First-Year Student Leader Support
Many people at Lafayette will be available to support you. One important segment is a great group of student leaders who are trained to assist you as you begin to navigate your new academic and social channels.
Student Leaders
What better way to learn about life as a Lafayette student than from peers who have been navigating their way around campus for the past few years! As a first-year student, you will have at your fingertips a number of student leaders available to support you. Each group of student leaders has a niche of expertise that you will be able to lean on during your first year at Lafayette. These students are trained by their respective offices and are eager to get to know you! Reach out right away to begin building those relationships. These students will help by answering questions, guiding you to the appropriate offices, and simply being a friendly face to discuss anything that is on your mind!
LEOs
The LEO (Lafayette Extended Orientation) Program at Lafayette College provides support and guidance to new students during their first year. The LEOs are a group of sophomore, junior, and senior student leaders who are extensively trained to provide information and support to new students as they become Lafayette Leopards.
LEOs are encouraged to use their academic experiences, co-curricular involvement, and campus leadership to individually work with each of their assigned first-year students. You will first be introduced to your LEO during orientation weekend, and they will be your orientation leader! Orientation weekend will kick off a semester full of fun events, learning objectives, and the opportunity to make meaningful connections with peers, professors, and staff. LEOs will continue to be a resource to you as you navigate your new intellectual community. They will encourage you to explore your new community both socially and academically. It is not uncommon to develop a relationship with your LEO that continues past your first year at Lafayette.
Resident Advisors (RAs)
For the relatively small number of students on campus this fall, resident advisers are student staff members in the Office of Residence life charged with fostering relationships among and delivering services to an assigned community of residents. Resident advisors work cooperatively with other residence hall and College staff to promote an environment conducive to learning and developing personal connections. The job of the RA combines many roles: information resource, activities organizer, liaison to the Office of Residence Life, adviser, and friend. The main focus of an RA is to be there for each of their residents and foster an inclusive welcoming community. Every night, each building has a designated on-duty RA available to respond to emergencies, report problems, and answer questions as they conduct periodic building rounds. Your RA is there to help you with a variety of needs, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Student-Athlete Peer Mentors
Peer mentors are trained to guide and mentor first-year student-athletes in adjusting to the rigors of college life combined with participating in Division I athletics. Our peer mentors are role models who have proven their own success in overcoming challenges while excelling in academics, athletics, social engagements, and community service. They build lasting mentor/mentee relationships to establish academic, athletic, and personal goals to ensure overall achievement and promote a championship culture. All first-year student-athletes are paired with a peer mentor who checks in with them weekly.
International Orientation Team Leaders
The International Orientation Team leaders, many of whom are international students themselves, are dedicated to helping make the transition to living and studying in the United States a smoother one for first year students coming from abroad. These leaders provide a unique level of support and guidance in navigating U.S. cultural norms because of their own experiences. They are also committed to nurturing a strong sense of belonging within the international community and the larger Lafayette family by fostering cross-cultural friendships virtually throughout the summer as well as once here on campus.
During the four-day International Orientation program, students from abroad and their domestic roommates will have ample opportunities to engage with all the leaders and their peers, while enjoying friendly competition within smaller groups led by a group of Peer Captains. With ongoing mentorship from the team, the relationships developed here will continue to grow into a lasting and expansive global network of connections and friends.