UHV seeks community members for 'Transit Teams'
The University of Houston-Victoria is seeking community members and university faculty and staff to offer support and guidance to freshmen as part of new Transit Teams designed to encourage students to stay in school.
“This initiative will help freshman students focus on the transition from high school to university life,” said Ersilia Garcia, Student and Academic Services program coordinator. “We need community members to step into these mentor-like roles and help UHV maintain a high retention rate.”
Teams will consist of 10 freshmen, the team leader and an upperclassman peer leader. The members will meet each week or two for activities, such as going to the movies, a restaurant or a baseball game. The teams will meet through early March.
Garcia emphasized that the Transit Team initiative is not academic tutoring, and leaders are not expected to spend money on the students. But the meetings between students and Transit Team members, which involve no set schedule, are envisioned to have a positive influence on the students and build relationships with members of the community, faculty and staff.
“Not only will Transit Teams be fun and meaningful for the freshmen, but they also will be an exciting and enriching opportunity for team members,” Garcia said.
Garcia said Transit Team leaders can help freshmen develop a sense of identity and belonging at UHV; improve confidence and reduce feelings of isolation; establish good relationships with faculty, staff, peers and alumni; become more motivated in learning; and continue their college education.
Transit Teams will begin meeting before the fall semester ends. For more information, contact Garcia at 361-570-4142 or garciae@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
