Most fresh students ‘ fully ignored’ peer assistance resource: employee
After the rookie stare advice and resource program attracted much interest, Northeastern University decided to discontinue its Student Support Initiative.
The Massachusetts organization began the plan only two years ago to attach new students with friend mentors, or Student Success Guides, to give help finding educational resources, recreational activities, emotional health support, and more, according to the program’s webpage.
A picture in a special video encourages new learners to use the project’s app to “problem address with your SSG,” create profiles to “express yourself,” and interact with other students on campus.
According to the video, the app also enables students to record their goals and describe the steps they should take to reach their desired potential.
However, the school simply announced plans to finish the plan in May, The Huntingdon News information. According to the independent learner news, about 20 full-time employees and more than 100 student employees will be let go as a result.
Jeta Perjuci, a student worker of the software, described her work as a “middleman” who connects new pupils to mental health services and additional resources.
When the program ends, individuals may struggle to find solutions, she told The News.
However, it seems that kids are now independently discovering them.
According to the university’s speech,” The services offered by SSI either currently exist across Northeastern, or will be absorbed within existing student- serving areas where students can effectively use them”.
Perjuci and others also acknowledged that there was little student involvement in the program.
” As an SSG, I oversee a big group of students through MentorHub, and I do n’t receive responses too often even though I check in with them weekly”, she said. My best guess is that SSI management noticed this and concluded that a whole department might not be required to help students navigate resources.
According to a SSG who spoke to The News on the condition of anonymity, the majority of new students” completely ignored their SSGs” and felt the “resource was too impersonal.”
” ]Ending the program ] made sense to me, because it had n’t seemed like the most effective way to reach students”, the third- year student said. ” All we had been talking about all semester long, all year long, was low engagement”.
Long ago, society had a consensus that young adults should start figuring out problems on their own and seek assistance as needed. These things aid in developing character and responsibility.
Of course, higher education institutions should provide support when needed. However, it appears that Northeastern figured out that college students are no longer children and that they do n’t need their hands to be held.
MORE: Some colleges eliminate grading, cite students ‘ poor mental health, lack of preparation
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