For freshmen, learning things the hard way may be a thing of the past. Mark Smertneck, a junior majoring in electrical engineering, has designed a program that would match new Ohio State students with an older student who would act as a sponsor.The sponsor would be an informal source of guidance for freshmen. Many times, students unfamiliar with the area don’t know any upperclassmen and have no one to go to for advice, he said.”Maybe a new student isn’t comfortable contacting an adviser or another authority figure and would just like to have someone who is more of a friend,” Smertneck said.Smertneck designed the program as part of a class project. He is currently working with Thomas L. Minnick, associate dean of University College, to implement the program. If 30 OSU students volunteer to act as sponsors, the program could begin as early as next quarter. So far, only 10 have volunteered.Students interested in volunteering can get more information by sending Smertneck an e-mail. Smertneck’s experiences as a freshman gave him the inspiration for the program.”When I got here I didn’t know where anything was and I needed an iron. I ended up going to City Center and buying one at Lazarus. The cheapest one was $80,” he said. Students unfamiliar with the area need to know the basics, like where retail stores are located, he said. “It would’ve been helpful to have someone to go to if I didn’t already know an older person in my dorm. It was really helpful to have someone here to show me the ins and outs of the university,” said Sarah Rice, a freshman majoring in pre-pharmacy.There wouldn’t be any scheduled meeting times. Freshmen could simply call their sponsor when they have a question or concern. A sponsor could be assigned multiple students.Students will be matched up for a quarter, but they would be encouraged to remain in touch, Smertneck said.”The positives far outweigh the negatives. I feel like being a volunteer would be a great contribution,” he said.If student volunteers are really busy one quarter, they could remove themselves from the program without hassle, Smertneck said.Samuel Ridley, a junior majoring in communications, said the program could help thousands of freshmen.”A mentor is something anyone could use. You can never succeed without the help of someone else,” he said.