SOAR
Student Outreach Alternative Resources
The
transition to college is not always an easy one. Learning new rules and regulations,
experiencing new freedoms and cultures, plus not knowing the people around you,
including your roommate, are just a few of the challenges first-year students
encounter. Because of this, some students will question themselves, and their
choices, and perhaps feel isolated. Homesickness during the first few weeks of
being away from family is actually quite common. Making new friends is not always easy. SOAR seeks individuals who
may not be actively involved in the initial stages of transitioning to college
to offer an empathetic hand or ear. This
is done via:
MENTORS
SOS sponsors a
proactive, dedicated group of students on campus via Student Outreach
Alternative Resources, or SOAR. SOAR is made up of upperclassmen who are
campus leaders wanting to make a difference in the lives of incoming students
by serving students as peer mentors – not in the academic sense, but in the
social world of the Hendrix Community.
As of the
Fall semester, of 2018, each individual SOAR team member will have completed
training and certification in:
- Mental Health First Aid, is a process of how to help
someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental
health crisis. The training helps these peer mentors to identify, understand,
and respond to signs of addiction and mental illnesses.
- One Love Campaign is a series of short and shareable digital content in five unique chapters that shine a spotlight on unhealthy or emotionally abusive relationship behaviors—or the gray area between love and control. The training teaches peer mentors how to safely identify and educate peers when factors indicate “That’s Not Love!”
- safeTALK is the implementation of how to notice
and respond to situations where suicidal thoughts might be present; Recognize that invitations for help are often overlooked; move beyond the common tendency
to miss, dismiss, and avoid suicide; apply the TALK steps: Tell, Ask, Listen,
and KeepSafe; and have a comprehensive knowledge of community resources and how
to connect someone with thoughts of suicide to those resources for further
help.
- Safe Zone (LGBTQ+) is a resource for powerful, effective, LGBTQ+ awareness and ally training; it provides terminology and definitions to assist individuals in better understanding the changing culture of identity in society.
- Substance Addiction and/or Abuse (visual identification and understanding) provides information regarding the identification and prevention of compulsive drug or alcohol use that leads to significant disruptions in daily living, including loss of education or work, relationships, and health.
- Emotional Intelligence is a
session assisting the SOAR Team members in enhancing their capacity of
individuals to recognize their own, and other people's emotions, discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior.
- Campus Safety (for Hendrix College) includes the process of collaboration between members of the team and the campus safety staff to protect the rights, responsibilities, and health of the residents on campus as well as the physical campus.
As of the Spring Semester, 2023, each individual SOAR team
member has completed training in:
-
Opioid overdose and Narcan
administration with Narcan available to each team member.
- Strong Defense, with Dianna
Strong, self-defense application for self-protection.
- Situational Problem-Solving
through a certified ropes course.
SECOND SATURDAY
SUPPERS
One of the most attended SOAR events is the Second Saturday Supper. For
students unwilling, or unable, to venture out for a meal off-campus when the dining hall is closed on Saturday nights, SOAR provides a community meal at 6:00 p.m. for each second (2nd) Saturday of the month when classes are in
session in September, October, November, February, March, April. It is a first-come, first-served buffet meal until the food is gone and is held in 107 Student Life & Technology Center, SLTC.
ALTERNATIVE EVENTS
SOAR also oversees the planning and running of the alternative campus events – held during main events - to provide optional, alternative programming. Alcohol and other substances are banned from these events. Watch for details in Hendrix Today and on posters around campus!
Lego My Eggo & Game Night August 25 07:00p
Friendly Feud—with the Dean! September 16 07:00p
Cutie Patootie Baby Face Contest October 02 5 Days
Masquerade! October 21 07:00p
It’s a Carving Good Time! October 31 All Day
HDX Warrior Assassins—Battle I November 06 10 Days
There’s Magic in the Air January 27 07:00p
Games, Games, & More Games! March 02 07:00p
Interactive Murder Mystery April 05 07:30p
HDX Warrior Assassins—Redux April 10 10 Days
Bingo Blast Bonanza April 27 07:00p
Check out the 2023 SOAR Presents: Next of Kin! This event provided an interactive murder mystery for the attendees to solve! Faculty and staff, and students, show their acting skills for a rootin' tootin' good time of fun and solving "Who done it!"
OFF-CAMPUS SOCIAL EVENTS
Outside peer off-campus events are a popular SOAR program. SOAR sponsors events, known as Super Saturday Socials on the third (3rd) Saturday of each month, providing longer, smaller, more intimate time periods of social connection than the alternative event. Limited to 20 persons, max! First come, first travel!
Little Rock Zoo September 16 01:00p
Salty Harbor Mini-Golf October 21 01:00p
USS Razorback Submarine Tour November 18 01:00p
Skatium Ice Skating February 17 01:00p
Altitude Trampoline Park April 20 01:00p
ITZA PIZZA NITES
Pizza is provided via RSVP for students on one Saturday night per month to compensate for the Saturday night closure of the dining hall! This occurs the fourth (4th) Saturday in September, October, November, February, March, and April at 6:00p in 107 SLTC!
By creating new avenues via unique and different interpersonal relationships, participating in alternative activities for those who want to start out more slowly in social acclimation than the campus-wide party, and moving around in smaller group activities to help achieve self-confidence in a big, new world, the SOAR peer mentors provide a safe, fun experience for new students. This helps first-year students build a stronger, more fluid transition into college life, making SOAR a refreshing haven of good friendships and lasting memories.
Student referrals for SOAR can be made via parents, faculty, staff, siblings, friends, acquaintances, and others through the SOS office. Students often refer themselves, too.
SOAR is committed to privacy for the student among all
populations unless the student gives permission for the release of information and
signs a release statement.
SOAR is NOT a professional psychological counseling service.
RISE
Realizing Improved Student Engagement
RISE
(Realizing Improved Student Engagement) collectively selects the first-year
students who scored below a 2.50 GPA in their initial Hendrix semester. Rise coordinates with various departments
across campus to form an informational panel of program and service providers
to re-introduce available resources on campus – some academic and some daily
living in a campus community. Completing
a self-contract after the workshop, bringing that contract into the SOS office
for introspective review, and being referred to the offices on campus that can
assist each individual (customized, based on need) in overcoming challenges
that hindered class outcomes in their first semester.