Though LSU boasts nearly 4,000 students of an ethnic minority, it has no standing mentor program tailored to suit them. The Genesis Program, a mentoring and tutoring program sponsored by the Office of Mulitcultural Affairs, makes up where the University lacks by offering personal support and academic guidnace to ethic minority students during their first two years of college.
“Basically, the Genesis program involves two components: mentoring and tutoring,” said Chaunda Allen, OMA Program Coordinator. “The primary part is tutoring, but we encourage students to become involved with a mentor as well.”
Students can be tutored in a range of subjects including accounting, economics, French, Spanish, trigonometry and physics.
The mentoring portion of the program invites freshmen and sophomores to be mentored by upperclassmen. Mentoring includes peer counseling, informal meetings, sponsored luncheons and other social activities.
“The Genesis Mentoring Program is important because you need a small community,” said Teressa Breaux, a mass communication junior and Genesis mentor. “When I first came to LSU, I asked about a mentoring program. I found that we didn’t have one. When I heard about Genesis, I thought, what better way to welcome students of an ethnic minority.”
Breaux said the program works well because it is for everyone.
“You dont have to search us out,” Breaux said. “We are willing to find you. As part of the program, we had lunches together, studied together; we even had a movie night. We all studied for our finals together in the [African American Cultural Center] and had a small Christmas party. It wasn’t planned but we exchanged gifts. It just happened; we were all so close.”
Allen said the program started small with students being tutored by two people at the AACC.
“In 2000, we totally revamped the program and it has been growing ever since,” Allen said.
Last year, there were about 60 students participating in the program. Allen said she expects that number to double.
Maurice Gipson, a business administration junior and Genesis student coordinator, has been working on expanding
the program during the summer.
“It’s really a great program,” Gipson said. “Genesis is so important for students of an ethnic minority. At LSU, the number of minority students is small; it puts one at ease to know they can connect with someone personally.”
Breaux said at smaller universities, every minority student receives a mentor.
“That’s just too difficult at LSU,” Breaux said. “We are so large and diverse. But we do have the Genesis program and that helps.”
Allen said even though Genesis is geared toward minority students, all students are welcomce to participate.
“It is important for students to feel there is a specific, personal place for them to be welcomed and mentored,” Allen said.
Students interested in participating in the Genesis program should visit the OMA on the third floor of the LSU Union.