Shrug off labels, stigmas to bolster academic progress

By Laurie Mellas, UNM Parent Relations senior program manager

With success measured by graduation rates and only 44 percent of our students graduating after six years UNM is filling a family-friendly toolbox to help students cross the finish line. In addition to enrollment preparation, including a stellar parent orientation and freshman convocation, the university's parent programming includes a Parent Relations Office with a parent liaison and the Parent Association. Students embrace increased family involvement and new research is quantifying positive outcomes such as higher esteem.

Amanda Dussault and Rudy Montoya provide administrative staff support for Student Affairs' Dean of Students Office, home to LoboOrientation, Family Connection Program (the parent arm of freshman orientation), Parent Relations and other preparation and retention services. Dussault, fondly chided by colleagues as the office's lone "Aggie," says her first semester at New Mexico State University was smooth sailing but the following spring led to a fork in the road.

"I could not find the balance between friends, homework and everything that comes along with being a college student. I got every grade out there - A, B, C, D and F," she recalls. "My dad just got real quiet, and then he said, ‘You are going back in the fall, you will get a job and earn back the lottery [scholarship] or you will find a way to pay for college on your own." Dussault buckled down and is a proud NMSU alumna. "Part of it was learning not to be afraid to ask for help," she shares.

Her story brings us to a touchy topic - how do we dialogue with our student about academic progress now that they are in college? Complicating matters is the "tutor stigma," a high school hangover easily cured by facts. Nearly 85 percent of students are tutored during their college career, says Center for Academic Program Support Director Karen Olson. Good students looking to be great scholars are the first to arrive at the table. Convincing struggling students of the benefits is another matter, she says.

Montoya, a UNM cinematic arts alumnus, says that from the high profile CAPS to lesser known department and program-specific services such as mock testing, study groups and guidance from teaching assistants, professors and peer mentors, help is abundant.

Students typically seek academic support midterm and during finals. "It's better to do it throughout the entire semester, " Montoya says, acknowledging it's a strategy often shrugged by students.

UNM senior Adriana Romero says parents should get involved early on and not worry about being labeled as over-involved. "I didn't seek academic support until I was a junior. It can be embarrassing, but it's about committing yourself more to your studies and not getting so caught up in the fun stuff. We forget that we have papers to do," she admits. Romero advises parents to be open and understanding about academic progress. "It's scary to have to tell someone who is helping you pay for your education that you are not doing so well. And you don't want to disappoint them."