The Peer Advocacy Center hosted an event to discuss students’ goals for the semester.
Tyler Hanna, graduate assistant for First Year Programs and Retention, spoke about the event:
“It was important that we held this event because we wanted students to start thinking about what goals they had for themselves this semester,” Hanna said. “With it being a new year and a new semester, it is important to re-evaluate their goals and expectations so that they can be proactive in achieving success.”
To ensure each student received help planning goals, peer advocates held one-on-one meetings with students called ‘table-sits’. These table-sits occurred during the week of Jan. 9.
“At the table, peer advocates will ask students whether they have set any goals for themselves this semester,” Hanna said. “If so, they talk about the goal whether it is personal or academic nature and look to build upon it by making it more achievable. Students work with the advocates in making sure their goal is ‘SMART’: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound.”
Due to the amount of peer advocates required to host one-on-one meetings, the event could only last for one week, but the Peer Advocacy Center is ready and willing to help anyone plan their goals with notice, staff say.
Hannah Bierlein, peer advocate and fifth-year psychology major, spoke more about the importance of the event:
“We like to focus on retention-based things for our first-year students, and the number one thing to help students work towards maintaining an education here at SVSU is to have proper goals and make sure those goals are set with the best intentions,” Bierlein said.
“We make sure we have a good baseline for what we want to achieve and eventually teach the steps on how to achieve that goal so that we can also be successful by the end of the semester.”
The table-sits were held for the first time this past week, but the Peer Advocacy Center is considering making it a yearly event to set a good foundation for each semester, Bierlein said.
“I absolutely love [being a part of the event]. I feel very fulfilled making sure that when I can see someone have it ‘click’, and they understand what they need to do,” Bierlein said. “They have a good motivation behind it.”
Even though the event came to a close, there will be similar events addressing time management, stress management, managing failure and much more in the future, Hanna said.
In the meantime, students can visit the Peer Advocacy Center in Wickes 121 for help planning goals.
“We would like all students to know that the Peer Advocacy Center is a place where everyone is welcome,” Hanna said. “That we can help you find the answers to your questions if you are not sure where to go.”
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