Alumni Survey 2011 (2006 graduates)1
University-wide Issues
What follows are direct comments students’ made in answer to the following questions: What had the
most positive impact on you during your time at Eastern? And, What had the most negative impact on
you during your time at Eastern?
Nothing Negative
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None, I had a great experience throughout my time at EIU. (CDS 8)
Eastern was positive to the development, anything negative was self-imposed. (ACC 43)
I don’t know. (ELEG 51)
Not much honestly, everything was great. (CIS 83)
I only had positive experiences. (XSCM 88)
I cannot really think of anything because I really loved my experience. (PSY 112)
Nothing, it was a wonderful experience. (PSY 128)
The music / Fine arts’ building being “under construction” my entire EIU experience was
ridiculous. (MUST 153)
I had a great experience at EIU, couldn’t ask for better. (ELEG 173)
None, it was all positive. (GST 204)
Nothing really- only was on campus twice as all classes were at other locations. (GST 243)
Honestly, nothing. (JOU 242)
Nothing comes to mind. (BAD 247)
None I had an excellent experience. (REC 252)
That I completed in four years- should have stayed longer! (REC 267)
Nothing really, I had a great experience at Eastern. (MAR 305)
Really nothing negative came from my time at Eastern. (GST 334)
I cannot think of anything that negatively impacted my experience at Eastern, IL. (SOC 336)
I really can’t think of anything- I loved Eastern. And I’ll be able to donate money once I have a
job. (XSCC 360)
I wish I had gotten to Eastern as a freshman instead of a sophomore. I feel bad I missed such an
important year. (ELEG 365)
Don’t recall any negative impacts. (ACC 378)
No negative moments to speak of. (FIN 380)
Nothing, overall I had the ideal college experience. (ECE 384)
Nothing related to EIU. (XHEF 388)
I honestly, cannot think of anything. (GST 425)
Nothing, I really enjoyed my time at EIU! (XHEB 444)
None- I loved EIU. (PSY 472)
Nothing, I highly recommend EIU to anyone. (SOC 490)
There wasn’t anything that affected me negatively. (XHEF 498)
Nothing, college was great. (ENG 522)
I don’t think anything really impacted me negatively while attending Eastern. (XSPR 525)
I cannot think of any significant negative experiences at Eastern. My time at the school was
mostly positive. (PSY 555)
1
The numbers in parentheses following the comments are reference numbers to alumni identification data. More
information about the alumni who made the comments is available. Major codes are listed after each comment.
University-Wide Issues, Prepared by the Center for Academic Support and Assessment, October 2011, p. 1
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Nothing really, Eastern is a wonderful place to be. (XHEF 556)
Nothing really comes to mind--everything was a growing experience that got me to this point
today. (XHEB 561)
I loved Eastern and miss it! Not a bad word to say about it. (JOU 569)
I can honestly look back to my time at EIU as a lasting positive impact on my life. (FIN 570)
I did not have any negative experiences while I attended Eastern. I greatly appreciate everything
Eastern has done for me. (PSY 690)
I recall no negative experiences or impacts. (SOC 732)
Facilities/Services/Community/Staff
Positive Impact
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Working for the university. (XSPR 22)
Diverse student base. (ACC 25)
Reading at the library. (MGT 29)
A chance to get out and enjoy the benefits of a degree and being around other people. (GEG 33)
Helpfulness of the disability support services; textbook rental service. (HIS 38)
Also, I believed the resume and cover letter workshops helped me prepare for the future. (ELEG
58)
University people and culture, very friendly and safe environment to learn. (CIS 66)
Resources. (GST 84)
Enjoyed rec. center. (ELEG 87)
Community support. (XSPR 113)
Community members in Charleston. (XPET 117)
Working in the career services office. (PED 124)
Staff, community events. (ELEM 136)
Library. (FIN 142)
Community atmosphere. (XHDT 166)
My work study and the physical plant. (PSY 219)
The library. (FLS 220)
Encountering other cultures and backgrounds. (PSY 221)
It was a great experience all around. (CDS 254)
The feeling of comfort. Never had a bad year—enjoyed it to the fullest. (REC 267)
Booth library was/is phenomenal. (ARTG 270)
EIU’s book rental program helped keep cost of buying expensive textbooks down. Good
interaction. (ELEG 276)
The transfer program was helpful in making me feel welcomed and involved. The EIU campus is
beautiful. I always felt safe, plenty of places to study. (CDS 288)
I was a transfer student which made my experience a little less special when compared to a four
year experience. Overall, my experience was good. (CIS 293)
The entire experience! I wouldn’t change a thing. (JOU 300)
Great campus. (PED 317)
The overall environment. I loved every moment and every part of EIU! (ELEM 345)
The library, cultural exhibits, work study—working for the university; planning and institutional
studies. (PSY 347)
My student work jobs that I did. (SOC 374)
Campus inclusion, department diversity. (ENG 372)
The whole atmosphere. Everyone was nice, friendly and helpful. (XHEB 444)
Campus environment and the library. Also the soccer fields. (FLS 476)
Campus in general; loved every second of it. (XSCM 487)
It was overall a very positive experience. (SOC 510)
Living in Charleston and being involved with the campus and community. (GST 538)
University-Wide Issues, Prepared by the Center for Academic Support and Assessment, October 2011, p. 2
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Diversity. (PED 558)
Nice campus. (CDS 581)
Sense of community. (PSY 582)
The people and campus. (XHEB 584)
Trying different things. (HIST 603)
I loved every minute of being at EIU. (PED 604)
The walking campus. (ELEG 619)
Student employment. (MGT 627)
Eastern Illinois University made me feel at home throughout my time there. (XPET 624)
The Health Education Resource Center. (XHEB 644)
The friendly atmosphere with other students and the cleanliness of the school. (ELEG 647)
The campus and staff. I like the smallness and design of the campus. Parking sucks though. (COS
659)
Sue Songer and the International Programs Department. (MGT 670)
I loved the clean upkeep and new campus. EIU was affordable so I could focus on classes and not
financial issues. (XSPC 682)
Student life and EIU alumni returning to give speeches on how their time at EIU helped them
succeed. (FIN 703)
The newly renovated library was wonderful. (XPET 706)
My three years at the library in the Dean’s office. (XHEB 707)
The campus was very nice. (SOC 722)
I loved EIU. It was the best years of my life. (XSCM 725)
Campus atmosphere. (SOC 745)
Negative Impact
Parking
 The parking was difficult. (HIST 10)
 Student parking was terrible. (ELEG 320)
 I thought the parking situation was the thing I least enjoyed. I’m not sure if I know a way to
improve it, but that was my least favorite thing about Eastern. (FLS 413)
 My only complaint would be lack of parking spots on campus but that is probably not possible so
it’s not a big deal. (REC 465)
 Parking was complicated all the time. (ELEM 471)
 There was never any parking. (INT 587)
 Parking tickets were ridiculous. (ELEG 733)
 On campus parking tickets, all parking should be free! (MGT 753)
Charleston/Locality
 Fewer cultural events than other places I have lived. (GEG 203)
 The area was small and secluded. No opportunities but to get caught up in “college life”. (PSY
125)
 My Junior/Senior year landlord… but that has nothing to do with EIU! (ELEM 136)
 I am from Jamaica, and was used to 90 degree weather. The cold was too much for me. (SOC
172)
 Being in such a small town there was nothing to do. (SPES 230)
 The lack of extracurricular in Charleston negatively impacted me. The lack of culture, arts, and
entertainment left students spending their time drinking and stunting their education. (PSY 256)
 The small town atmosphere was difficult to get used to at first. (ELEG 512)
 The city of Charleston does not offer many cultural experiences. (PLS 595)
 The community and police in Charleston I did not like. (BIO 674)
University-Wide Issues, Prepared by the Center for Academic Support and Assessment, October 2011, p. 3
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Town of Charleston there was not much to do. (MGT 677)
Charleston is not a fun town, not much to do. (CDS 750)
The entire town was small with nothing to do. (ECN 791)
Campus/Facilities/Units
 Not having the music/fine arts building completed. It was under construction the whole time.
(SPEE 47)
 The lack of support post-graduation made it difficult. I’d like to have access to my records online,
especially to an unofficial copy of my transcript. (HIS 71)
 Conflict with the EIU bookstore over rented books which had previous markings! I think I doled
out close to $600 in book fines. (GST 73)
 Campus was not very culturally diverse to prepare for working in a Title 1 school currently.
(ELEG 91)
 It’s not so much a “negative” impact, but I wish I would have known about all the support
services available to me when starting school and how to use them to my benefit. (XSPC 181)
 The time and confusion surrounding the application of admission process, that process needs
simplification. (ELEG 189)
 The bus service to Art Park West sucked big time. Riding my bike to class with a giant portfolio
was not easy. (ARTG 270)
 The campus did not seem as diverse as I had hoped it would be. Possibly the class choices I had
have an influence on these feelings. (XHEF 292)
 Lack of support from counseling center and being treated poorly by student affairs brought me
down. Disability services did not understand the ADA rules/ did not provide appropriate support.
(ELEM 352)
 Art Park west was the worst experience. (ARTG 410)
 Not having a real art building on campus. Art Park West wasn’t the best facility. (ARTT 412)
 I was in a cohort program and did not get to experience life on campus at Charleston. (SPES 423)
 The lack of support from administration was negative. (PED 429)
 Summer freshman orientation leader, he was rude and tactless. I am sure he was one of many
excellent leaders. However, he made a negative impression of EIU to me and my family. (ECE
446)
 School is not very diversified- needs more to do for African American students. I was a
nontraditional student who came to Eastern when I was 30 years old. (GST 485)
 I would have to say the road construction going on by buzzard hall during the 2010-2011 school
year- middle school endorsement. (ELEG 517)
 The counselors were useless. (XSCM 524)
 Being housed in the old County Market building for art studio classes was a pain for me. (ARTT
537)
 Lack of attention to the arts, I know there is a new art building now, but not when I attended EIU.
(ARTT 571)
 The business building was a great building where most of my classes were. However, the other
buildings surrounding it were out dated and ill-equipped. (MAR 610)
 Computer access was minimal. (BIOE 625)
 The lack of services or attention to nontraditional/ commuter students was frustrating. (SOC 672)
 Constant construction around campus got to be tiring. (XPET 706)
 I was not impressed with Health Services. (XPET 735)
 School is sort of in the middle of nowhere, but I hear it is growing. (HIST 738)
 The department being remodeled and having to take classes off campus in a bad facility was an
annoyance. (ARTS 748)
 The constant construction throughout campus was unattractive to me. (JOU 763)
University-Wide Issues, Prepared by the Center for Academic Support and Assessment, October 2011, p. 4
Personal Growth/Issues
Positive Impact
 Independence I had at Eastern helped mold me into the person I am today. (PSY 3)
 Gained a lot of self-confidence by finishing my degree and respect. Learned to manage my time
by working full time and going to school. (GST 15)
 Also learning that I was able to tackle difficult subjects. (GEL 59)
 Maintaining more responsibilities (budget, bills, etc.); gaining more independence. (HSTC 96)
 Just being there. (SOC 212)
 It made me a better, more mature person. (MGT 226)
 Regularly attending classes and developing my own work ethic. (PED 244)
 I was positively impacted by my minor in women’s studies. I was involved with women’s studies
clubs which helped develop my leadership skills and community involvement. (PSY 256)
 Being involved in different campus activities (sorority, athletics, and clubs) taught me time
management skills which I transferred to my professional life. (ELEG 266)
 Becoming more knowledgeable of people. (PSY 319)
 The most positive impact I had while at EIU was my work experience which was by no way
associated with the college. (XHEB 331)
 My most positive experiences and lessons were learned from people I encountered, from
instructors, staff, students, and local residents. (ARTS 354)
 I opened up to people and became more social than I ever could have imagined. My public
speaking improved. (PLS 361)
 The ability to work with others that had differences of opinion. (FIN 380)
 Developed independence. (ELEM 402)
 Learn responsibility on my own. (XSCM 419)
 Networking. (MAR 408)
 I worked a full time job in the healthcare field at CCAR so it helped me relate my current work
experience with the information I was learning. (HSTC 411)
 The most positive impact on me during my time at Eastern was myself. I wanted to complete
college for my parents. (XHEF 431)
 Learning to balance extracurricular activities, sorority life, work and school load. (XSCM 452)
 Still trying to figure this out. (SOC 461)
 That I was in charge of improving my status in life. (GST 482)
 Attitude towards others and more self confidence. (GST 590)
 Living on my own independently. (SOC 623)
 Learning independence and interacting with people from different walks of life. (ENG 653)
 My leadership skills were strengthened by joining different organizations. (HIST 685)
 Learning more independence by this having been the first time I lived alone and far away from
friends and family. (PSY 714)
 I was able to gain personal growth by being independent from my family. (GST 718)
 Gaining independence (ELEG 733)
Negative Impact
 Marriage--taking time away from spouse, he was resentful that I was away taking classes,
ultimately divorced. (GST 15)
 The stress of tests, papers, and due dates in general. (PSY 54)
 Trying to juggle work, bills and school while fitting in a social life was very difficult. (PED 62)
 My commute to campus was really the only negative in my 2 years at Eastern. (SCIB 95)
 I felt there was small communication and not much opportunity. (JOU 115)
 This has nothing to do with EIU, but it was extremely difficult to work, take care of family and
home while attending evening and weekend classes. (GST 149)
University-Wide Issues, Prepared by the Center for Academic Support and Assessment, October 2011, p. 5
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Personal issues, though the counseling I received at counseling center helped tremendously.
(HSTC 171)
My circumstances not related to Eastern. I would have preferred to attend school during fall and
spring semesters not every summer. (XSPR 186)
Stress!!!! (COS 187)
My only negative experiences were homesick[ness]. (FLS 239)
The stress of learning time management. (PSY 263)
Dealing with all the stressors that college/university life presents. But having access to your
counseling center helped me deal with everything. (ELEG 266)
Having bad study habits, not prepared for college. (PSY 272)
Just trying to juggle a full time job, homework and kids! (GST 273)
Just the driving from Rantoul to Danville, but it was worth it! (ELEG 276)
I had a burn injury 7+ not coffee, it left a permanent 2° burn scar on my left wrist. (XHDT 280)
The stress and sleepless nights from having to work full-time while enrolled full-time. (CHM
368)
Was challenging being a nontraditional student and attending Eastern. (SOC 374)
Driving from work to class; it was a long drive. (GST 430)
The most negative impact on me during my time at Eastern was not getting a preview of the
campus before I came. (XHEF 431)
There were things that were lost or not done that were supposed to be. (BIO 462)
Trying to work full time and have a full class schedule. (SOC 575)
A friend’s suicide was a hard time in my career at Eastern. (BIOE 602)
Trying to juggle working full-time, going to school full-time, family, and have my own time.
(GST 613)
The stress of driving and completing two very competitive degree programs at EIU was very
hard. (CDS 704)
Working too much while also attending classes was difficult. (GST 713)
Driving to Eastern every day, I hated commuting. (PSY 749)
My last two semesters I commuted and sometimes got stressful. It was my choice though. (ELEG
759)
I was deployed for the military. (MGT 760)
I felt like I was always busy with work. (ELEG 761)
Sadly, soon after my last course I had hurt my back and had a number of surgeries and could no
longer work. I have managed my pain but am severely limited on what I can do. (GST 159)
Financial Issues/ Expenses
Negative Impact
 The financial aspect of college. (PSY 3)
 Student Loan! (GEL 59)
 Cost of education. (ECE 94)
 One note: stop sending so many of these paper surveys. It wastes money, no matter how much,
that can be used to keep tuition low- offer online responses. (FIN 174)
 Financial aid!!! (FIN 192)
 Financial Aid department was terrible. (HSTC 193)
 Financial hardship took its toll on me. (SOC 212)
 Lack of finances was rough. (PSY 221)
 After graduation, the records office told me they miscalculated a scholarship I had received and I
had to pay a large sum of money quickly- at a time when I was in graduate school at
UIUC.(MUSP 357)
 Student loans! (MGT 518)
University-Wide Issues, Prepared by the Center for Academic Support and Assessment, October 2011, p. 6
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$22,000 in student loans is a bit extreme. (REC 546)
No financial aid. (GST 614)
The lack of scholarships offered for non- athletes. (BIO 681)
My debt is higher. (FIN 693)
Fees, fees, fees -> just put things in the tuition cost. (SCIB 734)
Limited resources made school life and social life hard. (ACC 792)
University-Wide Issues, Prepared by the Center for Academic Support and Assessment, October 2011, p. 7