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Show Peer Mentors reach out to students Under-rada-r resource offers support Chad Labdon Staff Writer ster College students who volunteer to promote making safe and constructive choices regarding use of alcohol and other drugs. Through the program we want to help students make safe choices and live a balanced lifestyle, senior Heath Pascoe, a third year mentor, said. Were here to help - the students are our focus not get anyone in trouble. All of the students who are a part of the program are volunteers so theyre not paid to care, quite the opposite. The mentors are invested in the wellbeing of Westminster students: their peers. Theyre also available at any time on their cell phones. In fact, Pascoe has had a few instances where students have called him seeking help in the middle of the night. Though it is primarily a student run program, the Peer Mentors are trained by the Counseling Center staff so they know how to handle certain difficult situations. Pascoe said the Peer Mentors have traditionally been a small group, but this year their numbers have risen to eight and a big reason why is theyve all experienced something that compelled them to make a difference. I had friends, especially during freshman year, who had to leave campus because of drug or alcohol probSo my hope is to affect at least lems, said Pascoe. one student in a positive way so they dont have to go through that. I want them to take something away that Its freshman year and youre at a party with your roommate. As the evening grows older you notice your roommate getting more and more out of control. Later you decide its time to leave and you find your roommate passed out and unresponsive on a couch. You and a friend help your roommate back to your room, but you cant wake him up. What do you do? Do you call an RA and get in trouble for helping your roommate? Or do you have another option? Contact us anonymously and we contact whoever needs to be reached, said sophomore Chris Crellin. Were a resource, and were totally confidential. Crellin is referring to his new role as a Westminster Peer - Mentor. "Through the program we want to help students make safe choices and live a balanced lifestyle." Heath Pascoe The Peer Mentors for a Balanced Lifestyle are part of a program that, according to Aimee Frost, an advisor to the group, strives to be a peer run program. According to their website, Peer Mentors are Westmin Students discuss internships for them is fulfilling. The Peer Mentors do things like teach classes about drugs and alcohol for freshmen and participate in on and off campus outreach programs and giving presentations on making healthy choices. The problem is lots of students start school thinking they know everything, said junior Lindsy Brickell, a second year mentor. Drinking coffee doesnt sober you up, and neither does a shower. We try hard to dispel these myths so students are more informed. A big focus of the Peer Continued on Page 16 Eleven majors require outside campus experience Lindsay Kavanagh StaffWriter Students in 11 majors at Westminster are required to complete at least one internship over the course of their undergraduate education, and they are lucky enough to have a program offered through the school that helps them find a suitable internship within their specific program. According to internship program literature, the internship program at Westminster College is designed to give students academic credit for skill development and learning on the job. To qualify for an internship through the school, a student must have achieved at least a junior status, or for transfer students a minimum of 15 credit hours on campus. Brianna Koucos, the assistant director of Career have to Services, wants students to know that,-thecome to the career center to secure their internship, but they dont have to necessarily find it on their own. The best ways to find an internship are to keep in touch with your academic advisor and keep an ear to the ground. SARA LOCKWOOD Sara Lockwood is a senior communication major with a minor in sociology. She has completed two internships while at Westminster, and said both were great experiences. Lockwood was first a marketingad-vertisingwritiintern for Urban Blues, a local clothing store. This internship involved brainstorming for ways to market to people through the Internet. She even created Myspace and Facebook pages for the company. At her current internship, a public relations internship a Mayor Ralph Beckers office, she writes press releases and media alerts. ng Both internships required me to be creative, Lock-woo-d said, but in different ways. I definitely recommend doing as many internships as you have time for. They will all provide you with a different set of skills and introduce you to a variety of career options. NICK PARKER Nick Parker majoring in communication. Currently a senior, this is his first internship though the college but hed completed many since he was in high school. His internship at SLUG magazine involves copy editing and formatting. About 90 percent of it is is also print, although he has edited online. Finding time to complete the internship is easy, he said. The copy meetings take place three times a month, and he is able to do some work from home. This internship comes highly recommended. Angela Brown, the editor, is really good to work with and she teaches you a lot, Parker said. YAN BRUNJEIS Yan Brunjeis is an international business major interning at the Shabby Apple, Inc. Shabby Apple is an Continued on Page 14 OCTOBER 21, 2008 |