Student Survey 2009-10
If you feel that evening student needs are not being met, why not and how can it be improved?
Teachers take over 2 weeks to even attempt answering questions, student advisors make no attempt to
contact students after being contacted by the student.
More staff at night
Lighting is terrible in the parking lot! Security and safety reasons!
It would help evening students if the Financial Aid Services Office were open until at least 6 PM.
Lights need to be better in the parking lot at night for students.
Some faculty are late to classes.
The hours of the library should be extended for the students who are less fortunate to have access to certain
material he or she may need for a course.
The library closes too early. What about the classes that start at 7. No counselors after 5.
Need more financial aid services for evening students.
I think that the library as well as the financial aid services should be open longer to serve evening students.
I feel that the lighting in the parking lot at night is not enough. At times it is hard to find my vehicle because it
is so dark out there. Also anyone could be waiting for someone to exit the building and rob them.
Leave the library open later and have some office staff available.
I don’t see financial aid, counselors, or security. More visible security would be better.
Bookstore and other essential services should be made available for longer hours (ex. Smithfield bookstore
closes at 6:30 pm, sometimes I don’t get off work until 7:00 pm).
Admissions/guidance could stay open later to accommodate late workers better. Campus security is virtually
nonexistent at the Smithfield branch.
The bookstore hours are not convenient. Students have to miss work in order to get their books.
The only reason I say that evening students’ needs aren’t being met is because no one is here and the
computer labs are locked up.
Campus Security should assist students to cars after class. The college doors lock behind you and if any car
problems, you are left alone.
I think that there should be some security cameras and better parking spaces for evening classes. I feel like
I have to walk to my car faster and cannot stay out in the dark for long. It just bugs me that the school
security seems like a “oh there is nothing to worry about” attitude.
The lights need to be brighter in the parking lot and I have never seen a security guard.
Lights outside
The only thing that the school can really do is put some brighter lights at the Franklin campus because if you
have a night class you can’t see very well and that is not safe.
We need security and better lighting in the parking lot.
More services such as financial aid, counselors, and longer library hours.
I do not have a computer at home and I cannot leave home to come to the computer lab until my husband
comes home. I have a 2 year old and an 11 year old. Sometimes the lab is closed when I finally get to the
college.
Never seen a security guard (2)
My evening classes start at 7 PM. If I have the chance to get to campus an hour early, everything is closed
already except the library; however, they promptly want you out around 6:50 PM. As far as security, there is
none. All doors are open to everyone, no metal detectors, no cameras, and no security on campus.
Financial Aid Services need to be more available to all students.
Aon certain days the financial aid office should stay open a little later.
I am an evening student and on more than one occasion financial aid lost my paper work or actually had me
fill out the wrong paper work. Not exactly satisfactory service. As far as counseling services, I am amazed
they offer than since I had not actually seen one yet even after I had called and came by.
The library and computer lab should stay open later!!
Bookstore hours could be open a little bit longer to make it easier to purchase the required materials for your
classes. It was difficult for me to make it in time to get my books because of my job.
I feel that the counseling, financial aid, and even the campus security are not available in the evening.
I have never seen any security. The library closes rather early. Need more counseling presence.
What could you not find in the library?
There were no books relevant to the American Revolution. Not to mention that there were obnoxiously loud
children that were unsupervised and left there by a man going to a class.
Books for research for my specific topic.
Hard time navigating the site.
Bibliographies
What suggestions do you have to improve services?
The student lounge is always full of obnoxious males making rude comments and using toms of profanity.
Classes are always interrupted with someone’s cell phone ringing or their continuous talking. Student
advisor makes no attempt to re-contact me after I have contacted her with questions regarding my
enrollment. Library does not have the proper books needed for all classes. The library is used as a daycare
facility. Counselors never seem to be available. The overall atmosphere is horrible. People use it as a
hangout and a few are not even enrolled at the college. They just hang out there and try to get dates with
various females.
The college web page needs more information. The class hours need to be more flexible.
The classrooms need to have areas for larger students that can not fit in a desk properly.
The vending machines needs more variety and maybe add a vending machine with sandwiches.
Having teachers teach us instead of us teaching ourselves.
The whole lounge is kind of bland…spruce it up!!!
More variety in the vending machine drink selection
I think that the library and financial aid services should be open longer.
Nursing labs are outdated. Equipment does not work. It seems all of the broken and old equipment is
donated there. I was unable to even practice in skills lab in how to take a digital temp.
Admissions is always busy and the wait time was a bit long. Hours were extended but workers come in later
or leave earlier.
The student lounge could be improved by adding more to offer students. Most campuses have pool tables
and such.
The bookstore could be open longer.
Classrooms are relatively small for the number of students.
Desks in the classrooms could be bigger.
st
Chalkboards could be brought in the 21 century.
Sometimes the lab needs to stay open longer, because of people and their jobs.
The bookstore hours could be extended to at least 5:30.
The student lounge could be cleaner and with a little more relaxing feeling.
Not enough clubs
Most of the time I don’t get an answer when I call. You could have someone or an automated system to
direct to whom I am trying to reach.
Sometimes the people in the office need to be more understanding of students’ situations and try to relate
rather than assuming they know what the student needs.
Need new chalk boards, new desks, and better advising.
There are not really any clubs that a lot of people would find interesting. Maybe there could be a club where
people go out once a month and catch a moving ant then discuss it.
Need more activities and clubs.
College website could be a slight bit better.
The bookstore doesn’t carry a lot of pens and other things
Some of the classrooms have chairs that are too small for a big person like myself
The seats are unbelievably hard and uncomfortable. It is very hard to concentrate when I am in pain sitting
in these seats.
I think the vending machines are asking for to much money for what you get.
Vending machines were not stocked the other day.
When I call PDCCC, the phone is not being answered a lot of the time.
Need more vending machines.
Need job placement services.
The ladies at the Admissions Office need to act as if they are interested in their job.
I think there should be more online classes offered. I am not happy with the online course I am currently
taking: the content is sufficient, but the instruction leaves much to be desired.
What would make the new student orientation day more beneficial?
Display or talk about financial aid options.
Maybe more of the instructors could be there to represent their departments.
If we were offered a scholarship
More detailed instructions on how to navigate blackboard for first time users
Tour of all the areas used and procedures
Orientation for one day during one specific time is not helpful for those of us with jobs and families. You tube
the speech and allow an online chat forum to answer questions. USE AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY.
Have more times to choose from
Meet teachers
More strategies on survival skills
Hand out more information about the college
More explanation on certain topics like college hours
Coffee
More presentations
If they would show us the classroom…instead of telling us where to go. Most of the time the classes are
moved around and most students don’t know where to go.
What would make the SDV course and/or the customized textbook better?
More class discussion
More diagrams
If it were more entertaining
The college catalog and a student handbook would be better than a $40 textbook
Make the information meaningful. I don’t care to know that the VCCS consists of 23 community colleges.
Bring back the catalog.
I think it would be interesting to offer it online. Since the college catalog is online and the SDV class work
coincides with Blackboard Application, maybe a link or a tab within blackboard?
It would make things better if they made sure that all students had their books on time.