Michaeline Davis, a first-generation college student at Portland State, enrolled in the Students First Mentoring Program because the university experience seemed overwhelming.
“I knew that school would be hard,” Davis said, “and I wanted to get some help. Being the first in my family to go to college has put a lot of stress on me. Any help I could get was welcome.”
Students First Mentoring Program (SFMP) was created in the 2005-06 academic year for first-generation college freshmen and transfer students, and is designed to offer enrolled students access to resources at Portland State. Student mentors assist students enrolled in the program with scheduling, understanding courses and finding help on campus.
After a term in the program, Davis did not pass two of her courses. Initially disappointed with the program, Davis said she realized that her poor class attendance record was the reason for her low grades.
Though Davis attended the only two mandatory meetings at the beginning and end of fall term, she said she thinks that she would have had more success if SFMP had contacted her and required more participation. Davis said she knows about most of the basic resources that Portland State offers students, but that she rarely used them.
“We don’t run a study hall or hold hands-we’re facilitators,” said Peter Collier, director of the program and sociology professor at PSU. “We’re here to hook up students with resources and model good behavior for first-generation students. No one’s going to give you anything for free.”
Collier said that the mentor program is meant to make the college transition easier, not to be used as a system of tutoring. Collier said he knows that some students may not fully utilize the program, but he believes that the majority of students enrolled do succeed.
Portland State is boasting the academic success of students enrolled in the program. With 120 students enrolled, and a total of 200 slots available, students in the pilot year of the program averaged a 2.88 GPA, compared to the 2.45 GPA attained by first-generation students not enrolled. The overall average GPA for freshmen last year was 2.71.
The retention rate-a measure of how many freshmen continued their study at PSU-for SFMP students was 91 percent following spring 2006, while the overall retention rate was 67 percent.
The program’s creators say that the purpose of the program is to help PSU students find the resources that help keep students at PSU, rather than tutor students to help raise grades. If the program helps students stay enrolled in school, co-founder of the program Collin Fellows said, students’ grades would rise anyway.
“The goal here is to demystify college academia,” Collier said. “We’re always trying to recruit more students into the program to help them succeed at Portland State.”
Collier established the program fall term of the 2005-06 academic year, alongside Fellows, the current program manager. Fellows, a graduate student at Portland State, was also a first-generation college student.
Fellows said that the program is unique because it gives students who have never seen any family members graduate from college a group to relate to and remain motivated by.
Collier said that many students are unaware of Portland State resources like health insurance until their third year. A team of mentors, who are also first-generation students with bachelor’s degrees, work with Collier and Fellows to make enrolled students aware of PSU resources and assist students with college-related concerns.
“It’s been really interesting to work with the first-generation students,” said Robin Johnson, who began working as a mentor to the program last fall. “It’s so similar to watch as they adjust to the new surroundings and teaching styles.”
Johnson and her fellow mentors offer first-generation students assistance by helping them understand how to use WebCT, utilize the Millar Library and get in touch with other programs offered on campus for academic assistance.
Some of the more common questions they receive are how to balance work with school, schedule courses and pick a major.
“I try to keep students focused on their coursework, without just doing it for them,” Johnson said. “It’s not about me passing their classes and tests or making them a perfect schedule. It’s up to them to get that done, and we equip them with the tools to get there.”
“The program wasn’t at all what I expected,” Davis said. “But now that I have a better idea of how it works, I think I’ll do better in winter term. I realize that I have to actually try for myself before anyone else can help me.”