Established in 1998, the Asian/Pacific Islander/South Asian American Peer Advising Family Network (PAFN) was created to provide transitional support to incoming first year and transfer students who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander/South Asian.

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History

The Peer Advising Family Network was created in 1998 to provide peer mentoring for incoming first year and transfer Asian/Pacific Islander/South Asian American (APISAA) students. It is a student-run mentoring program, sponsored by Multicultural Student Services, and advised by member of the MSS professional staff.

Purpose

PAFN is intended to be a pan-ethnic, multicultural program that values the diversity of our student body. Our mission is to:

1. Ease the transition of for incoming Asian and Asian American students and create a sense of community.
2. Provide support and facilitate academic, social, and emotional growth for incoming students.
3. Serve as a resource and support in developing one’s personal identity beyond their individual backgrounds.

Family Structure

To meet our mission goals, we set up a distinctive and unique family system, where upperclassmen serve as mentors for a small group of incoming students. They provide advice about university life ranging from academics to relationships, almost acting as parents. The incoming students, or children, form lifelong bonds with their parents and their fellow siblings. Furthermore, each family is placed into a larger family (P, A, F, or N family) where two advisors serve as family heads.