The Connect Mentor Program, an organization sponsored by The Department of Multicultural Student Affairs, held its annual Fall Mixer in The Varsity last night.

According to the Coordinator of Asian American Student Services Karen Click, CMP hosted the event so that “incoming freshmen minority students could develop a relationship with a mentor that was randomly assigned to them.”

Click feels confident that the mixer helped the program to reach its ultimate goal of making everyone, no matter what their race may be, feel like they have a place on campus. However, she is quick to point out that the biggest aspect of CMP is the mentors.

“We really just have this event to get the conversation rolling between the mentors and the mentorees,” Click said. “The heart of the program is the one-on-one contact that occurs between them. That is what we are really all about.”

The five-year-old program seems to be achieving its objects, according to Click.

“The way that we know it makes an impact on campus is that when we go to recruit new mentors in the spring, it is almost always the mentorees from the year before that sign up,” she said.

Jake Raju, a second year, is one of these participants.

“At the beginning of last year I had a pretty good experience. My mentor made sure I belonged. He made sure I fit in,” Raju said. “I felt like I should help do that for another student.”

According to Raju, the mentorship program is about more than helpful tips. It is about the relationships you form.

“My mentor did not give me any specific advice. Instead he set an example for me. That was far more powerful,” Raju said.

Math major Daniel Liu is also returning this year as a mentor with CMP.

“My passion is to empower fellow Asian-Americans to step into leadership roles that they normally would not,” Liu said. “I saw it as an opportunity to not only make a new student feel welcomed but to also give back to my community. That is what this organization and this mixer are really all about,” said Liu.