Running head: FOSTERING CHANGE WITH COLLEGE ATTENDANCE

Fostering Change in Multicultural College Environments Briana McNeil COUN 7132 Georgia Southern University Dr. Marina

FOSTERING CHANGE WITH COLLEGE ATTENDANCE Fostering Change in Multicultural College Environments Introduction I chose to discuss fostering change with college attendance for a state supported coed commuter school. The enrollment of this institution is eighteen thousand students and the tuition is seven thousand dollars a year. This institution is located in a major city and the student body is composed of international students, students from surrounding states and students who reside in the state, which makes up the majority of the population. The entering class is made up traditional students totaling one thousand four hundred fifty students and on average one hundred fifty non-traditional students transfer to the institution each year. The graduation rate for this institution consists of thirty-three percent graduating within four years and fifty-five percent graduating within five years. There are no concerns from the parents of the students attending the institution. Given that all these characteristics exist at this particular institution I believe that there are five major functional areas that would help to foster change with college attendance and also affect student success and they are; Registration and Enrollment Management, Off-campus Services, Academic Advising, Housing/Residence Life and International Student Affairs.

Functional Areas Registration and Enrollment Management There are many reasons why the retention rate of the college is low and why a student on campus may not continue the following semester or year. Nevertheless, if an institution wants to increase college attendance they need to develop a plan that will help increase registration enrollment for each semester. Two major factors that can decrease registration and enrollment are financial strain and also the working student. The attainment of a college education is an expensive endeavor. Factoring in a mortgage, bills, food and other household expenses tuition

FOSTERING CHANGE WITH COLLEGE ATTENDANCE can seem like a mountain of debt. The U.S. Census Bureau (2007) estimates that the median family income for two-parent families was $62,281 in 2003, compared with $26,550 for families with only the female parent present (Schuh, 2009). It is difficult for a two-parent household to handle a college education today and for a one-parent household it is even more complex. Students who come from single parent families will most likely require a greater need of financial aid to finance the students education. Today, parents face paying a whopping $40,000 a year at top-tier private universities and about half that at public institutions (Kadison & DiGeronimo, 2004). Many students cannot depend on their parents to help wit the cost of education because they just do not have the funds available. Because of this many students are left to finance and pay their way through college. They are many students who struggle to balance working full-time, attending school parttime and in some instances full-time, a family to provide for at home and many other things that could impact whether or not the student chooses to enroll during the next semester. If these nontraditional students are forced to choose between enrolling the next semester or working extra hours the upcoming semester so that they can afford tuition, they will most likely choose to sit out a semester and work instead. A theory that relates to this functional area is King and Kitcheners Reflective Judgment Model. Reflective judgment is needed when a problem is real and ill-structured, having no known or right answer or solution (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). I consider the example of financial strain and a working student to involve a time of reflective thinking of what is important at the time to the student. The student will reason and make decisions as an adult. The student will know that there may not be a definite answer that is right or wrong to solve their

FOSTERING CHANGE WITH COLLEGE ATTENDANCE problem. The theory does through development from a young adult to an adult in college. The student must rationalize and work through what decision will be best for them.

Off-campus Services Students who are involved in meaningful off-campus events such as a service learning project or extra-curricular activities will help to influence growth of the student. Kohlbergs Theory of Moral Development is what I would relate to this situation. Integrating moral and ethical decision making throughout college experience positively influences growth (Parks, 2012). These learning activities will also increase awareness about issues in the surrounding communities as well as increase their civic and or community involvement. Students who are engaged with faculty, peers, and with activities off-campus have a greater chance of gaining more from their time during their college years. Another off-campus service that can be offered to students is mental health care. Credit could be offered for courses aimed at dealing with stress, time management and other issues. The University of Maryland found that 86 percent of the students who took their required course on mental health returned for their sophomore year, compared to 69 percent of a comparable group who did not take the course (Kadison & DiGeronimo, 2004). This is a beneficial course and feature for an institution that not only benefits the school it also benefits the student now and in the future.

Academic Advising One solution that will help increase college attendance is to require students to meet with their academic advisor before they can register for classes. At Georgia Southern University a student must obtain a registration pin, which they can only get from their advisor after they have

FOSTERING CHANGE WITH COLLEGE ATTENDANCE met and discussed plans for their curriculum. This will ensure that students are on the right path to their degree, which will help to increase their persistence to complete their degree. An institutions academic advising department is a very important aspect for the retention of students. One important goal of academic advising is assisting students in considering their life goals by relating their interests, skills, abilities, and values to careers, the world of work, and the nature and purpose of higher education (Love & Maxam, 2011). Students who feel that they are going in the right direction will be more inclined to continue with their studies and maintain their enrollment in school.

Housing/Residence Life Since this institution is a commuter school one big way to increase college attendance is to increase housing options for students. The institutional characteristics stated that the student body was mostly composed of in-state students and few students from surrounding states. If there were more on-campus housing there is a chance that more students from out of state will attend this institution. There is also a greater possibility that the students who live in the state and want to go away from home but not go to far will want to stay on campus as well. Newer student housing should be built on campus to help attract those students who otherwise would not want to attend.

International Student Affairs There are few international students who are enrolled at this institution and as a practitioner we must find out a way to meet their needs. In order to increase college attendance with our international student population, we must supply an environment in which they will feel comfortable mentally, physically and emotionally. Also necessary are retention programs that

FOSTERING CHANGE WITH COLLEGE ATTENDANCE offer tutoring, academic advising, and financial aid counseling; cultural centers that serve as physical homes and central gathering places for students, thus providing social anchors for those students most at risk of dropping out; and population-specific resources, organization, and offices that provide opportunities for identity development, cross-cultural learning and peer support (Chang, Milem, & Antonio, 2011). International students struggle on a daily basis to understand many things that we do and say on a daily basis. Even for those who are reasonably fluent in English (if that is their second language), it can be a daily struggle to think, speak, read, and write in a second language and to decipher the many American idioms, expressions, and euphemisms that they did not learn in their English-language classes back home (Kadison & DiGeronimo, 2004). For example, a student or professor may give an example in class and at the end reply Do you feel me? The person did not literally mean, feeling them but is implying if everyone else understands what they are trying to say to them. This is an instance where an international student may become confused in a classroom and if this happens regularly may lead to discouragement. A student development theory that I feel applies here is Chickerings Seven Vectors. The vectors are major highways for journeying toward individualizationthe discovery and refinement of ones unique way of beingand also toward communion with other individuals and groups, including the larger national and global society (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). I feel that this theory best describes what an international student may go through on their path to selfdiscovery while matriculating at an institution. Many times international students have to deal with family pressure to do well in college and pursue a particular major. The student through their studies as well as participation in programs and events on campus will find out what they want to do and who they are and where they plan on going after college. Therefore, the

FOSTERING CHANGE WITH COLLEGE ATTENDANCE International Student Affairs Department on this campus needs to develop and implement programs that foster international students identity development and a path for them to feel inclusive with the campus community. If there is not an International Student Affairs student organization or a Multicultural Affairs department available on campus then one needs to be created to show the students that the institution is making an effort to engage diversity on campus. All of these things collectively may help to increase and maintain college attendance of international students on this campus.

Conclusion The five major functional areas that were discussed in this paper are; Registration and Enrollment Management, Off-campus Services, Academic Advising, Housing/Residence Life and International Student Affairs. I believe that these five functional areas would best help to foster change with college attendance and also affect student success at the state supported coed commuter institution. Possible programs to implement at the institution and Student Development theories were discussed that helped to support ideas under functional areas. If higher education practitioners work to actively create programs and an environment where all students can thrive, the college attendance will increase.

FOSTERING CHANGE WITH COLLEGE ATTENDANCE References

Chang, M. J., Milem, J. F., & Antonio, A. L. (2011). Campus Climate and Diversity. In J. H. Schuh, S. R. Jones, S. R. Harper, & a. Associates, Student Services: A Handbook for the Profession (5th Edition ed., pp. 43-58). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Kadison, R., & DiGeronimo, T. (2004). College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis ans What to Do About It. San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Love, P., & Maxam, S. (2011). Advising and Consultation. In J. H. Schuh, S. R. Jones, S. R. Harper, & a. Associates, Student Services: A Handbook for the Profession (5th Edition ed., pp. 413-432). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Parks, F. M. (2012). Contemporary College Student: Moral Development. Georgia Southern University, Department of Leadership, Technology and Human Development. Statesboro: Georgia Southern University. Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research (Vol. 2). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Schuh, J. H. (2009). Fiscal Pressures on Higher Education and Student Affairs. In G. S. McClellan, J. Stringer, & a. Associates, The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration (3rd Edition ed., pp. 81-104). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.