SUNY Orange, "If you have the dream, we have the way!"SUNY Orange

Peer Advising Program

Mission and Goal

The mission of the Peer Advising program is to promote academic excellence and provide an opportunity for personal growth and leadership to Peer Advisors themselves. Peer Advisors work in close cooperation with staff of the Academic Advising Office to provide a high level of service to SUNY Orange students by helping them connect to and utilize campus resources. The goals of the Peer Advising program are:

For students:

  • To provide students with a supportive environment
  • To connect students to campus resources
  • To inform students of the services and resources available at SUNY Orange
  • To facilitate student autonomy
  • To encourage involvement in College organizations and activities

For Peer Advisors:

  • To develop leadership skills, communication skills, presentation skills, public relation skills

Expectations of a Peer Advisor

  • Be proactive
  • Possess quality listening/ communication/ presentation skills
  • Enjoy helping others
  • Able to handle multiple tasks
  • Be understanding
  • Be open-minded
  • Enjoy learning
  • Be responsible
  • Be a team player: collaborate with your fellow peers on any task
  • Maintain open communication with staff and team members
  • Maintain a 3.0 or higher GPA
  • Feel comfortable using computer programs: SUNY Orange e-mail, Banner, navigating SUNY Orange web site, etc.

Peer Advisor Job Description

  • Assist with the New START program by preparing materials, helping to check students in, guiding students to locations and answering questions, helping students schedule appointments, presenting the computer lab portion of the New START
  • Assist students to log into their accounts (Banner, e-mail, Angel, etc.)
  • Assist students who have seen their Advisor and may register online with creating their course schedules and online registration
  • Provide timely and accurate information and/or referrals to appropriate College offices/ resources
  • Be aware of important registration deadlines including add/ drop and withdrawal
  • Assist with office duties including, but not limited to, answering phones, greeting students and signing them in to Advisortrac, replenishing forms, managing confidential academic records, and providing general clerical support as needed
  • Maintain complete confidentiality regarding all professional interactions with students
  • Maintain complete confidentiality regarding all student records accessible as a result of employment with the Center
  • Adhere to all office policies and procedures
  • Attend and participate in training sessions
  • Other duties as assigned

Application Requirements

  • Enrolled in the Fall semester
  • Has a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Submit job application questionnaire
  • Provide two letters of recommendation from SUNY Orange faculty
  • Provide copy of transcript
  • Submit documents to front desk at the Academic Advising Office, 3rd floor, Shepard Building in Middletown by May 18th

SELECTION

  • Evaluation of qualifications based on the above criteria
  • Interview with Academic Advisors, Peer Advisor Coordinator and staff at the office
  • Selection of two Peer Advisors to support the Office at the Middletown campus by end of November; selected students will be informed of final decision mid-June.

Time Commitment/ Payment

  • A time commitment of 5 to 20 weekly hours is required to join the program (we will work around students' schedule while semester is in session). Need full availability in January during break
  • Peer Advisors are paid $9.00 per hour