Page 4 - Laker Connection Spring 2012

ERASING
FIRST-YEAR
FEAR
THE FIRST-YEAR ADVISING & RETENTION CENTER’S HOLISTIC APPROACH TO A
SUCCESSFUL FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE
The freshman year can be the most intimidat- ing year in a college career. But at Clayton State University, it doesn’t have to be.
The First Year Advising & Retention Cen- ter (FYARC) stands ready to help Clayton State’s first-time first-year students succeed in college. Since early intervention is key in preempting mis- steps that could lead to poor academic perform- ance, FY ARC begins equipping first-years for success – academically , socially , culturally and personally – before day one.
“I heard about FYARC through freshman ori- entation,” says Jessica Nicole, a first-time freshman from Chicago, IL, who begins classes this semester. “I had questions for days! They helped answer everything. It made me feel excited for school in- stead of nervous. Thanks to FYARC, I feel more like I am going away to a school where it’s like family, and that’s the atmosphere I love.”
FYARC began in fall semester 2011 and pro- vides personal academic advising and support to all first-time, full-time students. Advisors focus on academic components such as study skills, note taking and time management, and develop the whole person by addressing topics like life away
by LAUREN GRAVES
from home and stress management techniques. “Class registration is only a small component of the work in the center, and advisors are ex- pected to meet with each student once a month,” shares Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Academic Success Mark Dadonna whose vision brought FYARC to Clayton State. “The center emphasizes a developmental,
holistic approach to academic advising.”
Leading the center is FYARC Director De- Landra Hunter who previously served as the as- sociate director of the EXCEL Center for Academic Success at the University of West Georgia. In that capacity he oversaw the Tutoring and Learning Programs, Multicultural Achievement Program, iServe Mentoring Program and the Second Year
Student Program.
“College is not like high school,” says De-
Landra, acknowledging one major first-year pit- fall. “They sometimes hesitate to use tutors, and they often do not know how to study. It’s a transi- tional time in their lives. We help walk them through that first year. We teach them how to be a college student in both the academic and social sense.”
2 THE LAKER CONNECTION