Semester Requirements

Meetings occur during mentors’ office hours and typically occur one-on-one. Mentors are available both in person at the lounge in GSSC 108 or virtually via Zoom. During these meetings, mentors will work with members on a success plan and cover specific topics relevant to members depending on their academic timeline. For example, mentors will discuss registration issues before registration opening and FAFSA before the priority deadline. Members are encouraged to come to meetings with questions or concerns that mentors can help manage. Although members are only required to complete 7 meetings, they are encouraged to attend more meetings within the semester. Additional meetings completed will be taken into consideration if students decide to apply for FISA scholarships.

Members that complete meetings with other groups (such as SSS-STEM, SSS-Teacher Prep, GTF Island Scholars Program, McNair Scholars, Island Harbor, and select others) may be counted towards their FISA meeting requirements for a maximum of three outside meeting credits. To submit outside meeting credits, please complete THIS FORM. Attendance will be verified with the appropriate group. Additionally, meetings that members complete with FISA mentors may count towards requirements in these other groups. To see if this is applicable for you, please speak to your mentor. 

Find your mentor’s office hours on the Meet the FISA Mentors page.

FIRST MEETING REQUIREMENT

All members are required to complete their first meeting within the first five weeks of the semester. Members are encouraged to set up this appointment as soon as possible or use posted mentor office hours to attend a walk-in meeting. This will allow members to get any updates for the semester and ensure that members start off strong on their requirements. Members who have not completed this requirement by the end of the fourth week of classes will receive a notification from their mentors. Members who have not completed the first meeting by the end of the fifth week will be dropped from the FISA roster and will not receive the benefits of a FISA membership for the rest of the semester. Dropped members will be placed on an information contact list where they will still receive newsletters and communications. They may reapply to be a part of FISA in the following semester.

FISA will host social events throughout the entire semester. During our recruitment period (approximately the first four weeks of the semester), we will host at least one per week. After the recruitment period, we will host them approximately every other week. These events allow you to connect with other first-generation students and build a network of support here on campus. All our events are come and go and you are NOT expected to stay for the entire time listed on the events. Please be sure to sign in to each event to ensure that you receive credit.

Check back here for a list of our events for Fall 2024. You can also join our i-Engage page where we will list all our events.

You can view the Calendar of events for FISA by clicking (Fall 2024 FISA Calendar) below. This is a live Calendar and will be updated frequently.  

To connect our members to the TAMU-CC and Corpus Christi community, we require that our Tier 1 and Tier 2 students complete at least 5 hours of community service. While students only need to complete 5 hours per semester, they are encouraged to complete more. Additional hours completed will be taken into consideration if students decide to apply for FISA scholarships. To find ways to gather hours, students should use GivePulse and i-Engage to find events happening on campus or around Corpus Christi. FISA will also create service events that are only for FISA members throughout the semester. These events will be listed here and on our i-Engage page. These opportunities will also be shared with members via email and newsletters.

Members should complete this form to provide proof of community service hours that are done outside of the FISA events. Members are asked to submit a photo that shows them at the community service event. They can also submit signed community service logs. Members are allowed to count any service hours they completed for other groups or organizations (such as for an honor society or for sorority/fraternity requirements).

You can use this resource for a list of Community Service Opportunities Outside of FISA. Any FISA volunteer events will be updated on the calendar. 

Members in Tier 3 will be asked to attend at least three supplemental events per semester. Supplemental events allow members to learn about professional roles and explore a variety of careers. These events are created to meet the needs of individual students. Members will be asked about their professional goals or interests and supplemental events will be created around member feedback. These events may be in a group or one-on-one setting depending on the needs described by members. Examples of these events could be a presentation given by a professional in the Corpus Christi area or a lunch/sit down meeting with a professional.