What the AM is All About
By Megan Grossi
Contrary to what this title may suggest, I am not talking about the morning. For those of you living in freshman/sophomore dorms (Marsh, Peabody, Bowditch, and Viking), along with RAs ResLife has equipped you all with AMs – Academic Mentors, one of whom includes yours truly. Most colleges do not have the AM position for residence halls, so don’t worry about not being familiar with it. We’re just another Salem State specialty!
But what is an academic mentor? To put it simply, we are tutors for residents. We live in the buildings too, so we see who’s studying and we reach out to those who need help. We also host programs, just like the RAs do (don’t worry, they are not all academic, we like to have fun too). More than just tutoring, however, we are available for students to ask any academic-related question. With advisor meetings coming up, we are ready to help walk students (especially first years) through the class-selection process. We are here to recommend on-campus sources to students, help with projects, and talk if you need it!
AMs are available for all students. We will look at good grades, tutor in struggling areas, go with students to on-campus resources (such as the Center of Academic Excellence or the Math Lab) if they want/need it, and lend a hand with homework. An AM in one specific building (in my case, Marsh) is not restricted to only the students in that building. If a student becomes close with an AM, or is friends with one and trusts them more, then we are more than happy to reach out to them. In addition, we know how hard it can be for commuter students to gain access to the same resources offered to on campus residents, so we try to spread the word to anybody we see who might need or want help in their academics.
In my limited experience, along with what I’ve heard from other seasoned academic mentors, the toughest part of this authoritative role is finding the students who are actually struggling but don’t reach out. Sometimes a student doesn’t think they need help; sometimes they don’t want to ask for help; sometimes they just don’t care. We can be here for everybody, but we cannot force anyone to accept help if they do not want it. Furthermore, if a person in general is not ready/willing to accept help, it is practically no good to try to make them. So residents, if you know anybody who is having a tough time with classes, or you yourself need a hand in your endeavors, reach out to your AMs. Don’t know who they are? Ask an RA. Both the RAs and the AMs are here for you, so use us! Always feel free to reach out for help, or just say hi.