Sophomore Success Fun Day at TAMIU

On Thursday Oct. 13, 2011, the staff of the Texas A&M International University Title V: Engaging Sophomores program hosted the Sophomore Success Fun Day at the Student Center Rotunda from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The event allowed students to participate in a variety of stress relieving games as well as meet with members of the Engaging Sophomores staff to learn about support services available through the program.

Set up throughout the rotunda were different stations with games ranging from modern video games played on the Nintendo Wii console to classic chess and checker boards along with challenges reproduced from NBC's "Minute to win it" game show.  The Sophomore Mentors acted as judges while students stacked apples, threaded spaghetti strands through penne pasta noodles using only their mouth, or stacked a tower of plastic cups all under the restriction of one minute.  Sophomore students that participated and were successful received a student success packet which included scantrons, pencils and other school supplies.  Although the activities were aimed at current sophomores, all members of the TAMIU community were welcome to participate.

Valerie Tijerina, Director of Engaging Sophomores, was on site and discussed the importance of providing fun activities for the sophomores.  "It's a great way to de-stress from the daily routine of college life," said Tijerina. When asked why the success fun day was specifically held during the mid-semester Tijerina responded that for the students "midterms are a big deal … so we thought it was just a good way to just do something different for them and let them know that we are here for them."  Dominic Luna, a sophomore biology major, who was in attendance and participated in the challenges, stated that the entertaining break "relieves stress from all the work you have to do in all of your classes."  Although the event was fun and games, it also provided the opportunity for the student population to gain awareness of the program offerings.

"It's a great opportunity for students, especially sophomores, to come together … to meet our staff…," said Tijerina.  Having been awarded funding during the fall semester of 2010, the program has yet to complete a full year of operation and is thus a fresh offering at TAMIU.  Victor Flores, a Sophomore Mentor, explained that knowledge amongst the students about the program might be limited due to its recent establishment.     "We are trying to outreach to all the sophomores that are out there," said Flores.  Leylee Martinez, also a Sophomore Mentor noted that for students, "events like this … help them realize that there are people out there that are here to help them and that are here to provide support for them."  Manuel Perez, a sophomore English and Communication major, suggested that while he already knew about the offerings of the program, other sophomores could also benefit from discovering these services. 

The Title V: Engaging Sophomore program provides various services to the Sophomore class including access to student mentors, advisors, counselors and other activities.  Their mission is ensuring that students transition into their second year of college smoothly and remain successful throughout their collegiate career.  For more information about the services provided, contact the Title V: Engaging Sophmores office at 326-2804 or visit their office at USC 223.

(Ignacio Banda and Jorge Aviles can be reached at Ignaciobanda@dusty.tamiu.edu & Javiles@dusty.tamiu.edu)

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http://www.tamiu.edu/uc/titlev/