Editor,
I am writing this letter to clarify any misconceptions about Peer Mentoring for Graduates of Color, like those expressed in a letter to the editor in Wednesday's Daily Lobo.
The program is student-run, and is open to all graduate students. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, sexual orientation, age or gender. As of Spring 2005, approximately 5 percent of our students classified themselves as white. Each and every graduate student involved in our organization is eligible to receive its benefits, including, but not limited to, formal mentorship.
At the same time that Peer Mentoring for Graduates of Color is all-inclusive, the objective of the organization is to increase the recruitment and retention of graduate students of color. Students of color are underrepresented in graduate degree programs and have higher dropout rates than their counterparts. The program seeks to increase recruitment and retention through formal mentoring relationships, workshops, and the development of a community of graduate students.
The organization and its objectives were created in fall 2002 by a group of minority graduate students who did not feel that they were getting the resources they needed from the University. This group of students created the name of the organization, as they considered themselves students of color.
I am sorry that members of the University of New Mexico find Peer Mentoring for Graduates of Color offensive. We urge you all to visit our Web site - www.unm.edu/~gradpeer - or contact us at gradpeer@unm.edu to find out more information about the program.
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We also urge graduate students who feel they will benefit from the services we provide for the graduate population to join the program.
PMGC invites graduate students to become mentors, receive mentorship or to just subscribe to our listserve to receive weekly newsletters about events, funding and career opportunities.
Kateri Garcia and
Emira Ibrahimpasic,
PMGC project assistants
