Mentoring 101

1. For reprint permissions and information, please send your inquiry to: Tutors@athletics.utexas.edu.

2. What is Mentoring?
 Mentors are a vital part of the academic support system that
our office provides for student-athletes. Mentors help guide
our students through the transition from high school to
college, focusing specifically on:
 Organization Skills
 Time Management Tips
 Study Skills and Techniques
 Note-Taking Strategies
 Test-Taking Strategies
 Academic and Professional Responsibility

3. Responsibilities of a Mentor
 Mentors should:
 Help students identify their academic strengths and needs
 Cultivate an efficient study environment that is based on a
safe, supportive, and professional relationship
 Listen to students’ questions and concerns
 Communicate with students’ academic counselor(s)
 Implement an individualized study program that
complements each student’s learning style

4. Qualities of a Good Mentor
 Integrity
 Patience
 Flexibility/Adaptability
 Professionalism
 Organizational skills
 Enthusiasm
 Empathy
 Openness
 Confidence
 Problem-solving skills

5. Mentor Professionalism
1) Mentors should be punctual, organized, and communicate
effectively with students and counselors.
 If you are running late or will be unable to come to work, notify
your student’s counselor and Marnie as soon as possible.
 Excessive tardiness and/or absences will lead to a reevaluation of
your employment
2) Mentors should never allow their political, social, educational,
sexual, racial or philosophical beliefs to interfere with the mentor-
student relationship.
3) Mentors and students will only meet in the Moncrief-Bible
Academic Center. Mentors and students may not meet or
communicate outside of study hall via phone, text, email or social
networking sites under any circumstances.

6. Diversity
 Diversity is one of the core values of The University of Texas
at Austin Intercollegiate Athletics Department. As stated in
The University of Texas at Austin Intercollegiate Athletics
Strategic Plan, our staff and student-athletes “reflect the face
of Texas and the world beyond.” Valuing diversity means
understanding and appreciating the variety of ways in
which people differ and creating an environment that
ensures that all people feel included and valued. It means
treating all people with dignity and respect. Diversity is key
to our “success and the fulfillment of our vision.”
Winning With Integrity: Intercollegiate Athletics Strategic Plan. The University of Texas at Austin. Sept. 2011, p. 15.

7. Beginning of the Semester
Procedures
 Review syllabi with students and help them create a monthly master
calendar that includes dates of all assignments, quizzes, exams, and
travel for competition.
 Make 2 copies of the master calendar (see sample). Attach one copy of
the master calendar to your first mentor report.
 The second copy should be placed in the student’s folder along with
copies of all syllabi.
 Using the student’s syllabi, construct a one-page grade sheet (see
sample) to help the counselor maintain a record of all of the student’s
grades; submit with your first mentor report.
* Do not take student-related materials (schedules, calendars, etc.) outside of the
Academic Center!

8. Beginning of the Semester
Procedures (continued)
 Set semester goals and develop an individualized plan for each
student.
 Make sure students have necessary books and course materials. If
they don’t, or if they consistently come to study hall without them,
please follow up with their Academic Counselor(s).
 If student does not have a UT email account, help create one. (Follow
this link: https://get.utmail.utexas.edu)
 Help students explore major and career options on Wayfinder.
Students should explore all aspects of this online resource, but please
make sure each student completes the “What am I interested in?”
assessment tool (available here); submit this completed worksheet
with your first mentor report.

9. Sample Page from Master Calendar

10. Sample Grade Sheet

11. Stay Engaged
 Ask about students’ classes EVERY DAY:
 inquire about lectures, projects, readings, etc.
 Review students’ class notes.
 Have students recount a summary of class lectures in their own
words.
 Talk with students about strategies for taking better notes and for
using class notes effectively.
 Class notes are an excellent source of information about a
students’ learning style and academic habits. Use this information
to develop an individualized program that responds to your
students’ strengths and challenges.
 Have students create weekly to-do lists.
 Check their work regularly.

12. The Mentor Report
 Mentor reports are due each Thursday. The mentor report is the
primary communication tool between you and the counselor.
 The report allows you to relay to the counselor observations
concerning a student’s progress, upcoming assignments, and recent
grades.
 Avoid short, uninformative entries; your feedback is very helpful for
the counselors.
 If, for some reason, you do not have the necessary information to
complete the report in full, please clearly explain the reason on
your report.
Mentor reports constitute professional communication and should be edited,
proofread, and carefully checked for accuracy and attention to detail.

13. Sample Mentor Report

14. Be Thorough!
Bad Mentor Report Example
HIS 315L: John says this
class is going fine. He has
some reading to do.
Good Mentor Report Example
ANT 307: Sam is very
confident about this class
and thinks it will be an easy
A, but we talked about the
importance of keeping up
with the reading to make
sure nothing is missed. We
also talked about making
note cards of the vocabulary,
which he seemed open to.

15. Weekly Grade Reports
 Mentors will have students print out all available grades
from Canvas, Blackboard, Quest, and/or any other online
grade reporting sites every Thursday.
 Update the student’s grades weekly in the “Grades
Reported” column of the mentor report.
 Clip grade print-outs and updated grade sheet behind your
typed mentor report and submit to the Mentor Supervisor’s
box at the end of your shift every Thursday.

16. FERPA and UTBox
 The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a
federal law that protects students’ educational records. The
information included on mentor reports and grade sheets is
protected under this law. Students’ grades are “Category 1”
information and it is a federal offense to disclose this
information to any third party without students’ consent. To
ensure their confidentiality, all documents generated with
students’ personal and academic information must be stored
ONLY on UTBox. You may not maintain copies of grade
sheets, mentor reports, end-of-semester reports, or any other
student document on your hard drive, USB drive, or email.

17. Using UTBox
 New accounts are automatically created for eligible users
(current students, faculty, and staff) at the first login. First-
time users should:
 Navigate to https://utexas.box.com.
 Click Continue.
 Sign in with your UT EID credentials. If eligible, your account
will be automatically provisioned.
 Contact Marnie Binfield at marnie.binfield@athletics.utexas.edu
and let her know that you have logged in and she will create a
Student Services folder for you and share it with you.
 Once you have completed these steps, you can drag and drop
files into this folder. Files should then be removed from your
computer.
 Update your files each week using Box Edit.

18. Using Box Edit
Box Edit is an add-on feature that allows you to edit or create files
directly on Box. Designed for all file types, browsers, and platforms,
Box Edit uses the default application installed on your computer to
edit or create simple and centralized content.
 Download Box Edit from this
website: https://cloud.box.com/download-box-edit/
 Click the Get Box Edit button and download the Box Edit
installer.
 Run the Box Edit installer and follow instructions to install or
update Box Edit on your computer.
 Update your student files each week using Box Edit.

19. Mentor Time Sheets
 Mentors submit time sheets online at:
https://utdirect.utexas.edu/pntime/index.WBX
 Time sheets should be completed and submitted each week, regardless of
whether you worked that week. Enter 0 hours for days and weeks when you
do not work.
 You must submit all weekly reports by the end of each pay period in order to
be paid in a timely fashion. There are two pay periods per month: the 1st
through the 15th and the 16th through the last day of the month.
 Round to the nearest quarter-hour (for example, 4:53-7:12 rounds to 5:00-7:15,
or 2.25 hours).
 Fill in your time in and time out for each day worked in the “Notes” section at
the bottom of the time sheet.
 Go paperless! Be sure to request electronic earnings statements on UT Direct
 “My Paycheck Distribution.”

20. Mandatory Meetings
 Orientation
 All mentors are required to attend an orientation and training
meeting at the beginning of each semester. This meeting
covers policies and procedures and incorporates learning
workshops to improve your mentoring skills and better
prepare you for working with student-athletes.
 Monthly Meetings
 These requisite meetings serve as additional training. Issues
are addressed as they arise within the academic center, the
University as a whole and the NCAA.
 The schedule of the meetings will be given to you at the start
of the fall and spring semesters so that you can plan ahead.
There are no meetings during summer sessions.

21. Writing Tutor Training
 All mentors are required to attend Writing Tutor training to
ensure that they are equipped to assist students with their
writing assignments.
 Writing tutor training will take place within the first month
of each semester. The writing tutor trainer will make every
effort to schedules trainings at a variety of times to
accommodate a variety of schedules.
 You are responsible for completing this training within the
first month of the semester.

22. Compliance
 All UT employees are required to
complete certain compliance
training modules within the first 30
days of employment.
 To complete your required modules,
log on to UTDirect and select the
“My Job” tab at the top of the page;
the link for “Compliance Training”
will be under the “Working at UT”
category in the “Related Categories
and Services” box on the right.
If you have compliance-related
questions or concerns, please
contact:
Athletics Compliance:
(512) 471-7285
Compliance@athletics.utexas.ed
u
Athletics Human Resources:
Rich Burns, Assistant Director
(512) 475-8040
Rich.Burns@athletics.utexas.edu

23. Academic Integrity
 As an employee of UT Athletics, you are expected to maintain
absolute integrity and scholastic honor. You may not, under any
circumstances, do work for a student-athlete.
 All students are required to complete assignments independently,
unless expressly authorized to work with others by the professor,
and must acknowledge the contributions of any and all sources to
their academic work.
 If you are aware of a student who has engaged in any form of
scholastic dishonesty—cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized
collaboration, etc.—you are obligated to notify your supervisor
immediately.
 Engagement in/collusion with scholastic dishonesty is grounds
for immediate termination of employment.

24. Plagiarism
(adapted from the UT Office of the Dean of Students website:
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis_plagiarism.php)
 Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic integrity. In simplest terms,
this occurs if you represent as your own work any material that was
obtained from another source, regardless of how or where you acquired
it.
 Using verbatim material without proper attribution constitutes the most
blatant form of plagiarism. Other types of material can also be
plagiarized, such as the idea or structure of someone else’s work.
 Plagiarism can be committed intentionally or unintentionally—
regardless, it’s still plagiarism!
 By merely changing a few words or rearranging words or sentences, you
are NOT paraphrasing. Making minor revisions to borrowed text is
plagiarism!
The University of Texas at Austin Office of the Dean of Students. (2010, 6/10). Retrieved
from http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sis/scholdis_plagiarism.php

25. Unethical Conduct(adapted from the UT Athletics Compliance Services “Tutor & Mentor Guide to NCAA Rules”)
 Unethical conduct by a student-athlete or a current or former institutional staff
member (e.g., coach, tutor, student manager) may include, but is not limited
to:
 Refusal to furnish information relevant to an investigation of a possible
violation of an NCAA regulation
 Knowing involvement in arranging for fraudulent academic credit or false
transcripts for a student-athlete
 Knowing involvement in offering or providing a student-athlete an improper
inducement or extra benefit or improper financial aid
 An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional
employee/representative to provide a student-athlete or the student-athletes’
relative or friend a benefit not expressly authorized by NCAA legislation.
 Knowingly furnishing or knowingly influencing others to furnish the NCAA
or UT false or misleading information concerning a possible NCAA regulation
 Engagement in unethical conduct is grounds for immediate termination.

26. Extra Benefits
 NCAA rules prohibit extra benefits for student-athletes.
 An extra benefit is any special arrangement by an institutional
employee or a representative of the institution's athletics interest
to provide a student-athlete (or a student-athlete's relative or
friend) a benefit that is not expressly authorized by NCAA
legislation.
 Extra benefits may include, but are not limited to:
 Performing school work, including typing reports or papers
 Food
 Money
 Transportation
 Use of phone or other technology
 Special discounts

27. Knowledge of Use of Banned Drugs
(adapted from the UT Athletics Compliance Services “Tutor & Mentor Guide to NCAA Rules”)
 A member institution’s athletics department staff members or others
employed by the intercollegiate athletics program who have
knowledge of a student-athlete’s use at any time of a substance on the
list of banned drugs is obligated to report the use.
 The following is the list of banned-drug classes:
 Stimulants
 Anabolic agents
 Substances banned for specific sports
 Diuretics and other masking agents
 Street drugs
 Peptide hormones and analogues
 Anti-estrogens
 Any knowledge of drug/substance use should be reported to student
services immediately!

28. Sports Wagering Activities
(adapted from the UT Athletics Compliance Services “Tutor & Mentor Guide to NCAA Rules”)
 Individuals shall not knowingly participate in sports
wagering or provide information to individuals involved in
or associated with any type of sports wagering activities
concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics
competition.
 In simple terms, as an employee of UT Athletics, you may
not bet on any sports under any circumstances.

29. Sexual Harassment
 It is the policy of the University of Texas at Austin to
provide an educational and working environment for its
students that is free from sex discrimination, sexual
harassment, and sexual misconduct by members of the UT
community, and by those who have business or educational
relationships with the University. Sex discrimination, sexual
harassment, and sexual misconduct in any form will not be
tolerated, and individuals who engage in such conduct will
be subject to disciplinary action. The University encourages
students, faculty, staff, and visitors to promptly report sex
discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual misconduct to
any University official, administrator or supervisor.
From Appendix D, “Policy on Sex Discrimination and Sexual
Harassment,” of the University of Texas at Austin General
Information Catalog, 2010-12

30. Know the Rules: Quick Summary
 Students are required to do their own work.
 No extra benefits—student athletes can’t give you anything, and
you can’t give them anything, including tickets, rides, food, books
or gift cards.
 You are prohibited from gambling on college, amateur or
professional sports.
 You are obligated to report any known or potential NCAA
violations immediately.
 All information regarding student-athletes’ grades, injuries, etc. is
strictly confidential. Disclosure of any of this information violates
federal law.

31. Mentors should:
 Ask questions
 Have a positive attitude
 Engage with your students
 Build rapport with your students
 Empathize with your students’ concerns
 Encourage active studying
 Maintain appropriate boundaries
 Contact your students’ academic counselor(s) with any concerns
you may have, especially failing grades

32. Please do not:
 Be late or miss sessions without notifying your supervisor ahead of time
 Do your own work during mentoring hours or spend all of your time on the
computer—your attention should be student-focused
 Discuss your students with anyone outside of the office
 Enable counter-productive behavior/attitudes
 Bring food into the study rooms
 Wear revealing clothing or clothing with inappropriate messages
 Communicate with your students outside of study hall
 Contact a student’s coach, professor, or TA
 Use office resources for personal reasons without getting permission first

33. Remember Your Role
 Be professional
 Lead by example
 Stay engaged
 Ask questions
 Communicate clearly and efficiently