Underclassmen closely examining their fall term bill might notice a new $35 fee if they are enrolled in a sophomore inquiry class. Insufficient funding had put sophomore inquiry (SINQ) classes at risk of losing graduate mentors, the student teaching aides that help professors during main sessions and are responsible for teaching their own breakout sessions once a week.
$35 fee to pay for grad mentors
Underclassmen closely examining their fall term bill might notice a new $35 fee if they are enrolled in a sophomore inquiry class.
Insufficient funding had put sophomore inquiry (SINQ) classes at risk of losing graduate mentors, the student teaching aides that help professors during main sessions and are responsible for teaching their own breakout sessions once a week. Now, the $35 fee will allow the mentors to continue.
“We have been making cuts in our program. We made a $200,000 cut last year that cut out grad mentors. After that cut, I would say we’re at a break-even point at this stage,” said University Studies Director Sukhwant Jhaj.
Jhaj said that mentors and faculty disagreed with the decision to cut the graduate mentors from University Studies. He also said that students responding to end of term surveys appreciated having mentors.
The fee, which Jhaj called a band-aid, was put in place at the beginning of summer term and is associated with the mentor session.
“It doesn’t pay for the total cost of the program. It doesn’t pay for all of the stipend. What students get in return is a mentor session,” Jhaj said. “This is not a solution.”
Graduate mentors are compensated with up to nine credits of tuition remission and a monthly stipend of approximately $500. The fee will generate approximately $50,000 per term, though that number will fluctuate depending on enrollment.
Sarah Iannarone is a second-year graduate mentor and spent two years as a peer mentor for freshman inquiry classes as well.
“It’s difficult to measure but it’s valuable because we enrich the student experience at PSU,” Iannarone said. “We allow a space for discussion, clarification and debate that wouldn’t exist without that mentor session.”
Iannarone pointed to the small size of mentor sessions as one key to their importance. She also noted mentors go through “intense pedagogical training.”
Without mentors, Iannarone said classes could become “content-driven,” and she feared that some students would fall between the cracks.
“I think the presence of SINQ mentors increases retention,” she said. “I also think it helps faculty. The mentor can be a bridge between students and instructors.”
