Kayleen Aures/THE REVIEW
Munson, an honors faculty member and chemistry professor for 50 years at the university, passed this summer shortly after retiring from his position.
BY Kevin Travers
Staff Review
As the weather grows colder and the sun sets earlier, honors peers of all ages gather in a Redding lounge to find solace from their schoolwork during the weekly Munson Fellows study break.
An escape from stress, the special tradition features junk food, board games, socialization and gummy bears. Now, it also memorializes the late founder of the Honors Fellows Program: Burnaby Munson.
Munson, an honors faculty member and chemistry professor for 50 years at the university, passed this summer shortly after retiring from his position. The Munson Fellows, which is the Living Learning Community (LLC) that bears his name, continues to embody his spirit for serving the community and dedication to mentorship.
The Munsons are just a small subsection of the Honors Program as a whole, but function as a group of peer mentors from all different majors that live with first-year students and offer immediate advice when it is needed, as well as organizing community events.
Ari August, a Munson Fellow and senior biological studies major, said she loves the program. She remembers Munson’s visits to study breaks fondly and also enjoyed attending cookout picnics at Munson’s house every semester.
August said she loves being a leader within the program, which functions as an academic support system for new honors students. It’s similar to being a Resident Assistant (RA), but where RAs deal more with administrative support, such as housing issues, Fellows serve as helping hands specifically for the academic of college life, while simultaneously becoming friendly upperclassmen faces that younger students can look for.
“We meet with our residents throughout the semester — we call them quarter checks — and we also meet with them throughout the week,” August said. “It’s phenomenal. We get one-on-one time with every resident and learn how to better support them, and care for them holistically.”
August said if residents in the LLC have questions, the Fellows can point them in the right direction, like toward academic advisors. Fellows also try to get to know their residents as best they can through events and one-on-one meetings to offer the best support they can.
“This year something new is we gave commuters a Munson Fellow, so commuting upperclassmen can serve as a helping hand to commuting students,” August said.
Faculty like the Honors Program co-curricular coordinator Sarah Dobe-Hund work diligently within the program as advisors who enjoy celebrating Munson’s legacy by helping new students on their path through college years, as well as continuing to guide veteran Fellows as they mentor their residents.
“Because they are in the halls, they get a lot of the first line questions and coordinate new students into resources within the Honors Program,” Dobe-Hund said. “They also have quarterly meetings with students to help ensure they are fitting in on campus and putting in the academic work necessary to fit into honors classes.”
The Honors Program was started in 1976. Though he was new on the university campus, Dobe-Hund said Munson helped develop the Honors Program into a four-year program, including a first-year residence aspect.
Kevin Travers/THE REVIEW
Louis Redding Hall, where first-year Honors students reside.
In the early years, the location of the honors residency program kept changing: from the Dickinson Fellows, then the Russell Fellows, until finally it was proposed that the program could be named after Munson himself.
Munson would lead as honors director and begin the study break tradition bringing gummy bears and junk food to common rooms over the course of the next five decades, until finally leaving the program in the hands of his trusted students and faculty peers.
After Munson’s retirement, program leaders wanted to celebrate his legacy but also fill the gap the founding father left. The organizing faculty recently began inviting professors and faculty as guests to the Munson study breaks and other community events in order to encourage the community connections that Munson inspired.
Dobe-Hund said that along with Wednesday night study breaks, the Honors Program hosts “coffee house” talent shows every semester that see over 100 students in attendance. The program also invites students to meet with honors faculty in social events such as “dessert with the director” where new students can meet the Honors Program Director Michael Chajes.
Chajes said that the residency aspect of the Fellows program is one of the signature components of the Honors Program. The presence of older honors students right in the dorms to answer questions and help point new students adjust to campus and academics is a major strength of the overall Honors Program.
“Burnaby understood the students very well, he understood the student condition,” Chajes said. “That’s why he really cared about the students working hard but being balanced “He really wanted to engage with students, and that’s sort of what the Fellows strive for. It takes a certain type of student who really gets fulfillment out of mentoring.”
There are 17 Fellows in all this year, including veteran returning Fellows like August and newcomers to the program as well. Emily Reburn, a sophomore accounting major, is a first-year Fellow, who said she was encouraged by her own mentor Fellows to get more involved in the program.
“We live with the residents, it’s really cool and fun we get to hang out in the lounge and interact with them daily,” Reburn said. “It’s good to have us here so if they ever have questions, we are there for them.”
Reburn said that while she never met Munson in person, his legacy precedes him, and she is grateful that he started the support program that introduced her to the other Fellows and residents of the Honors Program.
Kevin Travers/THE REVIEW
Munson Fellows pose for a photo during during a study break.
Shuja Abbas, a senior chemical engineering major, has been involved in the Honors Program since freshman year and now serves as a returning veteran Fellow.
Abbas said that the legacy Munson left behind is about building the community and highlighting the importance of peer connections through one-on-one meetings as well as large events the program orchestrates.
“It’s one of the best ways to stay involved, [it’s] a great leadership experience for older honors students,” Abbas said. “Some of the events we run can have hundreds of students in attendance. Especially with our boss, Sarah Dobe-Hund. She helps us stay organized with bi-weekly meetings both one-on-one and with the whole group. Being a Munson has helped me balance my classes and my extracurriculars.”
Abbas said he would recommend that anyone within the Honors Program should get involved in the Fellows as a fun option to stay involved in the community and a great leadership opportunity.
Being a mentor has been a fulfilling experience, Abbas said. He hopes to return after graduating from the university, like many alumni Fellows, to continue his involvement in giving back to the community that helped him feel connected to campus and secure within his academic experience.
A memorial service will be held Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. in Mitchell Hall for any and all to celebrate the impactful life of Burnaby Munson.