The University Resources for Latinos (URL) office will be sponsoring a cookout Thursday for students involved in the URL mentoring program as a way for them to get acquainted. The picnic will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at 515 Garden Road.

“There will be food and a disc jockey to help provide a relaxing atmosphere,” Jackie Herrera, junior, political science, said.

The mentors were assigned a student over the summer, but the picnic is a way for them to get better acquainted and also meet other students, said Joani Burk, secretary for the URL. “It’s a nice casual setting where the students can meet their peers,” she said.

Lisa Jaquez, junior, marketing and Spanish translation, will be a mentor for her third semester this fall. Jaquez said when she started at NIU she was assigned a mentor. She said the mentors helped answer her questions about NIU and introduced her to other students.

“Mentors are usually returning students, so they are more familiar with the programs at NIU,” Jaquez added. “As a mentor I let students know what’s available and answer any questions they have.”

Jaquez pointed out the program is particularly beneficial for NIU freshmen because of the size of the campus.

“NIU is such a big university, it is helpful to have someone to help you meet other students,” she said.

“I continue to be a mentor, because I keep remembering my freshman year when I didn’t know anyone,” Herrera said. “Coming to NIU is a culture shock for new students.”

Herrera said she is glad to be a part of the program because it allows her to help another student. Herrera said she’s proud of NIU and appreciates the opportunity to boast about the campus. She said it also “helps to have someone to show you around campus.”

Michelle Bringas, program coordinator of URL, helps train the mentors and also participates in the NIU mentoring project. “I feel positive about knowing what students need,” Bringas said. She feels her two years as a resident assistant helped her learn what incoming students need.

“When students come to a large university like NIU from high school where everyone knew them, they feel like a number,” she said. “I’m excited about mentoring because it lets students know someone at the university cares about them.”

Bringas said one of the biggest benefits of the mentoring program is having someone on campus who can introduce the new students to other students and help show them around campus. She said another benefit is mentors know about resources incoming students may not know about. “If the relationship progresses into a friendship, both will benefit,” she added.