The LGBTQ Mentorship Program, a new initiative sponsored by the Office of LGBTQ Services, will be helping prospective students find support in their college search.

“The program is meant to connect prospective students, currents students and alumni, as well as faculty, staff and administrators,” said Brian Patchcoski, director of the LGBTQ Services.

According to Patchcoski, this connection will take place as an informational mentor/mentee relationship. Prospective students will be paired off with current students, and current students will be paired off with alumni, faculty, staff and administrators.

“We plan to connect people based on common backgrounds or interests,” said Patchcoski. “For example, a mentor and mentee can both come from the same state, have an interest in religion or spirituality or belong to a certain racial or ethnic group.”

Patchcoski called the program brand new and noted that the mentors are just starting their training sessions: “[Feb. 15 was] the first training session and the second one will be March 1.”  The training will be taught by the LGBTQ Services Office together with Admissions and the Wellness Center. The trainees receive basic information about the skills necessary to help and communicate with their mentees, and they are provided with a mentoring guide from the LGBTQ Services Office. “The guide covers a variety of aspects related to the relationship between mentor and mentee, as well as national and College resources about LGBTQ life,” added Patchcoski.

“The students volunteering as mentors are very engaged and most of them already have experience trying to help incoming students. Now they can do it in a more intimate way,” said Josh Davis ’13, Pride Coordinator responsible for the LGBTQ Mentorship Program. Davis is in charge of the logistics of the program and the coordination between mentors and mentees. “I think this program will foster both the mentors and the mentees,” Davis added.

Trained students will mentor prospective students who want to know what Dickinson’s LGBTQ community is like. “The first push to get prospective students involved in the program will be the GSA Leadership Summit. All prospective students are eligible, even if they don’t come to Dickinson at the end of their college search,” said Patchcoski. Davis noted that it is not always easy to ask about LGBTQ issues during a tour, especially when the students have not come out to their parents. “It will be easier for them to talk to a current student than to send an e-mail to a recruiter,” he explained.

Patchcoski said that one of the most interesting aspects of the program will be the interaction between current Dickinson students and alumni. “I am really excited because many alumni have already showed interest in the program,” he explained. “Current students can not only serve as mentors and get that professional experience, but they can also be mentees. Alumni who have navigated their own LGBTQ identities out in the world can now share their experiences with our students.”

Patchcoski called the LGBTQ Mentorship Program is one of a kind. “The program is very unique to Dickinson. There are very few of these programs across the country related to LGBTQ offices,” he said. “What I really hope is to develop the program and turn it into something bigger that creates even more conversation and interest in this work. It is designed to be one of the core programs of the office.”