COMM Unity Project (CUP) Peer Mentor Application

We are looking to create a peer mentorship program to enhance the feeling of inclusion of under-represented minority (URM) and first generation students in the Department of Communication. More specifically, we want our program to help students build sense of community, share tacit knowledge, reduce barriers and create earlier and more equitable access to resources.

Learning outcomes:

1. Identify, through reflection, communication, interaction, & shared experiences, that URM/first generation students feel that they are part of the Communication community at Cornell University.
2. Identify academic resources and opportunities in the department of Communication.

Peer Mentor (PM) Requirements

• Any student can apply to be a peer mentor (PM), but given the nature of the program, there is a preference for self-identified URM/first-generation students.
• PMs must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
• All PMs must enroll in ALS 4940: Leadership through Peer Mentoring for Fall 2020.
• PMs will be responsible for 2-4 mentees. They will automatically be assigned mentees over the summer, and mentees will have the option to switch PMs following a social mixer at the beginning of the fall semester.
• PMs and mentees will identify 3 goals/learning outcomes for the semester and both report mentees’ progress throughout the semester.
• PMs and mentees will be required to meet one-on-one with mentees before fall pre-enroll. (The Department will provide PMs with Manndible Café gift cards to facilitate these meetings.)