Mentoring is provided as an integral portion of your involvement in the ACCESS program.  Think of your mentor like your "go to" support, a caring person that you can rely on for weekly accountability and support. Our mentoring program focuses primarily on four main goals as follows" 

1. Achieving Academic Success

   • Students will establish academic goals and identify and access resources to help them meet their goals. Students will expand the way in which they approach academic challenges and utilize their mentors and advisors as integral components of the larger Disco Student Learning Center academic support services.

2. Building Community

   • Students will understand the value of compassion, awareness and acceptance of others in the community and will have the opportunity to create community with other TRIO SSS and ACCESS students.

3. Exploring and Managing Life Beyond the Classroom

   • Students will develop the skills needed for success in today’s ever-changing society, focusing on organizational skills, job-readiness skills and their own personal and professional growth and development.

4. Connecting with Appalachian State University

   • Students will explore academic and extracurricular activities at the University, connecting with resources outside of the Disco Student Learning Center to provide a well-rounded and balanced college experience

Treat your involvement in Mentoring as you would a job or class.  When you are scheduled for a shift at work, you must make your shift.  When you have a Mentor Meeting scheduled, you must make your meetings.

All students are allowed 1 excused absence (with an email check-in) and 1 reschedule for mentoring during the semester.  Please honor your mentor’s time and contact them BEFORE the meeting if you will be using an absence. You are not required to make up this meeting but you must provide your mentor an email check-in updating them on how things are going.  Should you not be able to make it to another meeting, you will have one opportunity to reschedule with your mentor.  Any further absences result in loss of Priority Registration.  If there are more missed meetings and your attendance becomes an issue, you will be asked to meet with your advisor about your continued involvement in the ACCESS and TRIO SSS programs. 

Requirements for Mentoring:

It is expected that mentees make every mentor meeting.  Should a situation arise where you cannot attend a meeting (sickness, weather, extenuating circumstances) it is up to the mentee to reach out to their mentor.  In the event of knowing that you will not be able to make a meeting, take the following steps:

1. Email/text/call your mentor before your meeting to let them know you cannot make the meeting

2. Should you need to miss a Mentor meeting, you are responsible for that time