Volunteer Opportunities

New Student Orientation programs are planned year-round by a small team of professional staff and Student Orientation Coordinators, but implementing these initiatives is a university-wide effort. We collaborate on many major events with departments across campus, but there are always some smaller endeavors with which we need some helping hands. Check out the following opportunities for volunteering in New Student Orientation and please fill out a brief survey to indicate your interest.

• New Student Mentor
• People-mover
• Information Booth Attendant
• Welcome Table Attendant
• T-shirt Sales
• Group Process Day Evaluator

People-Mover

During Family Orientation in August we operate a variety of golf carts to shuttle our guests around campus. It’s a fun job that allows you to be outdoors and interacting with new students and family members. People-movers run on the first two days of fall Orientation. Please contact us to indicate your interest and availability. We will follow up with your assigned time(s) and additional instructions. We ask that you can commit to a minimum of two hours.

Info Booth Attendant

During Family Orientation in August we operate five Information Booths around campus to be of assistance to our guests. Shifts are usually a minimum of two hours each. You will usually be paired with another volunteer at the booth and we will provide a binder of information for your reference. Please contact us to indicate your interest and availability. We will follow up with your assigned time(s) and some instructions.

Welcome Table

The first day of each new term we will have a Welcome Table in the Campus Center or Student Alumni Union to assist new students, answer questions, and hand out resources. If you are familiar with RIT’s services, have experience getting around campus and using the facilities, have a positive demeanor and an excitement to share your love of RIT, you can be one of the smiling faces at the Welcome Table! Shifts are a minimum of one hour each and you will usually be paired with another volunteer. Please contact us to indicate your interest and availability. We will follow up with your assigned time(s) and some instructions.

T-shirt Sales

During Family Orientation we sell orange RIT t-shirts for family members to wear to Convocation. The t-shirts are very inexpensive and all proceeds go to the Tiger Spirit Fund. If you are comfortable handling small amounts of cash and providing excellent customer service, please let us know! Shifts are a minimum of one hour each and you will usually be paired with another volunteer. Please contact us to indicate your interest and availability. We will follow up with your assigned time(s) and some instructions.

Group Process Day

As part of our selection process for Freshman Orientation Assistants and Transfer Orientation Assistants, applicants are required to participate in a group interview and activities that we call Group Process Day (GPD).  GPD typically occurs in the middle of April and we always are looking for volunteers to assist with the process.  Volunteers will assist us by interviewing candidates and evaluating performance during group activities.  Typically, we have faculty and staff volunteers as well as past Orientation staff that are not returning the following year. If you’re interested in volunteering, watch for a call for volunteers in March or contact Amanda Metzger at amanda.metzger@rit.edu.

New Student Mentor

Some of RIT’s incoming students are juggling a lot more than a twelve credit course load. We welcome non-traditional students, veterans, and commuters to begin or continue their collegiate career at RIT. For many of these students a traditional Orientation program is not a good fit, but we still want to ensure that they have a smooth transition to our campus community. That’s where you can help. We need volunteers who are familiar with RIT’s services and resources, have experience getting around campus and using the facilities, have a positive demeanor and an excitement to share their love of RIT. As long as you genuinely want to help new students in their transition then you are likely an excellent candidate to be a New Student Mentor!

New Student Mentors will spend a minimum of one hour with the new student they are paired with. Hopefully, the mentor/mentee relationship will exceed the first meeting; ideally you will meet with your mentee at least three times throughout the first term. After a brief training with Orientation staff, the meetings will be customized by you. Once you are paired with your student you will get in touch with him/her to determine how you can best meet his/her needs and then you will decide on a date and place to meet up. We will provide you with a Welcome Packet for the student and a New Student Mentor FAQ sheet, as well as any ongoing support at your request.

New students start at RIT in fall, winter, spring, and summer terms, so there is ample opportunity for you to mentor new students throughout the year. If you’re interested in serving as a New Student Mentor, please contact us. We will send you a brief survey and review your responses to determine if you are a good candidate for the position and then match you up with a new student as the need arises.