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What is Mentoring? ×  Mentors are a vital part of the academic support system that

our office provides for student-athletes. Mentors help guide our students through the transition from high school to college, focusing specifically on:

×  Organization Skills

×  Time Management Tips ×  Study Skills and Techniques

×  Note-Taking Strategies

×  Test-Taking Strategies ×  Academic and Professional Responsibility

Responsibilities of a Mentor ×  Mentors should:

×  Help students identify their academic strengths and needs ×  Cultivate an efficient study environment that is based on a

safe, supportive, and professional relationship ×  Listen to students’ questions and concerns ×  Communicate with students’ academic counselor(s) ×  Implement an individualized study program that

complements each student’s learning style

Qualities of a Good Mentor ×  Integrity

×  Patience

×  Flexibility/Adaptability

×  Professionalism

×  Organization

×  Enthusiasm

×  Empathy

×  Openness

×  Confidence

×  Problem-solving skills

Mentor Professionalism 1) Mentors should be punctual, organized, and communicate

effectively with students and counselors. Ø  If you are running late or will be unable to come to work, notify

your supervisor as soon as possible. Ø  Excessive tardiness and/or absences will lead to a reevaluation of

your employment

2) Mentors should never allow their political, social, educational, sexual, racial or philosophical beliefs to interfere with the mentor-student relationship.

3) Mentors and students will only meet in the Moncrief-Bible Academic Center. Mentors and students may not communicate outside of study hall via phone, text, email or social networking sites under any circumstances.

Beginning of the Semester Procedures

×  Review syllabi with students and help them create a monthly master calendar that includes dates of all assignments, quizzes, exams, and travel for competition.

×  Make 2 copies of the master calendar (see sample) and syllabi—file one set in the student’s folder to keep for your records, and attach the other to your first mentor report.

×  Using the student’s syllabi, construct a one-page grade sheet (see sample) to help the counselor maintain a record of all of the student’s grades; submit with your first mentor report.

×  Set semester goals and develop an individualized plan for each student.

×  Make sure students have necessary books and course materials. If they don’t, or if they consistently come to study hall without them, please follow up with their Academic Counselor(s).

×  Help students create a basic resume; include a copy of the resume with your first mentor report

×  Help students explore major and career options on Wayfinder. Students should explore all aspects of this online resource, but please make sure each students completes the “What am I interested in?” assessment tool (available here); submit this completed worksheet with your first mentor report.

* Do not take student-related materials (schedules, calendars, etc.) outside of the Academic Center!

Sample Page from Master Calendar

Sample Grade Sheet Sample Grade Sheet

RHE 306 Rhetoric and Writing MWF 9-10

9/10 Paper 1.1 5%

9/24 Paper 1.2 10%

10/8 Paper 2.1 10%

10/22 Paper 2.2 15%

11/5 Paper 3.1 15%

11/19 Paper 3.2 15%

Research Summaries 20%

Homework/in-class assignments 10%

Peer Reviews mandatory

FINAL GRADE:

UGS 303: Humankind & Nature TTH 8-9:30; F 11-12

9/30 Exam 1 25

11/4 Exam 2 35

12/15 Final Exam 40

Discussions 5

FINAL GRADE:

P S 303 Physical Science I TTH 10-12

9/30 Exam 1 40%

11/4 Exam 2 40%

12/10 Final Exam 20%

12/2 Project 20%

Homework 20%

FINAL GRADE:

M 305G Elementary Functions & Coordinate Geometry MWF 10-11

9/15 Exam 1 20%

10/13 Exam 2 20%

11/10 Exam 3 20%

12/17 Final Exam 25%

Homework 15%

FINAL GRADE:

MUS 313 Fundamentals of Music: Piano MWF 12-1

10/6 Midterm 15

12/3 Final 15

Weekly Skills Checks 25

Song Leading (4 total) 20

Concert Reports (3 total) 15

Presentation 10

FINAL GRADE:

Stay Engaged

×  Ask about students’ classes EVERY DAY: inquire about lectures, projects, readings, etc. Use this to determine whether students are going to classes and/or doing their work.

×  Check students’ notes (You can also use this to determine whether or not they have been to class).

×  Have students create weekly to-do lists.

×  Have students recount a summary of class lectures in their own words.

×  Review their work regularly.

The Mentor Report ×  Mentor reports are due each Thursday. The mentor report is the

primary communication tool between you and the counselor.

×  The report allows you to relay to the counselor observations concerning a student’s progress, upcoming assignments, and recent grades.

×  Avoid short, uninformative entries; your feedback is very helpful for the counselors. ×  If, for some reason, you do not have the necessary

information to complete the report in full, please clearly explain the reason on your report.

Sample Mentor Report Student Name: Sally Swimmer Sport: WSW/DV Mentor: Mindy Mentor Academic Counselor: Charlie Counselor

Date: 2/11/10 I have been on time and attended all of my classes this week: _______________________________

Classes

Upcoming Assignments Grade(s)

Reported

Classes

Missed

COMMENTS

RHE 306 Research Summary 2 (2/15) B+ (Research

Summary 1)

None

UGS 303 Exam 1 (2/23) None 2/9 (sick)

P S 303 Homework 2 (2/15) None 2/9 (sick)

M 305G Homework 4 (2/17)

Exam 1 (2/26)

92% (HW 3)

MUS 313 Practice chords for skills

check (2/15)

Concert Report 1 (2/19)

5/5 (Skills Check

1)

Number of hours mentored this week: 6

RHE 306 : Sally was somewhat disappointed with the grade on

her first paper, since she felt very confident about it and had

gone over it with her tutor. I told her to talk to her professor about

it to get some more feedback.

UGS 303 : Sally still finds this class a bit boring, but she has

good notes from lecture, and she has been diligent about the

reading, so I think she will be in good shape for the first exam.

P S 303 : Sally is very glad to have a tutor to help her get through

the homework assignments for this class. She finds that she

understands the concepts much better after the tutor explains

them to her.

M 305G : Sally continues to do well on her homework

assignments (with help from her tutor). They plan to do some

extra practice problems

MUS 313 : Sally continues to enjoy this class. She is learning

"Sweet Home Alabama" right now and loves to make me sing

along as she practices. She plans to attend a piano concert on

Friday for her first concert report.

Weekly Tutorial Summary

Class Name of Tutor Seen # of Times Comments

RHE 306 Wanda Writer 1 Sally said Wanda really helped her search for articles online and also with her citations

M 305G Math Wizard 1 Sally continues to find these sessions very helpful; her HW grades are great!

P S 303 Phil Physics 1 Phil helped Sally get a headstart on next week's homework assignment

Be Thorough!

Bad Mentor Report Example

HIS 315L: John says this class is going fine. He has some reading to do.

Good Mentor Report Example

ANT 307: Sam is very confident about this class and thinks it will be an easy A, but we talked about the importance of keeping up with the reading to make sure nothing is missed. We also talked about making note cards of the vocabulary, which he seemed open to.

Weekly Grade Reports ×  Mentors will have students print out all available grades

from Blackboard, Quest, and/or any other online grade reporting sites every Thursday.

×  Update the student’s grades weekly in the “Grades Reported” column of the mentor report.

×  Staple grade print-outs behind your typed mentor report and submit to the Mentor Supervisor’s box at the end of your shift every Thursday.

Mentor Timesheets ×  Mentor timesheets are due on the 15th and the last day of every

month by 5pm.

×  Timesheets are emailed as PDFs; it is your responsibility to print them out.

×  Round to the nearest quarter-hour (for example, 4:53-7:12 rounds to 5:00-7:15, or 2.25 hours).

×  Complete your timesheet in blue or black ink.

×  Submit completed timesheets in the box labeled “Mentor Timesheets” hanging in the 5.400 hallway of the Moncrief-Bible Academic Center.

×  Go paperless! Be sure to request electronic earnings statements on UT Direct è “My Paycheck Distribution.”

Sample Timesheet

Mandatory Meetings ×  Orientation

×  All mentors are required to attend an orientation and training meeting at the beginning of each semester. This meeting covers policies and procedures and incorporates learning workshops to improve your mentoring skills and better prepare you for working with student-athletes.

×  Monthly Meetings ×  These requisite meetings serve as additional training. Issues

are addressed as they arise within the academic center, the University as a whole and even the NCAA.

×  The schedule of the meetings will be given to you at the start of the fall and spring semesters so that you can plan ahead. There are no meetings during summer sessions.

Compliance ×  All UT employees are required to

complete certain compliance training modules within the first 30 days of employment.

×  To complete your required modules, log on to UTDirect and select the “My Job” tab at the top of the page; the link for “Compliance Training” will be under the “Working at UT” category in the “Related Categories and Services” box on the right.

If you have compliance-related questions or concerns, please contact:

Athletics Compliance: (512) 471-7285

Compliance@athletics.utexas.edu

Athletics Human Resources: Rich Burns, Assistant Director

(512) 475-8040 Rich.Burns@athletics.utexas.edu

Academic Integrity ×  As an employee of UT Athletics, you are expected to maintain

absolute integrity and scholastic honor. You may not, under any circumstances, do work for a student-athlete.

×  All students are required to complete assignments independently, unless expressly authorized to work with others by the professor, and must acknowledge the contributions of any and all sources to their academic work.

×  If you are aware of a student who has engaged in any form of scholastic dishonesty—cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, etc.—you are obligated to notify your supervisor immediately.

×  Engagement in/collusion with scholastic dishonesty is grounds for immediate termination of employment.

Plagiarism (adapted from the UT Office of the Dean of Students website:

http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis_plagiarism.php)

×  Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic integrity. In simplest terms, this occurs if you represent as your own work any material that was obtained from another source, regardless of how or where you acquired it.

×  Using verbatim material without proper attribution constitutes the most blatant form of plagiarism. Other types of material can also be plagiarized, such as the idea or structure of someone else’s work.

×  Plagiarism can be committed intentionally or unintentionally—regardless, it’s still plagiarism!

×  By merely changing a few words or rearranging words or sentences, you are NOT paraphrasing. Making minor revisions to borrowed text is plagiarism!

The University of Texas at Austin Office of the Dean of Students. (2010, 6/10). Retrieved from http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sis/scholdis_plagiarism.php

Unethical Conduct (adapted from the UT Athletics Compliance Services “Tutor & Mentor Guide to NCAA Rules”)

×  Unethical conduct by a student-athlete or a current or former institutional staff member (e.g., coach, tutor, student manager) may include, but is not limited to: ×  Refusal to furnish information relevant to an investigation of a possible

violation of an NCAA regulation

×  Knowing involvement in arranging for fraudulent academic credit or false transcripts for a student-athlete

×  Knowing involvement in offering or providing a student-athlete an improper inducement or extra benefit or improper financial aid ×  An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional employee/

representative to provide a student-athlete or the student-athletes’ relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation.

×  Knowingly furnishing or knowingly influencing others to furnish the NCAA or UT false or misleading information concerning a possible NCAA regulation

×  Engagement in unethical conduct is grounds for immediate termination.

Knowledge of Use of Banned Drugs (adapted from the UT Athletics Compliance Services “Tutor & Mentor Guide to NCAA Rules”)

×  A member institution’s athletics department staff members or others employed by the intercollegiate athletics program who have knowledge of a student-athlete’s use at any time of a substance on the list of banned drugs is obligated to report the use.

×  The following is the list of banned-drug classes: ×  Stimulants ×  Anabolic agents ×  Substances banned for specific sports

×  Diuretics and other masking agents ×  Street drugs ×  Peptide hormones and analogues

×  Anti-estrogens

×  Any knowledge of drug/substance use should be reported to student services immediately!

Sports Wagering Activities (adapted from the UT Athletics Compliance Services “Tutor & Mentor Guide to NCAA Rules”)

×  Individuals shall not knowingly participate in sports wagering or provide information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition.

×  In simple terms, as an employee of UT Athletics, you may not bet on any sports under any circumstances.

Sexual Harassment ×  It is the policy of the University of Texas at Austin to

provide an educational and working environment for its students that is free from sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct by members of the UT community, and by those who have business or educational relationships with the University. Sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct in any form will not be tolerated, and individuals who engage in such conduct will be subject to disciplinary action. The University encourages students, faculty, staff, and visitors to promptly report sex discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual misconduct to any University official, administrator or supervisor.

From Appendix D, “Policy on Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment,” of the University of Texas at Austin General Information Catalog, 2010-12

Know the Rules: Quick Summary

×  Students are required to do their own work.

×  No extra benefits—student athletes can’t give you anything, and you can’t give them anything, including tickets, rides, books or gift cards.

×  You are prohibited from gambling on college, amateur or professional sports.

×  You are obligated to report any known or potential NCAA violations immediately.

×  All information regarding student-athletes’ grades, injuries, etc. is strictly confidential.

Do ×  Do ask questions

×  Do have a positive attitude

×  Do engage with your students

×  Do build rapport with your students

×  Do empathize with your students’ concerns

×  Do encourage active studying

×  Do maintain appropriate boundaries

×  Do contact your students’ academic counselor(s) with any concerns you may have, especially failing grades

Don’t ×  Don’t be late or miss sessions without notifying your supervisor ahead of time

×  Don’t do your own work during mentoring hours or spend all of your time on the computer—your attention should be student-focused

×  Don’t discuss your students with anyone outside of the office

×  Don’t enable counter-productive behavior/attitudes

×  Don’t bring food into the study rooms

×  Don’t wear revealing clothing or clothing with inappropriate messages

×  Don’t communicate with your students outside of regular study hall hours

×  Don’t contact a student’s coach, professor, or TA

×  Don’t use office resources for personal reasons without getting permission first

Remember Your Role

×  Have fun, but keep it professional

×  Lead by example

×  Stay engaged

×  Ask questions

×  Communicate clearly and efficiently