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������’s Center for Student Involvement began a Peer Involvement Advising program this fall. The program will serve as a resource to connect students to campus activities and organizations.

This new departmental initiative is part of the university’s commitment to providing quality resources that aid in the overall retention of Kent State students. The peer involvement advising office is housed on the first floor of the Kent Student Center in Room 120K.

Students in need of this type of mentoring will be able to drop in to the office during scheduled hours, request an appointment or call in for more information. This peer-to-peer interaction will serve as a great connection for first-year students and a valuable opportunity for leadership growth for the peer advisors.

Each student will leave the session with an individualized “involvement plan” designed to set them on a path to extracurricular involvement.

Seven upperclassmen – highly involved students – were chosen to be peer involvement advisors for the 2013-2014 academic year.

"These students here at Kent State are going to be the future leaders of this world,” says Nick Elder, a peer advisor and junior at Kent State. “The first step in that process involves understanding the importance of developing leadership skills, and there is no better way to do so than through becoming heavily involved with organizations on campus. I want future freshman to share a similar experience as me. This is why I became a peer involvement advisor."

“As a junior at Kent State, I know how hectic adapting to campus life can be for freshmen,” says Krandall Brantley, peer advisor and journalism major at Kent State. “My goal is to help students have a smooth transition into college and give them advice on how to overcome adversity.”

While targeted mostly to new students on campus, the program encourages Kent State faculty and staff to refer any student who may be struggling to find their niche. With the multitude of organizations and activities available to Kent State students, this new program will serve as a great method to encourage involvement and make connections.

For more information about Kent State’s Center for Student Involvement, visit www.kent.edu/csi.