Dan Bassill, founder of the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) in Chicago in 1993 and the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC in 2011, is a 1968 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and received an honorary PhD from IWU in 2001 for his work in helping tutor/mentor programs grow in high poverty areas of Chicago. Bassill was a member of the Illinois Wesleyan chapter of the Acacia Fraternity and his work is supported by many of his fraternity brothers. This 2019 presentation outlines at long-term goal of having teams of students/alumni of each fraternity chapter, on many college campuses, adopting the T/MC strategies as part of learning, leadership and public awareness goals. While it applies to Acacia the idea can be adopted by any college fraternity or sorority. You are encouraged to read this and other visual essays authored by Dan Bassill, then create and share your own versions, as part of your own leadership effort.

1. While young people come to college to learn,
learning is supported by their involvement in social
fraternities. Can we enhance this process with an
on-going “learning-service” program led by the
youth themselves? Can such work create a more
positive public image for the fraternity system, or for
those who take this role?
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net tutormentor2@earthlink.net On Twitter @tutormentorteam
LEADERSHIP:
Role of Fraternities In Supporting Growth
of Tutor/Mentor Pipelines to Careers

2. GOAL: Prepare youth for challenges that await them
after High School and College.
In book titled, The Global Achievement Gap, by Tony
Wagner, “Seven Survival Skills necessary for Careers,
College and Citizenship in the 21st
Century” were listed.
These are
• Critical thinking and Problem Solving
• Collaboration Across Networks and Leading by Influence
• Agility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Entrepreneurship
• Effective Oral and Written Communications
• Accessing and Analyzing Information
• Curiosity and Imagination
Pg. 2
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net

3. All of these skills can be practiced and developed by
students and alumni who take on roles with the
Tutor/Mentor Connection* project.
In doing so, these skills can
also be taught to youth living in
high poverty and attending
poorly performing public
schools, where these ideas
may not be being taught
consistently.
Read more about universities adopting this
strategy.
https://tutormentor.blogspot.com/search/label/u
niversityTMC
Pg. 3
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net
*Since 2011 the Tutor/Mentor Connection has been part of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC

4. Goal of the Tutor/Mentor Connection project.
Students and alumni at each university take ownership of Tutor/Mentor
Connection role, focusing on the growth of volunteer-based tutoring
and/or mentoring programs in the city where the university is located.
Pg.
4
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net

5. What does this mean? What does a T/MC Do?
The Tutor/Mentor Connection was formed in Chicago in
1993, and has been part of Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC
since 2011. It shares its strategies on web sites such as
http://www.tutormentorexchange.net
Through a formal learning and networking process,
students and alumni at one or more chapters can begin
learning what these actions are, while duplicating them in
their own city.
Pg. 5
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net
https://tutormentorexchange.net/mission

6. As Each Team Learns, It Shares What It is Learning
with people within its university and with Teams from
other Universities
The actions of the Tutor/Mentor
Connection (T/MC) and Tutor/Mentor
Institute, LLC in Chicago are the model
that each team will learn from. As the
T/MC focuses on key events in different
times of the year, local chapters will focus
on the same events and the actions
needed to duplicate that event locally.
As students (and alumni) learn from this
process, they share what they learn with
each other, and with the Chicago T/MC.
We learn and improve by helping each
other.
Pg 6
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net

7. How to Start? What’s the First Step?
Join the Acacia discussion at
http://tutormentorconnection.ning.com/group/acaciafraternity
Post link to this from home page, or service projects
page, of local chapter, or National web site. Point to
this in each publication with small ad, or stories
recognizing teams as they get involved.
In this group the Chicago T/MC will coach those who
get involved. There is no minimum enrollment, or
maximum. We work with who ever chooses to get
involved.
Read more
http://tutormentorinstitute.wikidot.com/university-partnerships
Pg. 7
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net

8. Tipping Point
When an individual, or group of
individuals accepts that he/she
can change what happens in the
world, we unleash the creative
talent of that person or group of
people, to innovate ways to make
this happen.
Pg. 8
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net
Dan Bassill, an Illinois Wesleyan alumni and Acacia
Fraternity member, launched the Tutor/Mentor Connection
in 1993 after the shooting death of a 7-year-old boy in the
Cabrini-Green area of Chicago. While the news media
were calling for action, Bassill said “Enough”. Anyone can
do the same.

9. Review T/MC event calendar; ask “What is T/MC Focusing
on, and Why?” How can you duplicate this event locally?
Between 1994 and 2015 T/MC events focused on actions which were timely for that time of year,
such as volunteer-recruitment in August, and fund raising in December. However, each event is
intended to spur thinking and planning that thinks three, six and nine months into the future. While
T/MC no longer hosts these events, they are still needed.
Pg. 9
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net

10. While focusing on event planning, teams focus on building
understanding, and increasing involvement. These are
questions to be asking:
• What is level of poverty and location of
poorly performing schools in city?
• What organizations engage volunteers in
one-on-one activities with youth in these
neighborhoods?
• Where is information on these local
organizations shared? T/MC Program Locator
is sample?
• How do we get more people to look at this
information?
• How do we draw people into learning circles
where they build understanding of the
information?
• How do we use this understanding to
encourage more people to volunteer time,
talent or donate dollars to these
organizations?
Pg. 10
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net

11. As students learn T/MC concepts, they can learn to communicate
those ideas using video, animation, social media, etc.
An intern from IIT in Chicago
converted the concept map into a
flash animation
* View animation in this video:
https://vimeo.com/5840290
* Or in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRipJPgenFc
This shows use of
concept map
Pg. 11
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net
http://tinyurl.com/tmc-strategy-map

12. In the Ning groups, and on blogs or web sites hosted by each university
team, results and lessons learned are shared with others. Attention and
resources focus on all high poverty areas of each city. See uses of
maps at https://tutormentorexchange.net/mapping-the-programs
Pg. 12
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net

13. As students and alumni from each university take this role, they build greater visibility and
greater involvement in tutor/mentor programs in each city. This reflects positively on all
who are involved.
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net Pg. 13

14. Acacia teams!
Pg. 14
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net
Teams from many universities can take this role.

15. Acacia
Chapter
Focus area
Within each
chapter there
could be teams
focusing on
several different
focus areas.
A version of this concept map, created by undergrads, could be on each local
chapter's web site, showing the issues alumni and undergrads are focusing on..
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net Pg. 15

16. Acacia Fraternity Chapters
If this is adopted, maps should show
participation:

Icons on map show which chapters have learning teams in
place

Network analysis maps will show, alumni/undergrad chapter
members of each chapter are engaging

and how teams are interacting with each other.
A page on the chapter web site will show this information.
View conversation at
http://tutormentorconnection.ning.com/
group/acaciafraternity
Using http://www.mapalist.com each chapter could create a map like
this, showing addresses of alumni involved in this project. Students
could be building and maintaining these maps.
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net Pg. 16

17. The first step in recruiting leaders is
to be one ourselves.
Post this graphic, with a short invitation
to join the Tutor/Mentor Connection
discussion on Ning.com
Keep this invitation on your web site for
at least two years so people have time
to incubate the idea and decide to
respond. Once a small group forms,
their actions will motivate others to join
them, and will provide “stories” for you
to write about in your own publications.
Visit http://tutormentorconnection.ning.com
and http://tutormentorexchange.net and
Http://tutormentor.blogspot.com to learn more.
Email tutormentor2@earthlink.net to discuss.
Pg. 17
Tutor/Mentor Connection (1993-present), Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC (2011-present) www.tutormentorexchange.net
While this invitation is
focused on Acacia, it could
be adopted by any
fraternity or sorority, on
any college campus.