Campus & Community

University Seeks Fall 2020 SEM 100 Facilitators

Wednesday, January 29, 2020, By News Staff

As a six-week course for first-year and transfer students, SEM 100 works to create thought-provoking discourse around topics relative to race, identity, inclusion and social equity. Going into its third year, the program continues to push students to gain an understanding of how their identity relates to and interacts with other students, faculty and staff as they progress through the college experience and graduate.

Jeffery Mangram, associate professor in the School of Education, redesigned the SEM 100 curriculum for spring and fall 2020. “Through class discussions, our students will explore their own identity and how it connects to their peers,” says Mangram. “This relationship building is key to creating a strong and inclusive community.”

Kira Reed, provost faculty fellow and chair of the University Senate Committee on Curricula, adds that SEM 100 seeks to build community on many levels. “Through this course, students will build relationships with students they might not otherwise meet,” Reed says.

Faculty, staff, undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply to be SEM 100 facilitators. An information session will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 4, from noon to 1 p.m., in 121 Shaffer Art Building. Applications will open on Tuesday, Feb. 4, and are due Monday, March 2. Additional information regarding application requirements and SEM 100 is available on the SEM 100 facilitators webpage.

Kyle C. Rosenblum ’20 reflected on his experience as an SEM 100 facilitator, saying “facilitating SEM 100 provided the opportunity to learn about each of my students’ individual journeys and build close bonds. In our very first session, we had an impromptu discussion about the things they were passionate about — not just what they wanted to do as a job. I hosted a lot of class activities and was able to share information that I wished I had known during that time,” Rosenblum says.

For more information or to request accommodations for the information session, contact First-Year and Transfer Programs at 315.443.1012 or firstyear@syr.edu.

Story by Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience communications intern Abigail J. Covington ’19, G ’20.