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Peer Advisor - Office of Academic Advising

CSUSM - Office of Academic Advising
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Roles & Responsibilities

Purpose of the Peer Advisor position:

The purpose of this position is to provide exceptional student support to CSUSM students who arrive in the Office of Academic Advising with a variety of advising related needs. Peer Advisors will perform basic intake analysis to determine if they can assist the student themselves, refer the student to the appropriate Academic Advisor, or provide the appropriate campus resource referral. Student support will often include demonstrating student tools and accessing the Office of Academic Advising website to provide advising related information.


Benefits of Being a Peer Advisor:

  • Opportunity to make a significant contribution to a team and positively impact fellow students and the university.
  • Strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Experience in a higher education setting and professional environment
  • Opportunity to build resume and reference options

Peer Advisor Responsibilities:

Assist students with the following:
  • Daily intake advising at the front desk (in person, virtual, phone, and email) 
  • Teach and assist with eAdvising tools (Academic Requirements Report, Degree Planner, Schedule Assistant) 
  • Educate peers on Degree, Set, Go model, including outreach and in-class presentations campus-wide
  • Participate in large-room advising presentations at New Student Orientations
  • Participate in New Student “How to Enroll the Cougar Way” workshops on and off campus
  • Support New Student advising outreach to assist with self-enrollment
  • In-depth knowledge of university policies and deadlines 
  • Assist peers with add/drop/waitlisting courses 
  • Scheduling advising appointments 
  • Declaring majors/minors 
  • Applying for Graduation 
  • eAdvisor/ARR Corrections 
  • Referrals to campus-wide resources 

Assist Academic Advising staff with the following:
  • Support reception area by answering phones, emails, checking students in for appointments, etc.
  • Create and conduct student outreach projects each semester
  • Provide advising presentations at various student workshops
  • Support all Academic Advisors
  • Attend weekly meetings and trainings with Peer Advising Team and Coordinator
  • Assist with department social media accounts

Qualifications and Education Requirements

Knowledge of:
  1. Appropriate office behavior in a professional setting
  2. Appreciation and respect for cultural differences among people
  3. When to refer students to a staff member
 
Ability to:
  1. Maintain confidentiality and follow laws pertaining to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
  2. Communicate complex information to our students in individual and group settings
  3. Work independently and accomplish goals without close supervision
  4. Provide superior customer service to students in a busy office setting
 
Experience:
  1. Use of MyCSUSM Advising tools: Academic Requirements Report, Degree Planner, and Schedule Assistant
  2. Interacting with students and faculty
  3. Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook) 
  4. Social media
 
Education:
  1. Current CSUSM student with 12 – 75units (preferred)
  2. Employment on campus requires enrollment in 6 or more units for undergrad students and 4 or more units for graduate students during Fall/Spring semester
  3. 2.70 GPA or higher.
  4. All majors encouraged to apply
 
Other Requirements:
  1. A minimum of one academic year commitment (through graduation preferred) starting in the late spring to next spring
  2. Attend ALL mandatory trainings (to be determined based on students’ current and upcoming semester schedule)
  3. Support New Student Summer Orientations (involvement to be determined)
  4. Participate in New Student “Enroll the Cougar Way” workshops (Summer, dates to be determined)

Important Note: The Office of Academic Advising is operating virtually until repopulation has been determined for our department. Hired Peer Advisors will need access to a computer and reliable Wi-Fi to perform Peer Advising job duties. If technology support is needed, please contact the IITS HelpDesk for loaner equipment. Repopulation can happen at any time and once we return, Peer Advisors will be expected to work on campus.


Application Instructions:

Submit the following through Handshake:
  1. Student Application: https://www.csusm.edu/careers/documents/csusm_application_2018.pdf
  2. Resume
  3. Supplemental Questions (Submit as Cover Letter)
  4. Cover Letter (optional)*
*Although the Cover Letter is optional, the Supplemental Questions are not. If submitting a Cover Letter, include your answers to the Supplemental Questions on the second page).

Supplemental Questions:
  1. Why are you interested in being a Peer Advisor?
  2. What do you hope to gain from the Peer Advising experience?
Please do not indicate "see resume". You may submit your answers written or by video. If submitted by video, please provide a link staff can open.

Qualified applicants will be invited to interview the week of March 8 - 12

Presentation Criteria:
A 5-10 minutes presentation is required during the interview process. Facilitate a presentation on one of the following campus policies, including the definition of the policy. See the campus catalog/websites for assistance. http://catalog.csusm.edu/ 
  • Academic Probation and Disqualification 
  • Course repeat policy 
  • Components of Graduation Requirements  
  • How to use the Academic Requirements Report (ARR) 
  • How to use Degree Planner  
  • Withdrawal policy 
After a thorough definition, follow up with how you see yourself implementing and sharing this information with fellow students in the Peer Advisor role. What is your communication style? What would be important to relay so the student feels informed and understood?



Tips:

  • We recommend using the Career Center services to help with your resume, interview skills, and presentation as you apply.
  • If you have questions about the Peer Advising position, please call the Advising office, 760-750-4027, or email peeradvising@csusm.edu, to schedule an Informational Interview with a current Peer Advisor.
  • If you have questions or issues in submitting your application on Handshake, please contact Priscilla Arciniega at 760-750-4061.