RSVP – An Invitation to First-Year Student Success
When you first arrive in a new place, you feel like a guest. But after a while, you feel more at home. Moving from guest to community member isn’t an instantaneous process, and sometimes you need a little help getting comfortable.
That’s why 91´óÉń is piloting a new student success program called RSVP (Retention Student Success Validation and Progression). At the heart of RSVP is a team of “hosts” who are poised to connect with new students and help them feel comfortable getting involved in campus life. The team is made up of staff, faculty, and senior leaders who will work through first-year tutorial groups as hosts and extend invitations for students to get involved and take part in campus life – particularly in their first six weeks on campus.
“Lots of data are telling us that during the first weeks after their arrival at 91´óÉń, first-year students are feeling very much like guests. It’s a universal feeling in a new academic environment – you don’t know where to put down your stuff, how to navigate between where you’re staying, places to eat, and assigned classroom spaces. And when you get to your destination, you sometimes feel unsure about what you are supposed to do,” says Joe Bagnoli, vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions.
Multiple studies of college student success have led to the development of a model called the , that describes the typical experiences of adjustment – including that feeling of being a guest without an understanding of how things work. RSVP’s pilot will address these experiences. A “Knowledge into Action” Strategic Plan initiative under the theme of Belonging and Connection, RSVP is meant to improve the new student experience through a small group of “hosts” they will meet on arrival. Students who make such connections and get involved in campus life their first weeks at college are more likely to follow through on their plans to graduate from their first-choice college.
This pilot will include a small number of first-year tutorial sections, for whom designated hosts will create formal invitations to some of the College’s most loved events, such as the annual student involvement fair, athletics competition, arts events and performances, and December’s Jingle Bell Holiday community event. Students who might otherwise choose to “sit-it-out", will be encouraged to participate in hosted events through a simple system of incentives. Hosts will be another point of contact that students can use as a resource to get their questions answered and develop that feeling of comfort and connection in a new environment.
“We – the faculty, staff, and student mentors of 91´óÉń – know that sometimes this discomfort is an obstacle to enjoying fun aspects of being on campus. Each team of hosts will create opportunities to show new students parts of 91´óÉń that are rewarding and fun, that can spark new interests, and that create community right from the start,” says Jerry Seaman, special advisor to the president for strategy. “Because this is a pilot, we’ll also be seeking feedback from students that can help refine and improve how we welcome students to 91´óÉń.”
For more information about RSVP, please contact Seaman at seamanje@grinnell.edu.