The International Peer Program has been a joint effort between International Student and Scholar Programs (ISSP) and the Center for International Programs Abroad (CIPA) for several years. The Peer Program's mission is to provide incoming international freshmen with sophomore, junior, and senior mentors who help the new students get acclimated to living and studying in the U.S. The program is very similar to Emory's FAME groups; however, the Peer Program fosters awareness about the pressing and unique needs of international students as they settle into American academic life.
Each mentor is matched with 5 or 6 new international freshmen and then corresponds with his/her students during the summer before the new students arrive. Mentors field e-mail and phone inquiries about dorm life, packing, banking, classesany topic an anxious and excited new student might be thinking about while preparing for college.
Mentors and freshmen maintain relationships with each other for the first semester of the freshmen's first year. Mentors may organize shopping trips, Marta excursions, help their students open bank accounts and write checks, and any other tasks international students would need assistance with upon arrival. All selected mentors will go through one day of mandatory intercultural training during the week of freshman orientation (August 2006).
This coming school year, the International Peers Program will be centralized within IA . This means that all IA members will be given priority in applying to become mentors for next year AND, and other students who are selected to become mentors for the program will automatically become members of IA. All students who have returned from studying abroad through CIPA as well as all new residents of the SPICE House (Student Program in International Cultural Exchange) will be invited to apply for this program. Beginning in late August, the Peers Program will have a couple of group activities for all mentors and incoming students to interact with each other during the fall semester. Activities may include barbecues, gatherings at the SPICE House, or discussion nights. All applications must be submitted to ISSP (340 DUC) by 12 p.m. noon, Thursday, April 20th.
