Residential & Ethnic Freshman Counselors
The Ethnic Counselor Program
A new component of the freshman counselor program, which later became known as the ethnic counselor program, began in 1972 to provide additional support for students of color. It was established in recognition that the typical challenges of freshman year often assume added layers of complexity and difficulty when a student is also from an underrepresented minority group. The ethnic counselor program provides these students with a group of counselors who have coped successfully with similar difficulties.
Every incoming student of color who indicates his or her ethnic background during the admissions process will be assigned an ethnic counselor from one of Yale’s four cultural centers (African-American, Asian, Latino, or Native American) in addition to a residential college counselor. Some freshmen may wish to interact frequently with their ethnic counselor, while others may contact him or her only occasionally; the relationship is entirely voluntary, but for many students, it is incredibly valuable.
Each ethnic counselor is associated with one residential college team and serves as a primary liaison for all the students and counselors in that college. In addition to serving their assigned counselees, therefore, ethnic counselors are also a resource for all freshmen and for the other freshman counselors on their team. Ethnic counselors have the same qualifications, go through the same training, live in the same entryways, and have many of the same duties as do all freshman counselors. They are, in short, an additional member of the freshman counselor team.
Ethnic counselors are selected and assigned by the directors of the cultural centers, in consultation with the residential college deans and the Dean of Freshman Affairs.
General Duties
Given the nature of the position and the often unpredictable needs of freshmen, it is impossible to anticipate all the duties that a freshman counselor might be expected to perform, but the primary responsibilities are listed below. If you have any concerns or reservations about your ability to fulfill these duties, be sure to contact your residential college dean, relevant cultural center director, or the Dean of Freshman Affairs before you apply.
Freshman Counselor Training
All counselors are required to attend a series of one-hour training sessions soon after they are selected, in addition to a week-long training program during the week before the freshmen arrive. These sessions provide an opportunity for counselors to familiarize themselves with the nature and extent of their duties, discuss common counseling concerns, and meet various members of the university community who will be sources of information and support for them throughout the year. It also allows counselors to analyze typical student-related problems with the assistance of mental health professionals from University Health Services. Attendance at every meeting is mandatory.
Residence
The major responsibility of freshman counselors is to be a nearby and ready resource for their counselees. To be effective, counselors need to get to know their freshmen sufficiently to understand their specific needs and interests and be able to connect them to the appropriate resources on campus. Such familiarity requires the counselor to spend considerable time with his or her counselees, which is why living and eating with freshmen are essential components of the program.
Freshman counselors are expected to be in residence by the beginning of freshman counselor training until the end of each term, including reading period and final examination period. Permission to leave campus overnight during the term must be approved by the counselor’s supervisor(s) and cannot ordinarily be granted during the first month of the fall term. Counselors should be in the company of their counselees frequently, and their availability is particularly important in the evenings, especially during the times of midterm tests and final examinations.
Advising and Oversight
Freshman counselors form an integral part of Yale’s freshman advising system. They are therefore expected to be thoroughly familiar with Chapters I, II, and III of the Yale College Programs of Study, which explain in detail the undergraduate curriculum and academic regulations of Yale College, and the Freshman Handbook, which emphasizes information most relevant to freshmen.
Freshman counselors are also expected to assist the college dean and master in overseeing the health and safety of freshmen and in promoting the values of a residential academic community. They should therefore be thoroughly familiar with the Undergraduate Regulations and must assume reasonable responsibility for seeing that their freshmen honor the regulations contained therein, particularly the rules concerning social functions, alcoholic beverages, noise, fire extinguishers, and fire alarms. Counselors are expected to address immediately any violations they encounter and report them to the residential college dean or master. They are also expected to report promptly any custodial or security concerns they notice to the dean, master, or other appropriate person.
Weekend Duty
It is particularly important that some freshman counselors be present in the dormitories during the evening on weekend nights (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday). To ensure such presence, each counselor team develops a rotating duty schedule, and each counselor is typically “on duty” one weekend night every week. While the counselor is on duty, he or she is expected to be in the dormitory and readily available to the freshmen, other counselors, and to the dean and master throughout the evening.
Teamwork and Communication
As counselors carry out their duties, it is critically important for them to recognize that they do not—and cannot—carry out their responsibilities alone; they are expected to work in concert with a team of people who collectively help freshmen adjust to college life. Counselors are expected to stay in regular contact with the other members of their counselor team, with their associated ethnic counselors, with their residential college dean, and with their cultural center director (as appropriate). All counselor teams meet weekly with their residential college dean and are frequently in touch throughout the week by email and phone. In addition, the head counselor and ethnic counselor from each team also meet separately with the representatives of other teams to discuss matters that affect more than one college.
Cooperation and communication are particularly important to the success of the ethnic counselor program. Because all ethnic counselors have counselees not only in their primary residential college but also in other colleges, they rely upon the regular exchange of information from team members in other colleges. Conversely, ethnic counselors can provide valuable information about, and additional perspectives on, a particular student’s experience.
Conduct
Inasmuch as freshman counselors are expected to assist Yale College in upholding the Undergraduate Regulations, it is assumed that counselors will themselves be exemplary in their conduct. A counselor who violates one of these regulations, and is thereby subject to censure from the Executive Committee, may be immediately dismissed from the freshman counselor program at the discretion of the Dean of Freshman Affairs.
Professionalism
It is very important for all counselors to understand that they are more than just students; they are also representatives of the Yale College Dean’s Office, and they assume positions of professional responsibility. All counselors are therefore expected to relate to members of the freshman class in a manner that is appropriate to their status as representatives of the Dean’s Office. They should be particularly careful to allow freshmen to hold their own opinions and form their own judgments about the academic and social life at Yale. And in keeping with University expectations of propriety and professionalism, counselors must resist romantic attachments and strictly refrain from sexual contact with any freshman. Counselors who violate this expectation will be immediately dismissed from the freshman counselor program.
Eligibility
Applicants must be seniors in academic good standing during both terms of the academic year 2008-2009. Students who have been placed on academic warning, have a formal disciplinary record, or have been withdrawn from Yale for any reason should consult their college dean and notify the Dean of Freshman Affairs before applying.
Compensation
Freshman counselors receive free housing and a reduced rate on a full meal contract. Counselors in Timothy Dwight and Silliman Colleges have a different counselor ratio and should consult their college dean for information about the terms of their compensation.
Application Procedures
Roughly 300 students apply each year for approximately 90 openings. Application forms may be accessed online through the link at the bottom of this page. Completed and signed applications must be returned to Ms. Teri Barbuto in the Yale College Dean’s Office, 105 SSS, by 4:00 p.m., February 4, 2008.
Interviews are arranged by the residential college dean or cultural center director and ordinarily take place in February. Applicants will be notified just before the spring recess so that they may make appropriate plans for the following year. The dean of each of the residential colleges will announce results for the residential counselor positions; the directors of the cultural centers will announce results for the ethnic counselor positions. Final appointments are made by the Dean of Freshman Affairs, and the Yale College Dean’s Office will send contract forms to selected applicants.
NOTE: Students who are not in residence during the spring-term application season may submit application materials by email or fax (see application for directions), but they should consult their college dean or cultural center director about alternative interview arrangements.
