LITE Program Mentors' Responsibilities

  • All LITE mentors and participants' rooms are on the 2nd floor of Thompson Hall in Units 22 and 23.
  • LITE participants are restricted to the first and second floors of Thompson Hall. They are not permitted on floors 3 and 4. After curfew, all LITE participants are to remain in their respective units.
  • Male residents of Thompson Hall are not permitted to loiter in Units 22 and 23, although they are allowed to pass through the area. Male residents found loitering in the area face serious disciplinary sanctions, so please don't detain them.
  • Non-residents are not allowed in Units 22 and 23, except parents on LITE move-in and move-out days.
  • Take fire alarms and tornado warning seriously. Follow instructions provided by Feba Pothen, Tracy Schmitz, Thompson Hall Resident Advisors, and/or Trish Stommel.
  • Report all emergencies to Feba. She will report to Betsy or Debbie.
  • Mentors will conduct bed check at different times each night. Curfew hours are Sunday - Thursday, 11:00 p.m; Friday and Saturday, 1:00 a.m. Remain in your unit after curfew.
  • See that your team members observe quiet hours (10pm-8am weekdays; midnight -10am weekdays) and courtesy hours (24 hours/day).

Alcohol Policy

Please note that alcohol is off limits for mentors during the LITE Program, even if you're 21 years of age, or older.

Move-In Day

After all your team members have checked in, you should hold a team meeting in which you explain dorm etiquette to them. You can use the prepared handout to make your points. Your team members should understand that you-their team leaders-must know their whereabouts at all times. (See below for acceptable "whereabouts".)

Show your team members around campus as your time permits. (Perhaps you can organize campus tours throughout the day.) Include the bath and laundry rooms in Thompson Hall, the cafeteria, the Rec Center. Plan to show them the AB and Mott Building sometime on Monday when those doors are unlocked.

Meals

  • Make sure that all team members learn the cafeteria's serving hours for each meal.
  • For the first few meals, go to the cafeteria and eat as a team. This will ensure that no one is left out, everyone will know where to go (and how to get there), and participants will get to know each other. After a couple of days, you may discontinue team meals, as long as no participants appear to be isolated.

Classes & Labs

  • One mentor from each team should escort members to every class or lab. One mentor should attend all classes and labs. I recommend you agree ahead of time which class to follow. (I.e., One team leader should attend all Ergonomics classes and labs, another should attend all Biomechanics, etc.) By the way, both mentors can attend all classes and labs, if desired.
  • For on- and off-campus labs and field trips, make sure your team members are properly equipped (with goggles) and attired (closed-toe shoes, long pants, no bare midriffs.). You too!

Evening Activities Off Campus

  • You're expected to attend all off-campus evening activities.
  • You're responsible for making sure that all team members meet buses on time.

Evening Activities On Campus

  • Attend all planned evening activities on campus.
  • Make sure your team members attend all planned evening activities.
  • On evenings without planned activities, make sure you know the whereabouts of your team members and can account for them at curfew.
  • Team members are free to go anywhere on campus on evenings without planned activities as long as they travel in pairs and as long as mentors know where they are.

Field Trips

  • Attend all field trips.
  • Make sure your team members stay with the group.
  • Make sure your team members are properly attired for field trips. (Check with Betsy and/or Debbie if you're not sure about attire requirements.)
  • Make sure your team members meet the buses when and where they are supposed to.

Cedar Point Day

  • Before we depart for Cedar Point, let's exchange cell phone numbers so we can contact each other during the day, if necessary.
  • Once we get off the bus at Cedar Point, mentors and participants are free to go their separate ways. Please make sure, however, that no participants are by themselves. They should all be in pairs or groups.
  • Establish a time and place to reconnoiter twice during the day so you can check in with your teams.
  • Touch base with Betsy/Debbie during the day at the established time and place.

Team Time

  • Use team time to break ice, work on banquet skits, etc. Plan team-building activities ahead of time.

Mentor/Participant Interactions & Emergency Action Procedures

Mentoring is a big and very important responsibility! Your protégés will benefit significantly when you share your knowledge and enthusiasm for engineering and Kettering, so make the most of this opportunity to befriend and encourage them. Most of your interactions will be social and light-hearted in nature. You may be called upon, however, to handle or address difficult and serious situations. Respond maturely and as objectively as possible. Report inappropriate behavior to Betsy and/or Debbie as soon as possible.

Familiarize yourself with our Emergency Action Procedures to ensure the safety and security of all LITE Program participants and mentors.

Emergency Action Procedures

  • Report dorm emergencies immediately to the Resident Advisors assigned to the LITE Units in the residence hall. (For Summer 2005, this is Tracy Schmitz.) The RA will follow standard Thompson Hall procedures for reporting emergencies to the Director of Residence Life, Trisha Stommel. In turn, DRL Stommel will alert LITE Program Director Betsy Homsher and/or LITE Program Coordinator Debbie Stewart, who will follow standard KU protocols.
  • If you suspect a LITE Program participant has experienced sexual assault or harassment, contact Betsy Homsher as soon as possible. If she is unavailable, contact Debbie Stewart. KU has established a protocol for handling these types of situations; circumventing standard procedures may negatively impact our ability to pursue allegations, so strict adherence to our protocol is of the utmost importance.
  • Protect yourself and LITE Program participants by adhering to the "three-person rule," especially when dealing with serious situations. Don't meet privately or singly with LITE participants; ask another mentor to join you.
  • When in doubt about any situation, contact Betsy or Debbie immediately.