A welcoming week of activities for Mississippi State freshmen, as well as a freshman mentor project, will be introduced this month.

Coordinated by the Division of Student Affairs, both "Dawg Daze Welcome Week" and the mentoring program are designed to ease the transition to campus life, said Jimmy W. Abraham, assistant vice president for student affairs.

"More than 90 percent of our freshmen live on campus," Abraham said. "We want to make early, and continued, contact with them to help ensure their success at Mississippi State."

"'Dawg Daze' begins Friday, Aug. 10, with the opening of residence halls at 2 p.m. and will include a Saturday evening party at the Joe Frank Sanderson Center and a Sunday afternoon pep rally at Humphrey Coliseum. Also scheduled are a variety of other events for students who participate in fraternity and sorority rush events, as well as for those who don't."

In its other major effort, Student Affairs is launching a first-ever mentoring program geared specifically for first-time freshmen. It initially will be available to a random sample of 500 students, said Dean of Students Michael W. White, project coordinator.

"Our plans are to expand the program to all of the approximately 1,900 freshmen by the fall semester next year," White said.

Members of the Student Affairs professional staff, along with other campus faculty and professional staff volunteers, will meet with their assigned students at least twice during the fall semester. They also will maintain regular contact by electronic mail and telephone.

"We invite the participation of professional staff from around campus," White noted. Those interested should contact White or Thomas I. Bourgeois at 325-3611.

"We're asking mentors to closely follow the academic progress of their students," White said. "We want to encourage students to create habits that ensure their success."

An evaluation component of the new effort will measure effectiveness and suggest possible refinements before the project is expanded, he added.

The mentoring effort is not intended to supplant faculty advising already available through academic departments and several campus centers.