Who Makes the Cut?

By: Ashley Giandomenio
Posted In: News

Do you have qualities and talents that can contribute to the growth of the Salve community? Do you want to become more involved and make a difference in the University? If you have answered yes to these questions, then Salve is looking for you.

Salve Regina University offers many programs that give students the opportunity to volunteer at their college and hopefully make a difference. Among these positions in these programs are: orientation leaders (OLs), resident advisors (RAs) and first year student mentors. Students interested in these roles may be wondering what they can do to make themselves one of the few that are chosen. Therefore, the following is some information about these programs and tips to make oneself a good candidate for the selections.

In the First Year Experience (FYE) program, a student mentor works with a faculty or staff advisor in a weekly seminar in an effort to make the transition of an incoming student’s life at Salve easier and less overwhelming.

Antonia Vouthounes, organizer of the FYE program, looks for specific qualities when choosing a mentor. “I look for maturity, dependability, flexibility and organization skills,” Vouthounes said. “It is really important for a future mentor to be on time for meetings and to be responsible with meeting with the advisor of the class and being prepared for the seminar and the first year students.”

Some other important qualities are confidence and strong speaking skills. However, it is also very important to appear approachable and friendly to the future students, and as a result, make new students feel welcome.

Another program, Salve’s Orientation, allows orientation leaders to act as representatives for the university during the new student orientation programs held on campus over the summer. The responsibility of an OL is to assist with orientation activities and help with the new student’s transition into college by answering questions and explaining what Salve University is all about.

To be eligible in participating in the OL program, students must meet certain credentials. Candidates must have completed a full year at Salve, be in good standing academically and be familiar with the University’s academic programs and activities. As well as these qualifications, selectors look for maturity, politeness and being able to communicate one’s thoughts and ideas easily and effectively.

Christine Girouard has been involved in the OL program for two years, says that by “being an orientation leader, you need to be able to represent the University in a positive and professional manner. It is an amazing experience that I wish everyone who wanted to experience it could.”

Additionally, The Office of Residential Life at Salve affords students the opportunity to lead the campus and community of Salve Regina by enlisting as a RA. The task of an RA is to link the student body to the University while living in residence halls. To be selected, one must be motivated, responsible, a strong role-model and believe in building an exciting community environment.

The ultimate goal of the department of Residential Life, according to their mission statement, is “to create memorable Salve Regina University experiences for our students.” Consequently, being a part of either one of these programs will help Salve students achieve such an experience and hopefully pass it down to the rest of Salve’s student body.