Minority Peer Counselors
Job Description and Expectations
Minority Peer Counselors are placed in regions across campus to serve, reach out, and support all first year students but, with an emphasis on mentoring and supporting first year students of color. Every MPC resides in a first year dormitory and works with one residential unit. The role of the MPC is one of support, coordination, community building, and education. MPCs are expected to work closely with each other, MPC Coordinators, the Program Director, and other professional staff to carry out the expectations listed below:
Philosophical
• To create a sense of community and support among first year students of color.
• To increase sensitivity to the various factors that may impact a first year's experiences at Brown and to be aware of how a wide range of issues, including, but not limited to- race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religious identification, nationality- impact individuals and our community.
• To foster honest and compassionate dialogue within the residential area and to address problems of discrimination, harassment, and intolerance. • To work in partnership with your fellow MPCs.
• To work cooperatively and effectively with other peer counselors in the Residential programs including Resident Counselors, Women Peer Counselors, and Community Directors.
• To take advantage of the opportunities for personal growth and development provided by the MPC experience.
• To promote a spirit of cross cultural unity across campus.
Specific Job Responsibilities
MPCs will receive specialized training on academic support services, advising, workshop development and facilitation for diversity programming, and bias incident support. Minority Peer Counselors will live in residential areas and will be responsible for the following:
1. Academic and Personal Support
• Counselors are responsible for offering peer-to-peer advice on choosing classes, helping with time management, stress management, and the transition to college.
• Be available and accessible to first years as needed. • Check-in with first years, offering support and encouragement.
• Be aware of on-campus resources and able to direct students to applicable services, resources, knowledgeable fellow students, MPCs, and MPC Friends.
• Host one resource workshop per semester with a focus on campus resources, academic support or any other source deemed appropriate by the Minority Peer Counselor Coordinators or the Program Director.
2. Community Building
• Counselors are responsible for hosting two gatherings of their mentoring groups per semester with a focus on establishing relationships between the MPC and the students- “Meet & Greets”.
• Promote Third World Center activities.
• Encourage residents to accompany you to history month and week convocations and other Third World Center programs. • Advertise events to first year students in residential dorms through fliers, emails and other forms of marketing.
• Maintain open lines of communication with Community Directors (CDs) and Residential Peer Leaders (RPLs) by attending one pre-arranged meeting a month.
3. Foster awareness around issues of race/ethnicity, gender, class, heterosexism/homophobia, ability and other -isms
• Counselors will foster awareness around Third World Transition Program during Orientation, and in first year units.
• Facilitate discussion following the Orientation Diversity Class Meeting as well as introduce the MPC program to first years.
• Assess the specific -ism education needs of a region by communicating with RPLs, CDs and first year students.
• Develop, implement, and facilitate one workshop per semester per assigned working group, focused on an –ism.
• Collaborate with RCs in carrying out publicity and outreach efforts for the workshop.
4. Bias Intervention Support
• Counselors should support students in the event of a bias incident and encourage victimized student to report the incident to the Department of Public Safety and the Community Director in their residential area.
• Follow up with appropriate Dean or administrator responsible for bias incidents and crisis situations.
• Notify Coordinators and Program Director when appropriate.
• If circumstances permit and apply, organize an educational program in response to the incident.
5. Participate in regular meetings for the MPC Program
• Counselors will attend monthly General Body Meetings with MPC Coordinators and Program Director.
• Counselors will attend bi-monthly MPC Small Group Meetings with their assigned MPC Coordinator.
• Counselors will attend regular meetings with their RPL group at CD meetings.
• Counselors will meet as needed with their working group and MPCCs to flush out plans for -ism and Resource workshops.
Counselors are expected to uphold:
- The Ethical Code for Peer Counselors
- The Standards of Student Conduct. Counselors may not obtain or consume alcohol and/or drugs with any first year or prospective students.
Counselors may not have romantic/sexual relationships with any first year or prospective students.
Counselors must maintain good academic and judicial standing. Violation of the aforementioned or any unseemly behavior of a counselor will result in termination of employment.
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Submit applications in person, not online.
