By Sarah Ninivaggi
TU journalism student | Sept. 15 2009
Towson’s Students Achieve Goals through Education organization celebrated its highest enrollment in years this semester.
SAGE is a university group that reaches out to Towson’s minority students. When a student marks on admission forms that they are part of a minority group, they are automatically sent a letter inviting them to join SAGE, according to Kelly Anderson, a first-year mentor. However, any transfer or freshman student is welcome to join the organization.
“SAGE helps freshman and transfer students to get connected to campus, to maintain academic standing of at least 3.0 and to be educated on different cultures,” says Anderson. This year there are 250 members, which means each of the 25 mentors is assigned to 10 students. In previous years, mentors were usually responsible for only six to eight students.
Upperclassmen can become mentors by applying and interviewing at the end of spring semester, and are chosen based on factors including grades and extracurricular involvement.
Mentors reach out to students through weekly meetings, in which SAGE members participate in various activities and listen to occasional guest speakers. Speakers may inform members on topics such as “finances, organization, civility, and also education on many different cultures,” says Anderson.
“I believe SAGE is vital to campus,” states Anderson about the group’s role at Towson. “Since its start it has proven to increase Towson’s first year retention rate, especially in minority students.”
