PLUS Handbook
Making & Continuing Contact

You may find that making and keeping contact with your mentee is the hardest part of being a mentor. Mentees are often apprehensive to initiate and maintain contact with a University mentor due to busy schedules. They know that mentors are busy people and often they do not think of themselves as important enough to make demands on your time. (Imagine how you might feel if you were a brand new faculty member or a new student and were assigned to the President of the University as your mentor. How often would you feel comfortable imposing yourself upon him or her?)

For these reasons alone, it is primarily the responsibility of the mentor to make and maintain contact. The mentor should attempt to contact the mentee by phone. A handwritten letter or e-mail may be sufficient, but it is important not to leave it up to the mentee to initiate contact. Try calling first, but if you have to leave a message, don't wait more than a few days before calling again. Answering machines, roommates, and family members are not always reliable. Furthermore, playing telephone tag with a mentor can be discouraging, especially to someone who is likely to be nervous about initiating contact. If you don't have any luck with the phone, you can try writing a note or e-mail, introducing yourself as a mentor, and inviting your mentee to call or drop by to see you in person. Be sure to indicate the best times to catch you in the office.

If, within two weeks after being assigned a mentee, you have not been able to make contact, notify the Mentoring Office (622-6778). We will try to make contact, confirm the student's interest in being a part of the program, and set up a meeting.

If you lose touch with your mentee for any reason and are unable to re -establish it (disconnected phone, different phone number, etc.), contact the Mentoring Office (622-6778). We can try other resources to locate your mentee. (Sometimes mentees are difficult to contact because they are having problems and need help, or have lost interest in the program.) To avoid losing touch with your mentee, ask them for other phone numbers where he or she can be reached. Permanent telephone numbers and addresses are essential when attempting to maintain contact over the summer or breaks when mentees leave during that time. Work phones are also useful, especially if your mentee works on campus.