Developed over the last two years, a new academic mentoring program for freshmen in the Corps of Cadets has begun, according to the director of the Academic Achievement Center.
“The Corporal Academic Mentoring program, or CAM, is a way for sophomores to get on the leadership track, in a way that is productive, and to develop the skills we want to see Norwich students exhibiting,” said Peg Meyer, director of the Academic Achievement Center.
“The sophomores are there to help the freshmen learn the ropes about college life at Norwich,” Meyer said.
Every Sunday, sophomores in the corps meet with three to five freshmen rooks in the dining areas of the Wise Campus Center and discuss a variety of topics, ranging from academic success to time management, according to Meyer.
Called “CAMs,” the sophomore cadets are given the responsibility of overseeing the academic development of the freshmen.
“They meet for 20 minutes, once a week, and talk about things like managing their time effectively, and how to study for tests,” Meyer said.
“It’s all in the form of discussion, and the sessions give them the chance to discuss academics with someone other than their cadre,” said 19-year-old sophomore mathematics major Robyn Taylor, from Cayce, S.C.
The freshmen are paired up with a sophomore cadet based on their major, in an effort to build familiarity and a relaxed environment.
“We felt they would be more comfortable in a group, and be more willing to talk, rather than just one-on-one,” said 21-year-old Jonathan Schoepf, a senior engineering management major from Gorham, Maine.
“It’s a more relaxed environment for the freshman,” Schoepf said. “A freshman might feel more comfortable talking to a sophomore about some problem they’re having academically.”
Rooks are usually dealing with their cadre, ensuring a non-hostile environment was one of the focus points for the mentoring program.
“We want them to have a positive neutral environment,” and not to “act like cadre members,” said Kara Son, 21, a senior biochemistry major from Bridgewater, Mass.
“The sophomores have to be able to guide and lead the freshmen without being intimidating,” Son said. “It’s a more difficult kind of leadership; the sophomores have to be honest and frank, and they can’t hide behind the intimidation factor.”
The sophomore cadets were trained before classes started, and given a program binder to use as an aid in teaching the freshmen the skills needed to do well at Norwich.
“All the CAMs have the syllabus for the program,” Schoepf said. For example, “Week one (the sophomores) got acquainted with their freshmen,” and week two saw “the sophomores teaching the freshmen about time-management skills.”
The initial idea for deployment of the CAM program “comes from the education side of things, as a way of providing knowledge and support, so you get the results sooner, and better,” Meyer said. “We’ll be watching the freshmen and the sophomore GPAs this year, to see if they moved or went anywhere.”
Leadership training and academic success are among the reasons the mentoring program was developed, according to Meyer.
“It started as a result of the four-year progressive leadership model that we’re building right now,” Meyer said. “We want to build the skills of an officer, which is important; we want to start putting them together early.”
“The program lets the participating sophomores show their skills as leaders, and not just in a training environment, but in an academic environment as well,” Taylor said. “We’re there to point the freshmen in the right direction.”
Becoming stronger thinkers and “supporting their academic success and monitoring their progress” are among the duties the sophomore cadets have to fill, according to 20-year-old sophomore Robert Kelley, from Clarksville, Tenn.
“We want to get the freshmen more involved in the school and their academics,” Kelley said.
The CAM program was first discussed as an alternative to the corporal cadre method of instruction, with sophomores that “led with fear and intimidation,” Meyer said. It was “an initiative of the retention effort started two years ago.”
“In previous years, juniors would start out as cadre with very little leadership experience, and this gives the sophomores a chance to learn some leadership skills,” Son said.
According to Son, the mentoring program is a difficult kind of leadership; “the sophomores have to be honest and frank, and they can’t hide behind the intimidation factor.”
Making sure the sophomores were occupied with a positive outlet for their talents was another reason for the program.
“The mentor program was “designed to give the (sophomores) something to do,” Schoepf said. “It allows the (sophomores) the chance to do something while a cadet.”
“The cadre has one mission and the CAMs will have one mission, and we’re doing our best to make sure those two missions don’t overlap. The CAMs know that they’re not cadre,” Schoepf said.
Some of the participants aren’t as pleased with the program as those in charge, however.
Freshman criminal justice major Charles Davis, 17, from Santa Rosa, Calif., said the meetings are completed in such “a short amount of time” and “there’s almost too much free time” at the end of the meetings.
“It seems like there’s a lot of time at the end of the meetings, once we talk about the main topic,” Davis said. “I’m sure in the future it’ll help me more, but right now, as it’s getting started, it’s tough to say.”
“Sometimes it feels like we’re babysitting,” Kelley said. “It’s more watching over them, than anything else.”
Staff are addressing issues as they arise through forms and evaluations.
“The CAMs are constantly being evaluated and supervised,” Son said.
“Some of the bugs we’re trying to get rid of are things like accountability, making sure that people inform their chain of command that they won’t be at the session,” Schoepf said.
“So far everyone has had a good attitude about the program, and making the right changes, despite the minor kinks,” Son said. “All the leaders know to stay flexible, as this is the program’s first year.”
“This year, I can only do so much to get it working well, but we’re all looking to the future to make it better,” Schoepf said.
According to Meyer, the program gives freshmen the chance to ask informal questions, while giving the sophomores the opportunity to grow as leaders.
“It’s a step to make the corps more professional, as well as more academically oriented,” Son said.
“They’re motivating us because they show us that you can get through all this stuff, and still be successful academically,” Davis said.
Developed over the last two years, a new academic mentoring program for freshmen in the Corps of Cadets has begun, according to the director of the Academic Achievement Center.
“The Corporal Academic Mentoring program, or CAM, is a way for sophomores to get on the leadership track, in a way that is productive, and to develop the skills we want to see Norwich students exhibiting,” said Peg Meyer, director of the Academic Achievement Center.
“The sophomores are there to help the freshmen learn the ropes about college life at Norwich,” Meyer said.
Every Sunday, sophomores in the corps meet with three to five freshmen rooks in the dining areas of the Wise Campus Center and discuss a variety of topics, ranging from academic success to time management, according to Meyer.
Called “CAMs,” the sophomore cadets are given the responsibility of overseeing the academic development of the freshmen.
“They meet for 20 minutes, once a week, and talk about things like managing their time effectively, and how to study for tests,” Meyer said.
“It’s all in the form of discussion, and the sessions give them the chance to discuss academics with someone other than their cadre,” said 19-year-old sophomore mathematics major Robyn Taylor, from Cayce, S.C.
The freshmen are paired up with a sophomore cadet based on their major, in an effort to build familiarity and a relaxed environment.
“We felt they would be more comfortable in a group, and be more willing to talk, rather than just one-on-one,” said 21-year-old Jonathan Schoepf, a senior engineering management major from Gorham, Maine.
“It’s a more relaxed environment for the freshman,” Schoepf said. “A freshman might feel more comfortable talking to a sophomore about some problem they’re having academically.”
Rooks are usually dealing with their cadre, ensuring a non-hostile environment was one of the focus points for the mentoring program.
“We want them to have a positive neutral environment,” and not to “act like cadre members,” said Kara Son, 21, a senior biochemistry major from Bridgewater, Mass.
“The sophomores have to be able to guide and lead the freshmen without being intimidating,” Son said. “It’s a more difficult kind of leadership; the sophomores have to be honest and frank, and they can’t hide behind the intimidation factor.”
The sophomore cadets were trained before classes started, and given a program binder to use as an aid in teaching the freshmen the skills needed to do well at Norwich.
“All the CAMs have the syllabus for the program,” Schoepf said. For example, “Week one (the sophomores) got acquainted with their freshmen,” and week two saw “the sophomores teaching the freshmen about time-management skills.”
The initial idea for deployment of the CAM program “comes from the education side of things, as a way of providing knowledge and support, so you get the results sooner, and better,” Meyer said. “We’ll be watching the freshmen and the sophomore GPAs this year, to see if they moved or went anywhere.”
Leadership training and academic success are among the reasons the mentoring program was developed, according to Meyer.
“It started as a result of the four-year progressive leadership model that we’re building right now,” Meyer said. “We want to build the skills of an officer, which is important; we want to start putting them together early.”
“The program lets the participating sophomores show their skills as leaders, and not just in a training environment, but in an academic environment as well,” Taylor said. “We’re there to point the freshmen in the right direction.”
Becoming stronger thinkers and “supporting their academic success and monitoring their progress” are among the duties the sophomore cadets have to fill, according to 20-year-old sophomore Robert Kelley, from Clarksville, Tenn.
“We want to get the freshmen more involved in the school and their academics,” Kelley said.
The CAM program was first discussed as an alternative to the corporal cadre method of instruction, with sophomores that “led with fear and intimidation,” Meyer said. It was “an initiative of the retention effort started two years ago.”
“In previous years, juniors would start out as cadre with very little leadership experience, and this gives the sophomores a chance to learn some leadership skills,” Son said.
According to Son, the mentoring program is a difficult kind of leadership; “the sophomores have to be honest and frank, and the