed 30 credits at Black Hills State University
• Fill out the Peer Mentor application and return it to Woodburn 107, Office #139

Peer Mentor Responsibilities:

• Attend Peer Mentor training prior to the start of the fall semester 
• Assist with SSS New Student Orientation during the first week of classes
• Complete and turn in attendance and contact logs weekly
• Plan and attend social and educational events for SSS students
• Invite your assigned new students on an individual basis to activities during the semester
• Contact your new students at least weekly
• Attend the end-of-semester wrap-up and evaluation session

Contact Ashley Kirchner at Ashley.kirchner@BHSU.edu or 605.642.6824 for an application or more information.