Student Mentor Association Constitution

Objective: The following guidelines have been developed as a means of regulating the performance of Peer Mentors who do not fulfill the responsibilities outlined in the Peer Mentor Contract.

1. Violation Assessment - A mentor will receive a violation, a negative mark on their record, for infraction of the following policies:

1. Visitation Form Policy

   1. All forms are to be turned in to the Peer Mentor Program Office (PMPO) by 5:00pm on the schedule due date.
   2. The office will compile a list of Peer Mentors who did not meet the deadline on the following Tuesday.
   3. The PMPO will notify Team Leaders (TLs) of those mentors who have not turned in forms.
   4. TLs will pick up this list from the PMPO and attempt to contact mentors who missed the deadline and encourage them to turn in their forms.
   5. Seven (7) calendar days after the original due date, mentors whose forms have not been received will be assessed a violation and will be notified by letter. Whether the mentor receives the mailed letter or not, a violation will be assessed.
      
      

2. Attendance Policy

   1. Mentors are required to attend the following meetings:
      1. Monthly General Body meetings
      2. Fall and Spring training sessions
      3. Any meeting deemed mandatory by the PMPO as long as mentors are notified in advance.
         
   2. If a mentor must miss a meeting, the mentor must notify the office in advance by personally obtaining and completing the necessary absentee/tardy slip.
   3. Mentors who fail to notify the office of their absence will be assessed a violation and notified by letter. Whether the mentor actually receives the mailed letter or not, a violation will be assessed.

2. Delinquent Status - The acquisition of two or more of the aforementioned violations will necessitate the following for continued participation in the program.
   
   

   1. Any mentor designated as delinquent must appear before the Peer Mentor Program Governing Board.
   2. The PMPO will notify delinquent mentors by letter of all possible hearing dates. The letter, as in all cases, will be mailed to the University corresponding address as it appears on the University computer to all off-campus mentors, and hand-delivered by TLs to on-campus mentors. Notice will be deemed to have been received if the PMPO does not have the mail returned to sender.
   3. Those mentors affected must notify the office as to which date will be most convenient for them within three calendar days after receipt of notification.
   4. Should a reasonable excuse arise regarding the hearing date, mentors must notify the office within 24 hours of the original scheduled hearing date.
   5. At the hearing, the delinquent mentor will be allowed to explain his/her actions to the Peer Mentor Program president and program officers. A minimum of three (3) TLs and at least one (1) program officer must be present for a hearing to convene.
   6. The Board will make recommendations about disciplinary sanctions to the PMPO. The following actions may be utilized as guidelines, but are not meant to be inclusive in order to give the Board the ability to make recommendations that will fit the unique situations that may arise.

1. Probation

A specified period of probation not to exceed one (1) semester. While the mentor is on probation, s/he will be expected to comply fully with the Peer Mentor contract as well as meet with his/her TL once every two weeks. Upon completion of the probation time, the mentor's record will be reviewed. If there are no new violations or lapses in performance, the mentor's record will be voided and s/he will start anew. If there are violations, the mentor will be terminated from the program.

2. Termination

The dereliction is so serious that the delinquent mentor's continuation would not benefit the program.

3. Other Sanctions

The Governing Board or the PMPO may develop such other sanctions as deemed necessary on a case by case basis.

7. The PMPO reserves the right to make final decisions based on the recommendations of the Governing Board. The PMPO, in making these final decisions, reserves the right to allow the mentor, who faces sanctions, the opportunity to write a statement on his/her behalf to be utilized in the final review by the PMPO. This is not an exclusive right for the mentor, but one made on a case by case basis by the PMPO.

3. Responsibilities - The following is a summary of the responsibilities for each level of the Peer Mentor Program.

1. Peer Mentors (PMs) 

   1. PMs are to visit "mentees" twice a month during the fall semester and once a month during the spring semester.
   2. PMs are to turn in visitation forms on time or notify the office otherwise.
   3. PMs are to attend mandatory meetings or notify the office otherwise.
      
      

2. Team Leaders

   1. TLs are to serve on the Governing Board (on a rotating basis).
   2. TLs are to attempt to notify mentors of the assessment of violations.
   3. TLs are to notify the PMPO that two violations have been assessed.
   4. TLs are first and foremost PMs and expected to act accordingly.
      
      

3. The PMPO

   1. The PMPO is to maintain a list of PMs who do not attend mandatory meetings without having notified the PMPO.
   2. The PMPO is to maintain a list of PMs who do not turn in visitation forms by the due date.
   3. The PMPO is to prepare a list of delinquent PMs for TLs to follow up on.
   4. The PMPO is to notify PMs who have been assigned delinquent status.
   5. The PMPO will maintain a schedule of Governing Board hearing dates.
   6. The PMPO is to notify PMs of violation assessments.
   7. The PMPO is to decide the final disciplinary actions.