Program seeks to inspire freshmen

This semester introduces the pilot run of the Women's Studies Department mentoring program for freshman girls. According to Dr. Marcia Noe, the director of women's studies department, the program is aimed toward first-year girls who are put on academic probation but have high ACT scores.

Since this semester is the trial run of this new program, Noe has chosen four girls and four mentors, and one mentor is paired with one mentee.

Noe said the mentoring program is not available for everyone to participate.

The program is designed for those freshman girls who have the ability to succeed on a collegiate level but are not quite ready to handle the new stresses that come with college and need some guidance, she said.

"This targets girls that are at risk because they have never been pushed to go to college, like first-generation college students or working-class based students or ethnic based students," Noe said. "We are taking this group of first-year females that are on academic probation but that are very bright."

Noe said the mentors will be spending at least 10 hours a week with their mentee. The mentors will help them in areas such as time management, tutoring, encouraging them to attend class and helping them prepare for exams.

However, the relationship does not stop at academics. Mentors will also be doing fun things with their mentees like going to movies, out to eat and concerts.

Megan Coleman, a senior from Chattanooga, is one of the mentors and she said she is excited about the program.

"I think it's really great for these freshman girls because I think that they get here and they get overwhelmed and realize that college is hard," Coleman said.

Coleman also said it is good for the girls to have someone they can talk to, whether it be about class, friends, roommates, music or art.

Coleman said she hopes the mentoring program will help the girls get off academic probation, adjust to college life and broaden their minds and inspire them after they see what they can accomlish.

Laura Carroll, a freshman from Chattanooga, said the program should be helpful to the freshmen girls.

"This program sounds like a really great idea," Carroll said. "I think that every college freshman struggles getting used to college life so I think it is awesome that a program like this has started to help encourage first year students not to be intimidated by college.