The Destination Leader position is one of the best, multi-faceted student leadership positions found at Simpson. Destination Leaders juggle multiple roles. They are a resource and peer mentor for the 18 first-year students in their LAS class. They are heavily involved in the academic advising process, acclimation process, and orientation activities that are a part of Summer and Fall Orientation. Depending on how they are utilized in the LAS class, Destination Leaders could take on a teaching assistant role, a social catalyst role, etc.
 
Contact Person(s):
The Destination Leaders are paid for their duties during Summer and Fall Orientations by Student Development and receive academic credit for their assistance in the LAS class during the fall semester. Stephanie Krauth (x1533), the Associate Dean of Students, in Student Development is responsible for training and overseeing the Destination Leaders.
Hiring Destination Leaders: In early January, faculty members recommend specific students to Stephanie to apply to be a Destination Leader. It is always preferable to recommend more than one student. Stephanie will send Destination Leader applications to all recommended students. The Destination Leader hiring process is also an open process so other students interested in becoming Destination Leaders can pick up and submit an application available in the Student Development office. After a student has completed and turned in their application, copies of the applications will be distributed to the LAS faculty member the student has expressed interest in working with. All student applicants will be interviewed in February by the Co-Directors of the First-Year Experience (Stephanie & Nick) and/or Lindsey Hunzelman, Assistant Director of Student Activities (who assists with Summer Orientation), unless they do not meet the GPA requirement. Because Destination Leaders juggle multiple roles, the purpose of this interview is to determine the applicant who can best exhibit the needed skills and characteristics to manage all the different roles a Destination Leader takes on. Most of the time, the best applicant is also the LAS faculty member's preferred candidate - sometimes it is not, so although Stephanie makes the final decision on Destination Leader selection, it is a highly collaborative selection process to find a Destination Leader who meets everyone's needs. The resulting list of Destination Leader selections is then shared with the LAS faculty.

Role of the Destination Leaders
Destination Leaders may earn either 2 or 3 academic credits (pass/fail) in return for their work as a Destination Leader for their LAS class. The number of credits should be determined as a function of the amount of work the instructor expects the DL to work. The Destination Leader should receive 1 hour of academic credit in return for each 40 hours of work. These 40 hours include time spent in class preparation, class attendance, as well as time spent out of class with LAS students. For instance, the Destination Leader might invite LAS students to lunch or dinner in Pfeiffer or engage in other social activities designed to help the LAS students become a member of the Simpson community.
Utilize your Destination Leader well. Think about how to utilize your Destination Leader as you plan your LAS class. Will they act as your teaching assistant? Conduct study groups? Facilitate summer reading or other discussions that are not part of the course content but meet the LAS goals? Assist with the spring advising and registration process? Take the class to Simpson Forum events? Organize other out-of-the-classroom social activities? Act as your eyes and ears for student issues and concerns? There are an infinite number of options.
As part of their on-going training, all Destination Leaders are expected to attend the 2 in-service workshops facilitated by Stephanie Krauth. In addition, all DLs are expected to periodically e-mail a report to Stephanie Krauth during fall semester. This report asks DLs to identify any students having difficulty, good things that have happened to any of the students, and people with whom the DL has had contact that week. If you would like a copy of this report, ask your DL to e-mail a copy to you when they e-mail it to Stephanie.

Meet with Your Destination Leader Regularly
Make arrangements to meet regularly with your Destination Leader during the fall. Destination Leaders can provide faculty members with valuable information about the first year students in their LAS section. The Destination Leaders are often able to identify students who are struggling to adjust to college life or who are encountering academic difficulty before faculty members see evidence of those problems.

Invite Your Destination Leader to Class Events
Include your Destination Leader in all of the out-of-class events you require of your first year students. One of the most popular elements of the LAS is the meal the first year students and the faculty member share (see Goal 1: Connecting with the Simpson Community). Inviting the Destination Leaders to this dinner is meaningful for the first year students as well as for the Destination Leaders themselves. Other out-of-class events, such as forum events you choose to attend as a class should also include the Destination Leader.

Complete the Learning Contract
All Destination Leaders should complete a learning contract in conjunction with the LAS instructor with whom they will be working. The purpose of the contract is to make sure the student and instructor have agreed on the specific responsibilities and expectations of the DL. In the past, we've had trouble with some DLs feeling underutilized but not discussing the issue with the LAS instructor. The contract is meant to reduce that problem. Here is an abbreviated version of the Learning Contract. The Destination Leaders are expected to complete a slightly more elaborate version of this Learning Contract with their faculty member the spring prior to their employment and turn it in to Stephanie in order to get registered for their LAS credit.