Senior Kaci Danhauer, of Morganfield, Ky., meets with junior Shane Satterfield, of Henderson, Ky., as a Peer Intrusive Advisor in the Downing University Center Academic Advising and Retention Center. The works there 20 hours a week, and meets with students, checking up on student's progress in classes. CHRIS WILSON/HERALD

When Mansfield senior Kaci Danhauer became a peer interest adviser three years ago, she had no idea the impact she could have on hundreds of lives.

Danhauer is one of 11 peer interest advisers for the Best Expectation Programs. She helps students who are on academic probation or who have received low ACT scores, said Jessica Staten, assistant director of the Academic Advising and Retention Center.

“A lot of students blame their bad grades on work, but I work too,” Danhauer said. “I wanted to show students you can be involved in campus activities, work and maintain a good GPA.”

Apart from working 20 hours per week, Danhauer is a member of Kappa Delta sorority and a full-time student with a 3.66 overall grade point average.

BEP focuses on student achievement and is available for freshmen through seniors. Each adviser has monthly meetings with between 70 and 100 students, Staten said.

Danhauer said the first and second appointments with students are used to identify any red flags within their schedule and set realistic goals.

The third appointment is geared more toward preparing for finals week and showing students how and when to study, she said.

Danhauer said she tells students to check their e-mail accounts daily, attend class and start studying now.

They’ll set themselves up for failure if they put things off to the last minute, she said.

This spring, there are 986 students registered in BEP, 20 of whom are already in good standing and registered themselves in the program voluntarily, Staten said.

“I had a student who was in the program for three semesters, and we finally got him back to good standing,” Danhauer said. “He came back last semester, and he just had a new attitude. Now when I see him, he always thanks me, and he’s just very appreciative of our help.”

Bowling Green senior Alicia Reece advises freshmen and hosts orientation meetings for new students.

She said advisers take many things into account, including work and study habits, classroom attendance and fifth-week assessments for freshmen.

At the end of the semester, the peer advisers are always anxious to see how many students met their academic goals, Danhauer said.

“We want to know how helpful we were to our peers,” she said.

Out of the 435 students registered in the program last semester, 64 percent maintained at least a 2.0 GPA, Staten said.

“That’s a good thing for us to see students succeed,” Danhauer said. “That’s what makes the job worthwhile.”

BEP students who are on academic probation must also complete six study hours per week, participate in two workshops from the Academic Advantage Series and develop a plan to get off academic probation, Staten said.

“Just because a student is in this program — it doesn’t mean they can’t do the work,” Reece said. “They’re more than capable — they just need that little push to get them there.”