Mentee vs. Mentor
Your mentee is having some sort of emotional distress (i.e., breakup, friend drama, feeling left out, etc.). How would you approach the situation?
-Be a source of comfort. Listen to them, be patient, show empathy.
-If they are open to explaining the situation to you and receiving advice, try to do so without getting involved.
-Continually support them.
How would you handle ongoing unresolved conflict between mentees on your floor?
-talk to mentees individually so you can understand their perspectives, which opens the floor for you to give advice
-talk to MLC: ask for advice if you're not sure how to navigate the situation
-talk to staff: if the situation is negatively impacting the floor dynamic or the conflict is affecting the mentees well being
What would you do if you felt like someone on your mentor team is not pulling their weight/honoring their commitments?
-first, go to them politely with your concern
-seek to understand their side/situation
-work together to compliment each others strengths and weaknesses
-consult someone on MLC if issues continue
What steps would you take if a mentee came to you about a certain matter that you didn’t really know anything about?
-refer them to someone you know who is more knowledgeable in that area (i.e., residential scholars, MLC, staff, etc.)
Mentee has a big test and roommate keeps bringing friends over, how can you (as the mentor) help the situation?
-Talk to them privately, so that you can better understand the situation
-Teach them right steps to take (roommate contract, confrontation)
-help them set respectful boundaries
-Contact RA if conflict persists
You feel like the other mentors on your floor don't acknowledge your suggestions or particularly care about what you say. What should you do?
-Be communicative
-Let them know how you feel in a respectful manner
-if situation persists talk to MLC or staff
Despite past approaches/outreach you can't get a mentee to participate in floor events or even come out in the lounge. Overall they seem disinterested in Luckyday, but you want to continue to try to get them out of their shell. What are some action steps you could take?
-Discuss with fellow floor mentors ways to include the mentee
-continue to personally invite them to events as well as normal nights hanging out on the floor
-encourage them with goodies, sticky notes, etc.
-NEVER GIVE UP!
Mentees on your floor are disrespecting each other (i.e., inappropriate jokes, rudeness, leaving people out, not being considerate, etc.). You witness a situation occur while hanging out on the floor one night. What should you do.
-Let other mentors on your floor know what happened so all of you can discuss what to do next.
-Talk with mentee one on one about their actions
-Emphasize being respectful and considerate
-Set boundaries
The mentors are hosting a Luckyday wide planned event. Some mentors said they could help set up or clean up, but no one has fully committed to setting up or cleaning come the day of the event. When the event is over, a handful of mentors are cleaning up while others are socializing with the mentees/event attendees. How would you solve the issue of mentors not helping clean up?
Action steps
- make sure it's understood before the event that all mentors are helping with all parts (set up and clean up - if they can't do both, at least do one)
- observe a little to see how long they're not helping
- politely ask them to come help
- very soon after the event concludes, talk about how things could've been improved
Mentee returns to the residence hall and is "under the influence". The mentee is causing serious disturbance and/or you are worried about their well-being. What action steps should you take?
-Take care of mentee appropriately in the moment
-Ask if they are okay and if you can help them in any way
-Help come up with plan to take accountability
-Refer to staff when appropriate
-Call UPD if necessary
Mentee wants to use lounge space, but another mentee who has been using the space all week is in there watching TV. How can you help set the standard of respect and boundaries for the lounge living space?
-Talk to both mentees
-Ask the one who wants to use the space if they've talked/asked the other mentee if they can use it
-Talk to the mentee "over using" the space about being considerate of others wanting to use the space as well
-Send out a message/Have a floor meeting discussing proper lounge etiquette/respect/boundaries
How would you handle a situation in which an event didn’t exactly go as planned? i.e., not all mentors show up, correct supplies are not brought, event does not go exactly as planned
-make a note of what went wrong, so next time it can be resolved/planned better
-(if its a floor event) discuss with other mentors on your floor following the event
-(if its LD event) discuss at following mentor meeting strategies to improve for next time
This can be a situation that occurs any time during the mentee's freshman year. It could be homesickness, performing poorly with grades, being more isolated, something happens back at home, etc. You become aware of the situation by observing it happen or the mentee told you him or herself. How do you provide comfort to the mentee?
Action steps
- bring it up how you've noticed or listen to them if they bring it up
- it's ok to not be able to relate, but just let it be known that you're there to listen and provide guidance if needed
- if necessary, give contact to proper people
- talk them through rational thinking process
- check in on them periodically to see how they're doing
Mentee A talks bad about B. B finds out from someone else about the rumors A is spreading about B. B comes to you about the issue. How would you react as a mentor?
Action steps
- listen to what B has to say with unbiased ears
- if necessary, give contact to proper people
- talk them through rational thinking process
- check in on them periodically to see if the situation was resolved and how it's affecting them
Each mentor on the floor begins the semester with being involved on the floor and with mentees. You slowly start to notice one mentor is becoming less and less involved on the floor, during meetings, at events, and interactions with the mentees. They're constantly bringing friends onto the floor who take over the communal space, hardly making an effort to be involved, and not really caring as much. How do you approach said mentor in a defenseless tone?
Action steps
- communicate respectfully how you've noticed a decrease
- ask if they're doing ok/check in on them
- explain where you see them lacking
- suggest ways to help if something is negatively affecting them