Responsibilities

Mentor Duties

In order to be eligible for a certificate at the end of the Program:-

• They must help out at at least two functions.
• They must email or phone their Mentee to initiate an initial contact.
• They must take a proactive interest in their Mentee's adjustment to university life.

Responsible Alcohol Drinking

Alcohol is a part of Australian culture, and students studying at UNSW will have to learn how they are going to interact at social events. Some people may choose to avoid any situation where alcohol is served due to religious reasons. Others will choose to consume non-alcoholic drinks. A few people will over indulge, often leading them to regret the situation later. As a Mentor, we hope that you will introduce your Mentee to a responsible approach.

Certainly, don't push them to drink, but don't let them drink too much either! Also check if the Mentee intends to drive after the event:- all legalities should be followed which for most of them will mean a 0% blood alcohol, i.e., NO alcoholic drinks!

Another trap that many new students fall into is spending too much time at the Unibar. Again, the Mentor should encourage social behaviour, but they should also stress how easy it is to concentrate too much on the partying and too little on the studying!

During the Session

Mentors will be required to meet their Mentee several times during the session. Various events will be held and it is expected that Mentors will attend most or all events.

Do Not Give Program Advice

The Federal Government has introduced the ESOS Act  which covers many area's of Overseas Student Education. The relevant section here requires accuracy in advertising. From this, Mentors must be careful to never advise another student or prospective student on what they can study as part of their degree at UNSW. Mentors can talk about what they have studied themselves, or even what a friend has done. But when a Mentor starts a sentence with "you can study" it becomes Program Advice. Wording it as "I have studied" is much safer. Program structure and offered Courses may have changed with out you knowing, so what you may think is possible may no longer the case. If you do give out incorrect Program Advice, you, CSE and UNSW may be legally liable.

Do Not Give Academic assistance

The CSE guideline on Cheating is that the Cheat gets 0% for the course, and the supplier of an assignment gets 0% for that assignment. Mentors should not give academic advice. This would put pressure on them, and may cross the line of cheating. Also, there could be dire ramifications if the solutions a Mentor gave to their Mentee were incorrect! Refer the Mentee to their Tutor for the Course or the Consultation Time.

A CSE Mentor may be asked about and should know about:

• Electives
• Clubs/Socs
• Food outlets
• Toilet locations
• Recommend talks & Seminars
• Industrial Training Requirements
• Comp 1 Lecture Times and Locations
• CSE Cheating Policy
• How to read CSE email at home
• CSE opportunities
  
  • Robocup
  • ACM Prog Comp
  • Taste or Research Scholarships
  • Tutoring

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