The newsletter is called "For Adults Only," but the program reaches a broader audience.

Lion Liaisons, part of the Returning Adult Student Center's orientation effort, helps "nontraditional" students and their families adjust to University life, said Karen Brugler, an administrative aide in the center.

"It's part of a three-part family orientation that started in the fall," she said. "The Lion Liaisons is the mentor component of orientation. When adults come back (to school) it's a decision for the whole family."

In its invitations to orientation sessions, the center defines "nontraditional" students as those "whose needs and interests may differ from the traditional 18- to 22-year-old."

Lion Liaisons send invitations to new and transfer adult students with the help of the Admissions and Continuing Education offices, said Barbara Copland, director of the center.

"We sent out 250 invitations and we had 80 people respond in the fall," she said.

Mentors are available to help acquaint students with the University.

"We think that it's important that a person has a mentor the first semester that they're in school," Copland said. "They make the decision in the first six weeks of school whether they will stay or go."

In the fall and spring semesters, 31 mentors and 45 new students participated in the program.

"A lot of people feel okay about coming back so they didn't request a mentor," she added.

Those who request a mentor must also complete an extensive form identifying their concerns and needs as a returning adult student, Brugler said. Mentors complete a similar form and then Brugler matches each pair.

The forms are designed so that the most effective pairing results. For example, some students might prefer a counselor who is a single parent rather than someone in their major, Brugler said, and the questionnaires facilitate this information.

Mentors are encouraged to attend orientation with their partners, go to one of a series of brown bag lunches and to generally be available for them, Brugler said.

Rita Lowery, a mentor last semester and president of the Returning Adult Student Organization, said the type of social activities pairs participate in depends on their individual preferences.

"Some took them out to dinner and others took them out for a drink," she said, adding that the program is probably running more smoothly this spring because it is in its second semester.

Panel discussions and the brown bag lunches, along with an Open House, allow students to interact during the semester and continue to provide help and support. "Our philosophy is that the assimilation process is a slower one and lasts throughout the year," Brugler said.

"I think it's working pretty well," Lowery commented.