Written by Robin Clements

Since its conception in 2015, CALS CARES (Connecting, Accepting, Respecting, and Encouraging Students) has supported over 500 first-year CALS students. Tricia Buddin, Coordinator of Recruiting and First Year Experiences in CALS, developed this program in response to feedback from first-year students which indicated many (44%) first-year students felt isolated or lonely at some point, with little or no connection to CALS faculty and/or staff.

During its first year, CALS CARES linked 200+ first-year students with a volunteer staff or faculty mentor in order to discuss the NC State Common Reading and share questions or struggles with one another.

Within three years, the program expanded to include multiple meetings per semester and workshop programming. Presently, 26 CALS CARES mentors meet with their small groups three times during the fall semester; during this time, the group discusses a variety of topics which meet the needs of each unique group and student. The meetings occur during the traditionally three most difficult times in a first-year students first semester, provide an environment in which each student feels connected, accepted, respected, and encouraged.

Also new this semester, is the workshop component of CALS CARES. This summer, the CALS Advising Team (Tricia Buddin, Bianca Glaze and Anne Hubbard) developed a workshop series in an effort to increase student contact and better meet student needs. The workshops cover three topics relevant to first-year students: College Life 101, Evaluating and Adjusting, and Exam Preparation. Following a pattern similar to that of the small group meetings, these workshops are offered during what are traditionally the most difficult times of the semester for many students, in an effort to connect and support our CALS students.

If you’d like more information about the CALS CARES program, details are located here: https://cals.ncsu.edu/students/advising/freshman-programs/.