March 2, 1995: Vol26n19: UB STARS help with tansition to college

By CHRISTINE VIDAL
Reporter Editor
If experience is the best teacher, next year's freshmen should be well
taught, thanks to a new group called UB STARS.
	UB Student Admission and Recruitment Specialists (UB STARS)
was formed this year to help incoming students with the transition
from high school to college.
	The idea took shape last summer, said Maureen Hammett, senior
admissions advisor in the UB Office of Admissions, at a CASE
conference she attended in St. Louis that focused on the use of
student volunteers in admissions.
	"I'd had an idea in the back of my head that I wanted to
expand our use of student volunteers," said Hammett, who was so
excited by what she heard at the conference that she drafted the plan
for UB STARS.
	An expanded version of peer recruiters, students in UB STARS
offer incoming UB freshmen the benefit of their own knowledge about
UB, Hammett said. They visit high schools, often including their own,
to discuss their experiences at UB. They also assist with the annual
open house activities, and provide assistance in the Office of
Admissions by working in the reception area, handling in-person
traffic and talking with prospective students and their parents.
Members of UB STARS also conduct a telephone campaign, currently under
way, to welcome accepted freshmen to the university.
	Students participating in the program receive "extensive and
intensive" training, Hammett said, on topics that include effective
communication, how to interact with people and how to diffuse a
potentially angry client.
	The 72-page UB STARS manual is filled with information about
admission criteria, special programs, campus visits, financial aid,
housing, academic programs, undergraduate majors, support services and
student life. There's also a listing of student clubs, a coaching
roster, a history of the university, local weather statistics, and a
description of the Buffalo area. In addition, students participate in
training sessions that focus on information and role playing.
	Because this is the first year of the program, filling the
ranks for 1994-95 was a real challenge, Hammett said. "What we had to
do for this year was difficult -- get the word out, attract students,
get them trained and get them going."
Early in the fall semester, the word went out that the Office of
Admissions was looking for outgoing, 
out that the Office of Admissions was looking for outgoing,
enthusiastic students to serve as peer recruiters. General
requirements were a grade point average of 2.5 or higher and sophomore
standing or higher.
	"We don't require that they have a tremendous amount of
knowledge about the school or a tremendous amount of experience with
university groups," Hammett said.
	Her recruitment efforts resulted in a broad group composed of
31 sophomores, juniors and seniors from throughout New York State and
representing a wide range of academic majors: engineering,
communication, psychology, occupational therapy, business,
anthropology, geology, political science, communication design,
biology and medical technology, among others.
	"It's a diverse group with various strengths and
opportunities, and who overall have had a good experience here," said
Hammett. "I'm always so pleasantly surprised at how dedicated they are
and how eager to learn and be involved. It's nice, it's real nice."
	UB STARS will be looking for five to seven new recruits for
next year. According to Hammett, recruitment for the 1995-96 year will
be held throughout March and April. For more information on UB STARS,
call the Office of Admissions at 645-6900.