Peer Mentorship Program

Please take a moment to consider Naropa University Housing's Peer Mentorship Program. Four
two-bedroom apartment units are available to eight upperclassmen and graduate students (First-year students live in the same complex in separate two-bedroom units). The Snow Lion Apartments are conveniently located four blocks from the Arapahoe Campus and close to the bus line to the Nalanda and Paramita campuses.

Job Summary

The peer mentor (PM) is live-in position. The commitment for this position is 9.5 months beginning August 1 and ending in mid May. The PM will serve as a mentor to first-year students working within lifestyle issues, diversity, transitions, alcohol and other drugs issues, general wellness and health, community building, and personal support. Peer mentors will attend trainings in early to mid-August which will include such topics as working with students around alcohol and other drugs, diversity, and lifestyle issues and choices. They will also have opportunities for training pertaining to psycho-education and contemplative practice.

Peer mentors will

• Make informal contact (three hours per week) with an assigned group of students.
• Assist the Residence life staff with the coordination of check-in/out processes helping students to have a healthy and positive transition into university life.
• Work with Naropa University faculty and staff to create bridges between curricular and co-curricular activities for students.
• Engage in the community as mentors, educators and positive role models.
• Report directly to the resident hall director. 
• Encourage student involvement in the creation, communication and maintenance of community norms and lifestyle issues.
• Attend weekly peer mentorship program meetings with the RHD.
• Attend and actively participate in the bi-weekly all-community meeting.
• Receive bi-weekly psycho-educational trainings and give bi-weekly presentations (alternate between the two).

Qualifications/Skills

• The PM must be able to work with diverse populations and be competent in diversity issues, specifically how they inform the creation of community and living environments. We seek PMs who are committed to creating safe spaces, and is inclusive of all residents.
• The position must be filled by a current Naropa Student who has preferably completed at least one semester at Naropa.
• The PM must possess characteristics including responsibility, positive attitude, enthusiasm, adaptability, commitment, integrity, ability to establish clear boundaries, team-building skills, clear communication abilities, sound judgment and good time-management abilities.
• The PM is a “people-oriented” person. The position requires the ability to develop and guide a cohesive and inclusive community while supporting the academic mission of the university. We seek PMs who are committed to developing human potential by setting a positive example in order to accelerate the academic, interpersonal/behavioral, citizenship and leadership skills for resident students at the University.
• Minimum GPA of 2.5.

Rates

The Snow Lion apartments available to you are two bedroom bi-level units on the third level of the complex. All the utilities, electricity, water, heat and high speed internet are included in this cost.

Third-Level Single Occupancy Rates FA '08: $337/month * 5 mo. =$1,685/semester

Third-Level Single Occupancy Rate SP '09: $337/month * 4.5 mo. =$1,516.50/ semester

A 9.5 month commitment and housing lease is required: August 1, 2008–May 15, 2009.

The Space

Each unit is a two-bedroom apartment, including a kitchen, full bath, dining area, and living room.  In general, there will be two students per apartment– two private rooms in a two bedroom apartment. The bedrooms range in square footage. The smallest occupancy room is 11 × 10. The living rooms are, on average, 14 × 15. Each resident is provided with a twin long bed, dresser, desk, desk chair, closet.  The apartment will also include a kitchen table and chairs, a couch and coffee table. High speed internet is provided and included in the housing cost.

Roommates

Peer mentors will be paired together based on lifestyle preferences and each have a private bedroom in a two-bedroom apartment. Please email tcrespi@naropa.edu if you would like to request a specific roommate.

Benefits to the Naropa Student

Four staff members live on-site: three Resident Community Advisors and one Resident Hall Director. The office for the director of housing is also located on site on the first floor of the building. A staff person is “on-duty” and available by 8 p.m. seven days a week.

The complex includes free parking, off-street parking, a coin-op laundry facility, a small community meeting space and classroom, a meditation room, and the Naropa University Counseling Center, which can support students with concerns such as personal growth, addiction, stress management, relationships, depression/anxiety, eating disorders and more.

Housing payment can be made through the Naropa University tuition billing process. Therefore, it is simple to apply financial aid, payment plans, etc., towards your housing in one step.

Peer mentors will receive training throughout the year and will have the opportunity to make psycho-education presentations on life skills and other related topics. Peer mentors will gain valuable skills for working with students around alcohol and other drugs, diversity, and lifestyle issues and choices.

All Community Meeting

It is a valued aspiration to generate an environment in which each person is free to discover and express their own unique identity while at the same time finding a common ground to be able to live together respectfully.  This takes some time and effort.  Therefore, one important commitment in living at Snow is participation in gatherings called the All Community Meeting.  All Community Meeting happens approximately twice a month for two hours.  In these meetings, we make group announcements, pass along important information and work out any problems, if necessary. During the spring semester the Community Involvement Project (CIP) will facilitate about half of the community meetings (see below). This will also be a time you need to pay attention to when scheduling your classes. Peer Mentors are required to be at all Community Meetings. Your advisor will inform you of time and dates when you register.

Programming and Residence Life Program

Community building and programming are offered both by the Resident Assistants (RAs) and Peer Mentors (PM). These programs can range in topics to cover things like basic life skills (i.e., a cooking night, healthy relationships/communication), community building (a hike or trip to the local farmer’s market,), co-curricular interests (a faculty speaker or discussion group), psycho-educational presentations (“Natural Highs” or alcohol and drugs presentations), experiential events (movement class or “beer goggle Olympics”) or whatever creative ideas folks come up with. PM will receive training and guidance in putting on programming throughout the year.

Weekly Staff Meeting

This meeting is designed to help you stay on track with your goals as a peer mentor and support you in achieving the learning outcomes you set for your students. This is a group meeting with all Peer Mentors and the Resident Hall Director. Please check with the Resident Hall Director, Timothy Crespi, tcrespi@naropa.edu for a schedule of meeting times.

Community Involvement Projects (CIP)

The intention of Community Involvement Projects (CIP) is to provide leadership skills, facilitation experience and help make the living/learning experience meaningful by giving back to our communities. The CIP helps transform curricular and co-curricular experiences into learning opportunities and helps students become civically and socially engaged. Individuals develop these skills by learning to voice the concerns of the community; developing listening skills; and managing civic engagement initiatives. The Snow Lion Staff is committed to hearing the voice of the community and continuously improving the students’ on-campus experience. All residents are part of a CIP group and are encouraged to participate in one project.

Each peer mentor will have the opportunity to participate in a CIP. Four individual groups organize and each sponsor civic engagement projects, Snow Lion events, and brings students living in the residence hall together to create dialogue around individual/community concerns. Four student leaders will be chosen by the community and each will lead a group. Each individual CIP group takes action on dialogue from the community by bringing forth creative civic engagement projects to serve the residence hall, the Naropa community and the world. The CIP leaders also serve as a liaison between the Residence Life Staff and the community. 

Project proposals will be submitted to the Snow Lion Staff by individuals and the staff will present them to the Snow Lion Community during the 3rd Community meeting (keeping the author of the proposal anonymous). The four individuals’ ideas that are chosen by the community will then be identified and be the leaders of the CIP for the rest of the year. Community members will join one of the four projects for the duration of the fall semester. 

Living and Learning Opportunities

There is one course that you can register for in connection with your experience in University Housing and it is only open to Snow Lion community members. You can register with your advisor during orientation week, if it is of interest to you!

Group Dynamics and Leadership: Creating Compassionate Community. Develop your group skills and know how, through this course designed specifically for students living in University Housing.  What does it take, really, to generate a compassionate community? How can we live and learn together in a way that supports and utilizes our differences as creative energy? How can we work with conflict in a way that is restorative and healing? These are some of the topics addressed through which students can strengthen their capacity as members of groups, and as leaders. 

The Rules

The housing guidelines are in place due to Boulder County Regulations, university guidelines and safety/respect concerns inherent in living in community. Some of the most important guidelines you should know include: 1) We are a drug, alcohol- and smoke-free environment (there are outdoor smoking areas, however); 2) Quiet hours begin at 10 p.m.; 3) Guests that stay overnight can do so only for a limited time and must be registered with the staff; 4) No pets; 5) No candles, space heaters or anything that could start a fire.

Steps for Applying

In order to complete the application process:

• You must be accepted by Admissions as a full-time student for Fall 2008.
• Pay admissions deposit ($250)
• You must be registered (or register during orientation for new students) as a full-time student for Fall 2008
• Fill out, sign and return the preference form for University Housing
• Submit a cover letter and resume to tcrespi@naropa.edu or dropped off at the Snow Lion Office no later than May 5, 2008.

We will contact you and begin half-hour in-person and phone interviews right after the due date and will hopefully have eight peer mentors hired by May 12.

Housing roommate preference form, resume, cover letter can be mailed to:

Naropa University
University Housing***
2130 Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, CO 80302

***It is essential that you include “University Housing” in the address to insure your preference form, resume, and cover letter

Accepted Peer Mentors should

• Pay housing deposit ($300). Checks should be made payable to Naropa University. You can also contact the resident hall director, at 303-319-9793 to pay by credit card.
• Sign lease, fill out med form and send back to University Housing office (use address above) by August 1.

If you are chosen as a peer mentor, a housing confirmation packet will be mailed to you approximately two weeks after our decision on May 12. This confirmation packet will provide you with more details to prepare and support you in planning for move-in day.

How will I be billed?
Housing and Naropa Café meal plan (optional) charges will be added to your Naropa University tuition bill. Thus, the balance is due when your tuition is due. When you are budgeting for the year, be sure to include the room cost AND the meal plan (optional) cost.  Please contact the tuition cashier Aimee Olkee at tuition@naropa.edu or call 303-546-3554 if you would like more information regarding billing and payment.

MOVE IN DAYS ARE Friday August 1st AND Saturday August 2nd for Peer Mentors

Training Schedule: TBA
You should expect to spend a full week of training within the first 2 weeks of August before the students arrive.

Saturday, August 16 or Sunday, August 17 (9 a.m.–noon; 2–5 p.m.)
MOVE IN for First-year students!! 

Sunday, August 17 (6–8 p.m.) in the Performing Arts Center
Student, Family and Snow Lion Community Orientation (Please plan to be at this event.) Light snacks will be served.

Monday, August 18–Friday, August 22
Naropa University Orientation Week (entire week is required for new students).

Friday, August 22 (3–5 p.m.)
Our first Community Meeting! Make sure you do not schedule class during this time.

Friday, September 5 (3–5 p.m.)
2nd Community meeting: Topic TBA

Thank you for your interest in this exciting opportunity and please do not hesitate to call with any questions.

Click here for the Roommate Preference Form