Scope of LIFE program continues to grow

10:26 a.m., July 8, 2005--Back when it was first launched in the fall of 2000, UD’s LIFE program was, in general terms, a safety net. Designed to acclimatize freshmen to college life and ease what can be a shaky spot in the life of an 18-year-old, the program did a solid job of addressing issues about transitioning to campus living, but it still had room to grow.

Now five years older and wiser, the LIFE program, an acronym for Learning Integrated Freshman Experience, has crossed some important milestones itself and has blossomed into a well-defined component of the larger Freshman Year Experience (FYE), an academic requisite for all first-year UD undergraduates.

LIFE participants are assigned to clusters of approximately 10 academically like-minded peers, who, during their first semester on campus, live and study together while collaborating on a semester-long “cluster project.” Completed projects, which are showcased at a daylong LIFE Fest held each December, are intended to embody the teamwork of each group and the impact LIFE has had on them, while also serving as a community bridge. Typically addressing some need that exists in the world beyond the campus, each project focuses on social betterment and involvement--two essential skills that the LIFE program promotes for ensuring a sense of belonging and empowerment going forward.

“The LIFE program is a really effective way to help students succeed, both socially and academically,” Meghan Biery, LIFE program coordinator, said. “Each year, the program has expanded to address more areas of transitioning to campus life, as well as community involvement.”

Biery, who has witnessed the LIFE program evolve since its inception, said that, although a large measure of the program’s success comes from participants’ natural urge to bond with peers, the small learning clusters created around common academic themes give the program added momentum.

“Most clusters require that the students live together, and some LIFE clusters have a more general focus,” Biery said, “but, a lot of the teamwork and learning in the LIFE program is based on common academic themes, and many out-of-class LIFE experiences relate to those themes.”

Guided by peer mentors (upperclass students with strong academic records) who are, in turn, counseled by LIFE mentors (UD faculty, administrators or professional staff members with a desire to guide and nurture), freshman LIFE participants attend weekly UNIV 101 seminars throughout the fall semester, geared to the their particular cluster. Designed to address basic transition issues, as well as specific questions related to members’ common major, the one-hour, one-credit courses also offer a supportive forum in which general life concerns, such as time-management and conflict-resolution skills, can be aired and resolved.

According to students and mentors with firsthand LIFE experience, as well as faculty and administrators who benefit indirectly from the program, the cumulative results are evident at the end of each semester in improved academic performance, poise and confidence among freshmen.

Karen Aniunas, assistant dean of Student Services in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and a LIFE mentor for the past three years, said that, from a recruiter’s perspective, she sees the program as being an invaluable resource for freshmen and an important retention tool for the University.

“My job is in recruitment, so, of course, I want to ensure that once students get here, they have a positive experience,” she said.

“So many freshmen, when they first arrive at college, feel so confused and homesick, and even a little lost, that giving them what are essentially ready-made peer groups really helps ease their transition and ensures that they feel a sense of community early on.”

Aniunas, who frequently has presented mini-lessons on communication, time management and networking skills during her tenure as a mentor, added that another plus of the LIFE program is that it is flexible enough to allow for concentration on specific areas of student interest or need.

“Many students, especially early on, are scared to death of faculty members, so one of the things I wanted to do was to strengthen student-faculty/administrator bonds,” she said.

“As a mentor, it was very valuable to get on the students’ level--not in a professorial way, but in a direct-contact way, where I’d be meeting them over dinner or talking with them about their interests.”

The mentoring opportunities offered by LIFE allowed for this and also, Aniunas said, encouraged the all-important skill of networking.

“I always tell students, ‘You need to build your network with people who are in a position to help you later on when you need a job reference or a letter or recommendation,’” she said. “The mentoring relationships fostered by the LIFE program give freshmen an opportunity to develop those networks right from the start.”

The LIFE program, which during fall semester 2004, had more than 400 freshman participants, is seeking LIFE mentors--UD academic personnel, including faculty and professional staff--to join its ranks for the upcoming semester.

LIFE mentors work with student peer mentors to ensure that first-year students have an organized, coherent and positive LIFE experience. The time requirement varies as the semester progresses, but typically involves a commitment of six to eight hours a semester.

For more information on the LIFE program, or to learn more about what is required of mentors, call (302) 831-3330.

Article by Becca Hutchinson

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