Post Foundation

The Post Foundations course has been revamped to incorporate a service learning component into the class. In return, students in the course will be involved in a community service project over the duration of the class. The concept was inspired by the perceived notion of students, that college is only good for textbook knowledge, according to John Lutz, Chair of the English Department.

“Many students arrive at college with the idea that they’re here only to learn skills directly related to their careers; however… With the help of dedicated student leaders, first-year students are being taught the value of empathy and learning,” said Lutz. Lutz, in addition to faculty and staff, decided that this was the best way to get students involved right when they come to Post.

This program has been a work in progress for the past year, but with the recent involvement of peer mentors, it has become a more organized part of the class. Previously, the professor for Post Foundations would run the service learning project; now that responsibility has been given to the peer mentor in the class. A peer mentor, “has the role of helping new students adjust to college life by giving advice and guidance,” according to Lutz. There is one peer mentor in every class.

Service learning became more organized as peer mentors dedicated more time to the class. According to peer mentor Stephanie Frobin, “The difference this year is that peer mentors are taking a Friday class dedicated to helping further our ideas and learning things from one another to inspire us.”

This is Frobin’s third year as a mentor, and last year for her first project her class planted trees, “to help them understand how important it is to take care of our environment and to be proactive about keeping earth clean.” This year she plans on starting a recycling program, with a goal to raise awareness about how the environment is impacted by trash.