Admissions Committee Draft Report May 2008
The charge of the Admissions Committee is to come up with evidence based
recommendations regarding admissions. The Committee’s report will also address
evidence based recommendations regarding enhancement of student success. We feel
that admissions policy and policy regarding the management of students need to be
considered together since they interact to affect the rate of student success. Furthermore,
in their draft report, WASC addresses the need for UH Hilo to develop a comprehensive
enrollment management program with involvement of various stakeholders including
faculty, staff, students and administrators.
A crucial underlying assumption of the above directives is that UH Hilo has a clear
mission, and that that mission has the support of most organization members. UH Hilo’s
mission statement is lengthy and can be interpreted in varying ways, depending on what
piece is chosen for emphasis. The second paragraph starts with what appears to be a topic
sentence: “The primary mission of UH Hilo is to offer high quality undergraduate liberal
arts and professional programs.” But what does that imply in terms of admission policy?
Does “high quality” mean that admission standards should be raised in order to improve
outcomes such as graduation rates and field exam scores, which are correlated with
incoming GPA and SAT scores? Does it mean that the faculty should engage and mentor
their students on a more individualized and time-intensive basis, which would require
smaller class sizes? Does “liberal arts” mean that we should continue to emphasize small
class size and student-faculty engagement at the undergraduate level and perhaps limit
growth?
In the course of interviewing various stakeholders both inside and outside of the
organization, and even within the Admissions Committee itself, it became clear that there
is no unified sense of mission. UH Hilo’s mission statement as written provides little
guidance for the Admissions Committee in making recommendations related directly to
admissions standards.
Nevertheless, the members of the Committee feel that they can provide some input of
value concerning current efforts on campus to increase student engagement and retention.
Regardless of how (or whether) the question about institutional mission is resolved, we
believe that addressing the issues of (1) institutional information about students and (2)
enhancing student success will constitute an improvement for all stakeholders.
1) Information.
UH Hilo’s average class size of first-time new freshmen over the last 4 years is 437
students. The average retention rate the past four cohorts (those to return for their second
year) is 65.5% In the last three freshmen cohorts, half of the class does not return for
their third year. Currently our six-year graduation rate is reported as 31% (as an average
for the 1991-2001 entering cohorts).1
1
The rate for all students is 31%. The rate for first-time freshmen is higher, e.g. the rate for the 2001 FTF
cohort was 36%.
In terms of attrition, we lose over a third of the freshmen in the first year. We lose over
half the class by the end of the second year. Only a third actually graduate by the sixth
year.
There is no one-clear-reason to explain the high attrition rate, rather, there are many
issues that affect different populations of students that have to be addressed. These
include geographical, cultural, academic and social elements of individual students.
A 2007 survey of 159 BUS 100 students indicated that the top reason these students were
thinking about leaving UH Hilo was conflict with childcare and family responsibilities.
Nearly 12% of all students in this lower-division sample indicated that they were
seriously considering leaving UHH for this reason.
According to the NSSE survey, there appears to be a large percentage of freshmen who
report a lack of meaningful connection to the institution. In the survey of Hawaii
Counselors, a large number reported that students they know who’ve transferred out of
UH Hilo did so due to lack of social activities. A survey of faculty reported poor writing
ability of students and general lack of individual responsibility in academic preparation.
Fall 2007 survey of incoming students indicated that 54% intend to complete their degree
at UH Hilo, 16% intend to transfer to another institution, and 30% are not sure. Our
actual six year graduation rate of 36% indicates a significant gap between initial stated
intention and reality
Complete the
degree at UH
Hilo?
First time
freshmen
Transfer
student
Total
Do not know
Total
22%
Transfer to
another
institution to
complete the
degree?
15%
25%
61%
32%
1%
5%
39%
54%
16%
30%
100%
A 2008 survey of 80 high school and community college counselors from throughout the
State of Hawai`i administered by the UHH Admissions office found that “51.4% of the
respondents often recommend UH Hilo as a testing ground or stepping stone.”
More students go to the mainland for college than all the 4-year colleges in Hawaii
combined (IRO Residence and Migration of first-Time New Freshmen 2002) In many
cases the counselors are simply trying to keep the student from going to the mainland and
having a difficult transition. They commonly see students go to the mainland only to
return in a year with a negative experience. We would like to point out that for students
who want a mainland experience, the NSE program allows them to have that and still
graduate from UHH on schedule. This program needs to be promoted more widely in
order to give prospective students an alternative to leaving Hawaii altogether.
It should be noted that although our retention/graduation rate is comparatively low, the
rate for students who enter as first-time freshmen (FTF) is improving overall, as
evidenced by the analysis posted on the IRO website and summarized below. Retention
rates for incoming transfer students also seem to be going up.
Enter Date
Fall 2003
Fall 2004
Fall 2005
Fall 2006
Retention rates for First-time Freshmen from Fall to Fall
Retained Fall Semester of
Retained or Graduated
Fall Semester of
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
61.8%
44.1%
38.2%
36.6%
69.2%
49.5%
44.2%
64.5%
52.8%
64.7%
Over half of our students are transfers, including a large number of students who transfer
in from community colleges and are not counted as first time freshmen. Community
college students who transfer in with an AA degree are not required to take placement
exams or introductory math or English courses. Such students are exempt by UH
executive policy on transfer articulation, E5.209. An exception is if the student’s major
requires additional math classes, he or she may be required to take the Math Placement
Test. An analysis of CC transfers is needed to understand their particular needs.
At this time we are unable to track students at the level of detail that we need in order to
fill in the rest of this story. We cannot say how many of the remaining 69% of students
transferred to and graduated from another institution, how many of those intended to
transfer all along, and how many dropped out, etc. While a high attrition rate is usually
taken as a sign of needed improvement, some of the attrition at UHH may be deliberate
and functional, such as students who complete a pre-engineering curriculum at UH Hilo
and then move to another institution to complete the engineering degree.
We recommend that resources be allocated to more comprehensive student tracking.
Only then can we evaluate whether UH Hilo is being viewed and used by students in a
way that is consistent with our mission, once that mission is clarified.
2) Enhancing student success
The Admissions Committee supports the efforts of the First Year Planning Committee to
improve student socialization and engagement. We are aware that other committees and
workgroups on campus are supporting the following efforts and we would like to add our
support for these:
A) Mandatory, accessible and complete placement in math, reading and writing.
Currently many students do not take the placement exams because they cannot come to
campus before the term begins. One suggestion for improving access to the exams is to
put them online so that all entering students can do them before they register for classes.
Writing is foundational to all majors, and it appears to be the issue most under
consideration at present. It was a major concern according to the survey of faculty.
71 respondents indicated that their primary contact with students is teaching. Among
these, the issues where the modal response was “this is a major issue” were:
Major
Issue
45.5%
Demonstrate appropriate levels of
critical thinking and analytical skills
Writing assignments lacking proper
41.3%
sentence structure
Writing assignments free of grammar 42.9%
and spelling errors
Occasional
Issue
36.4%
Mostly not
an Issue
16.7%
Not an
Issue
1.5%
33.3%
15.9%
1.6%
41.3%
7.9%
0.0%
Currently fewer than half of our students take ENG 100 in the first two years and a
second semester of composition (ENG 209/215/225) is required in some but not all
majors. We strongly support ongoing efforts to improve and centralize the placement
infrastructure and to ensure that students take ENG 100 within the first year and ENG
2XX within the first two years.2
We recommend that attention be directed to level of reading comprehension as well.
Currently incoming students are not tested for reading comprehension, nor is attention
given to ability to read efficiently although it is a critical skill for college success.
We recommend that the new Learning Center offer centralized, accessible placement and
tutoring resources for students.
B) Acknowledging the day-to-day nonacademic needs of our students, and clearing away
nonacademic barriers to success. Students may drop out for reasons that have little to do
with their level of academic preparation or ability.
C) The issue of socialization into the UHH community was addressed in the recent oncampus discussion of student engagement (facilitated by George Kuh) generated many
suggestions. In particular, the Admissions Committee supports the following:
1. Improve socialization of incoming students to the university through a
mandatory orientation session and a mandatory first year seminar (Univ 101) for firsttime freshmen to help them learn the academic expectations of the university, how to
manage their time, how to take advantage of the resources available to them, and so on.
2
Two alternative suggestions have been made to ensure that freshmen take English 100 in their first year. It
could be required within the first 24 credits. Students would not be able to register for the sophomore year
without having taken English 100. Or English 100 could be made pre-requisite to many of the Gen Ed
courses.
2. Institute “learning communities” for freshmen in which the same group of
students attend a set of courses in order to improve student engagement with each other
in a conversation that is both socially and academically beneficial. The learning
community cluster of courses might profitably include Univ 101, and perhaps English
100 and a discipline-specific course, but there are many possibilities.
3. Improve campus life by making it more hospitable to students. This would
include more spaces for student interaction, as well as accommodating the children of
students with a day-care center.
4. Encourage faculty to make their introductory-level courses more challenging.
Students indicate they are not challenged enough intellectually in the first two years.
Incentives and resources for faculty need to be aligned to support this.
Attached to this document are materials that some or all members of the Admissions
Committee have reviewed or compiled in the course of the past academic year. These
materials have not been approved or necessarily reviewed by the committee as a whole,
but have been included for the reader’s information as they have helped to inform our
ongoing discussion.
1. George Kuh Student Engagement Session
Summary of Group Recommendations, April 22, 2008 (George Kuh session)
1. Early socialization of students
a. New student orientation: let students know what college is about, set high
expectations for themselves, bring students and faculty together in
informal and comfortable settings, introduce students to the notion of
research with professors
b. Make orientation mandatory
c. Involve more faculty in more aspects of orientation
d. First Year Seminar/University 101: in addition to study skills, university
resources, a stronger academic component
e. Involve more faculty in teaching University 101 in collaboration with
student affairs
f. Use student mentors in all Univ 101 classes
g. Embed Univ 101-type activities/experiences into introductory courses and
in other sites—orientation does not end when classes begin
h. Make Univ 101 mandatory for all students, ideally as part of a cluster of
courses that constitute learning communities
2. Early socialization of faculty
a. New faculty orientation: strong component on the uniqueness of UH Hilo,
understanding of native Hawaiian and local culture, diverse student
backgrounds, adapting to different learning styles
b. Emphasis on setting high expectations plus providing support so that
underprepared students can meet those expectations
3. Learning communities or course clusters
a. Use student mentors in learning communities
b. Begin small: a few clusters of Univ 101+Eng 100+discipline-specific
course (Natural science majors, Humanities, etc.)
c. Design and offer one-credit introductions to disciplines (natural science,
humanities, social science, etc.) that can be one course in a learning
community cluster of courses
d. Cluster two or more GE or core courses: natural science cluster,
humanities cluster, social sciences cluster—that will bring students
together and prepare them for majors
e. Bring together students majoring in different fields into interdisciplinary
courses where they can address complex issues together from different
perspectives
4. Sense of belonging to a larger community
a. Develop a freshman experience that is relevant, practical, problem-based
and that takes students into the community as a group. Example:
“intensive first week,” where students work together on a project off-
campus, followed by get-togethers later in semester to nurture friendships
begun in the first week.
b. Cultivate community-university networks so that students can do service
learning, internships, and feel a sense of belonging and contribution to the
larger community
5. Easing the transition into college
a. “Every office should be the right office.” Train student helpers and
professional staff to respond to students positively, courteously, and with
the right information.
b. Put placement tests online so students can do them before they come to
campus and can participate in early advising and early registration
c. Strengthen faculty training in advising and in working with students
d. Staff the Learning and Success Center, which is intended to serve all
students in high-risk courses and which will work closely with academic
departments to provide needed student support
e. Have more summer bridge programs
6. Improving campus life
a. Establish day-care center—where students can drop off their kids while
they are in class
b. Establish a farmers market on campus, run by and for students
7. Cultivating special academic strengths of the campus
a. More collaborative, cross-disciplinary courses that involve problemsolving and real world issues
7. Celebrating and drawing on the special features of Hawaii island/community
a. Make it easier for students to access the natural environment and cultural
environment
b. Develop a signature UH Hilo course that will fulfill the Hawaii-AsiaPacific requirement
8. Written communication: learning to write well is a lifelong process in which all
departments have an active role
2. Faculty Survey qualitative comments
Approaches suggested by faculty to improve student performance
Raise standards Provide
at admissions or remediatio
within program n:
:
1.
have a library where
reading can take place, instead
of having a permanent
construction zone.
Fri,
11/2/07 12:37 PM
2.
I would support more
stringent admissions policies
along with strong First Year and
Summer programs.
Wed,
10/31/07 6:21 PM
3.
I would like to see
higher expectations of basic
skills required for entrance
and/or remedial coursework
required prior to advancing to
regular college courses. Firstyear programming could also do
a lot to foster a sense of
responsibility and realistic grasp
of how much initiative is
needed to get the most out of
the college experience, even for
those whose basic skills are in
place. Tue, 10/23/07 10:07
AM
4.
Raising admission
standards will help turn away
students who cannot apply
themselves to college, but it will
also turn away students who can
rise to the occasion for college
academics. I suggest institute
first year programs "University
101" sort.
Fri, 10/19/07
4:23 PM
5.
raising SAT
would help
Fri, 10/19/07
Provide
more
resources
e.g. FYE,
housing:
Make
curriculu
m less
challengi
ng
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
3:31 PM
6.
do not admit low quality
students
Fri, 10/19/07
3:12 PM
7.
Invest resources in
programs to engage students,
esp in first year
Fri,
10/19/07 2:44 PM
8.
Students need a reality
check. They need to be made
aware that they cannot do a four
year program in four years if
they work and have a family.
They need to have access to
working computer labs 24/7.
They need to be taught how to
read and study effectively. Or
screened out with admissions
standards. We should not be
accepting students who cannot
read/write/speak effectively. We
should not be accepting students
who cannot do basic algebra. I
feel like I'm teaching high
school students, not University
level students. We have a
Community College system, let
unprepared students use that
system to become prepared. Let
us toughen our standards and
produce a better product!
Fri, 10/19/07 2:35 PM
9.
I don't support changing
admissions policies, and am
more inclined to put resources
towards remedial courses and
adding course requirements.
Fri, 10/19/07 2:16 PM
10.
I fear a lot of the
mismatch comes from
"distractions" such as jobs,
family issues, etc. that really
cannot be avoided.
Fri,
10/19/07 2:15 PM
11.
Need to invest more
resources before they get to
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
college... Failing that first year
is better than not. more
emphasis on tutoring and peer
support may help.
Fri,
10/19/07 2:07 PM
12.
I think we first need to
identify what is causing these
differences. Is it an admissions
policy? That is, are we
attracting students with the right
mind set and work ethic? Is it a
function of what is going on in
other classrooms? How can I
expect students to be actively
engaged in problem based
critical thinking activities if
other instructors are teaching
based on straight lectures and
multiple choice exams?
Thu, 10/18/07 12:58 PM
13.
More curricula to
stimulate critical thinking. More
extra curricular activities to
provide intrinsic motivation.
Thu, 10/18/07 12:03 PM
14.
First Year programs
have a high rate of success.
Fellowships so students didn't
need so much outside work
would help. More dormitory
space so students could live
close -- lots of them commute in
from Pahoa, which often results
in delays and absences -- and
concentrate on their work would
be good.
Wed, 10/17/07
10:01 PM
15.
1. Increase selectivity 2.
Raise academic standards 3.
Provide better orientation and
guidance, particularly for first
year students Wed, 10/17/07
9:01 PM
16.
I have found that I need
to approach freshman students
in my classes differently than
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
upper level students. First year
students need to be reminded
that attendance and participation
in class is important and that
there is acceptable and
inacceptable classroom behavior
in college.
Wed, 10/17/07
8:21 PM
17.
1. First year programs
1
(for example "on course" or the
type of freshman seminar
pioneered by the University of
South Carolina (?) are proven to
work. The investment to help
students succeed and persist is
worth it. We need programs for
both freshman and transfer
students. 2. We need an
effective centralized advising
and testing center. We need
support for efforts such as
placing holds on students that
have not been advised or taken
placement tests. 3. We should
take a serious look at students at
the bottom of the barrel. Can
admissions crieria predict the
low performers? As we become
more crowded we should look
at being more selective.
Wed, 10/17/07 7:08 PM
18.
The current system has
0
several important logistical
flaws that can be corrected. 1.
The cr-nc option should be
available until the withdrawal
(W) deadline. This would
provide more options for
students. 2. The interim period
between semesters should be a
minimum of 2 weeks or
optimally at least 3 weeks. This
would provide students with an
opportunity to reorganize,
prepare, travel, rest, seek
advising. 3. Incoming students
0
1
0
0
1
0
should be provided with
guidelines for successful study
during orientation and the
protocol for attendance and
class preparation, etc. Wed,
10/17/07 7:05 PM
19.
I had a number of
1
students in my freshman level
classes this semester who would
have been much better off at a
community college. They did
not have the minimum level of
academic maturity or skills to
be successful in a four-year
university. When I talked with
several of these students, I
found they had been allowed to
register for classes without
going through the normal
admission process. I am also
concerned about the level of
English skills exhibited by some
foreign students. Some exhibit
deficient verbal skills in English
and do not appear to understand
oral instructions. Several have
difficulty even writing coherent
email messages.
Wed,
10/17/07 7:00 PM
20.
No, I have seen students 0
develop over time. While I can
not identify what happens to a
student, I have seen none
motivated students (during their
1 to 2nd yr.) change to
outstanding students by the time
they graduate. Lets keep the
doors open - and give students
an opportunity to develop. Your
program should continue thru
the entire college experience.
Wed, 10/17/07 6:50 PM
21.
Admission policy to
1
address reading ability. Perhaps
investing in first year writing
program BEFORE they take a
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
writing intensive class.
Wed, 10/17/07 6:44 PM
22.
There's alot going on
with 17-19 year olds (thinking
of our freshmen) and some of
their immaturity is
understandable. What they need
to know is that registration for a
course does not guarantee
passing a course. I think that
some of our students from
Micronesia (as nice and polite
as they are) need to have
intensive skills courses to
prepare them for what lies
ahead. We often start with a bimodal distribution of abilities
and this makes it hard to help
the one end of the distribution
without disadvantaging the
other. Many of us end up
teaching two classes by having
remedial lectures, etc., etc.
Wed, 10/17/07 5:48 PM
23.
we should accept those
we do. maybe we should not
regularly let students take 18-22
crs; it's too common and too
much. Wed, 10/17/07 5:41 PM
24.
Has anyone ever though
of implementing certain classess
without grades, or alternatively,
have students submit
"portfolios" of work to be
independently assessed outside
of the classroom? Certain
institutions have started doing
this as a means of getting
around the grade-driven
model...which often leads to
students simply hounding
professors for better grades.
Wed, 10/17/07 5:36 PM
25.
We focus much more on
quantity (Rose's goal of 5000
students) than quality. Some of
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
this occurs in the name of
diversity.
Wed, 10/17/07
5:24 PM
26.
I would support
investing resources in first year
programs
Wed, 10/17/07
5:01 PM
27.
recruit more motivated
students from asia
Wed,
10/17/07 4:58 PM
28.
Raise standards for
reading, writing and critical
thinking scores. Yes, i support
auxiliary programs to prepare
them for the classes. Wed,
10/17/07 4:41 PM
29.
Making writing labs and
tutors available. Investing
resources is preferrable to
changing policies.
Wed,
10/17/07 4:19 PM
30.
I would like to see more
local students, more Pacific and
Asian students and fewer
mainland students in our mix.
That is especially true of the
Pacific Islands students. Our
recruitment of them is probably
being hampered by the recent
institution of a requirement that
those outside U.S. territories
pay full tuition. I would like to
see efforts to change that BOR
policy, and if not to support
them better financially.
Wed, 10/17/07 4:16 PM
31. I wouldn't change
admission policies but would
definitely invest more resources
in programs that can be helpful
to students, many of whom are
the first members of their family
to attend college.
Wed,
10/17/07 4:16 PM
32.
freshman year program
would help engage our students
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
better, also freshman (required)
dorms would help
Wed,
10/17/07 4:11 PM
33. Remedial writing
courses for those who don't
meet the standards of college
work. Perhaps redesigning,
revising a University 101-type
course to include basic skills
and basic information on
professional academic
standards.
Wed, 10/17/07
3:57 PM
34. I believe that our
College, Ka Haka 'Ula O
Ke'elikolani, needs to
experiment with a restructuring
of our program where students
complete most of their major
courses first (through an
intensive program) and then
take general education, with a
number of the general education
courses taught through
Hawaiian within the college to
connect Hawai'i to the broader
world within the Hawaiian
experience.
Wed, 10/17/07
3:54 PM
35.
Personally, since the
university has attempted most of
the above over the years since I
have been here and none of
them have been effective, I
believe in thinking more
creatively. I think that the the
instructors should engage in a
more meaningful dialogue about
our "expectations" of our
students and how some of our
practices actually do more harm
than good.
Wed, 10/17/07
3:49 PM
36.
raise admission
standards (or actually enforce
the ones we already have).
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Wed, 10/17/07 3:37 PM
37. remedial summer
writing programs based on a
rigorous exam, more
socialization I would not change
or raise admissions standards in
any way that would exclude
students from Hawaii Wed,
10/17/07 3:31 PM
38. I think they need major
help the first year with writing
and with math. I don't think in
English 100 they all learn how
to write well, or at least that is
what is seems to me. Wed,
10/17/07 3:26 PM
39. no
Wed, 10/17/07
3:25 PM
40. Introduce an upper
division writing test. Wed,
10/17/07 3:24 PM
41. We can minimize the
differences by increasing the
entrance standards. More than
25% of my students are not
ready for college.
Wed,
10/17/07 3:07 PM
TOTAL
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
4
21
0
1
14
3. Student analysis of issues related to student engagement and retention.
These suggestions were generated by 34 students enrolled in Principles of Management.
These students attended one of George Kuh’s sessions. They then worked over a period
of one and a half weeks using the theories of organizational culture and organizational
structure to generate the following suggestions for increasing engagement and retention.
BASIC MISSION
Campus needs to have a common mission and vision in order to allocate resources where
they are needed to fulfill the mission, rather than individual units trying to sequester
resources for themselves.
Organizational culture! We all need to buy into a common idea/goal before we can get
things done. The small size of our school lends itself quite well to achieving this.
(Several groups expressed this)
RECRUITING (Selection criteria)
Outreach. We think that outreach to high schools, at least the ones on the Big Island if
nothing else, should be more specialized and comprehensive. The generic “college
recruiter” doesn’t do it for us. Maybe once a month send out a professor from a different
department to a local high school to do a presentation. One month it’s a business
professor to Pahoa High, and another month it’s a marine science professor to
Konawaena. We agreed that the idea of college can be too abstract for some high
schoolers who aren’t sure about whether or not higher education is right for them.
Because of this, they either don’t go to college or they go unprepared and drop out,
hence, our 33% graduation rate. We think this could help bring in a more focused or at
least more informed crop of incoming students.
Change the reputation from a default school to a great university
Make admissions require more from applicants like recommendations, essay,
extracurricular.
Make transferring from community colleges more difficult.
ORIENTATION (Socialization)
Orientation week should be mandatory. (this opinion was widely shared; no one thought
it shouldn’t be mandatory)
Orientation could be as short as 3 days, but housing and food must be provided for
students.
Orientation activities should go late to keep students busy since Hilo closes early
Orientation packets should be sent out prior to orientation
We had a foreign exchange student in our group who didn’t even receive any orientation
material in the mail prior to attending UHH. Which brings us to…
Orientation. Make it mandatory, or at least provide extensive material to ALL incoming
students and urge them to attend. There should be one orientation, with different
functions and parts of the program geared towards the different types of students:
traditional, non-traditional, and exchange/foreign. This is where learning communities
should be formed, which brings us to…
New student orientation could be similar to University of Redlands or Fairleigh
Dickinson
University of Redlands Orientation
Schedule 2007
Wednesday, August 29th
8:30 AM – 1:00 PM Check-in at the Hunsaker
Center
11 AM – 12:30 PM Alumni Connection Lunch
12 – 1:45 PM Lunch in the Irvine Commons for
students
12 – 2:00 PM Lunch and Parent Program in the
Orton Center
(Overview of Academic and Student Life)
Parent Program starts at 12:30 pm
2 – 3:00 PM First Year Seminar meeting for
students
2 – 4:00 PM President’s Reception for parents
3 – 4:00 PM PLAYFAIR in the Greek Theater
for students
4 – 5:00 PM Orientation Mentor Meeting
4 – 5:00 PM First Year Seminar meeting for
parents
5:30 – 6:30 PM Welcome Convocation in the
Chapel
6:30 - 7:30 PM Dinner on Quad with First Year
Seminars & Transfer groups
7:30 – 8:00 PM Family Goodbyes
7:30 – 9:30 PM Off Campus Student Meeting
8:00 – 9:30 PM Residence Hall Meeting
9:30 – 10:00 PM Och Tamale Yell and Class
Photo
Thursday, August 30th
7 - 8:20 AM Breakfast in the Commons
8:30 – 9:15 AM Introduction to College
Learning and Life
9: 30 – 11:00 AM First Year Seminar meeting
11 AM– 6:00 PM Redlands Round Robin
11:15 – 12:45 PM English Placement Test
11:30 AM-1 PM Lunch in the Commons
3:30 – 4:30 PM Department Open Houses –
Asian Studies, Business, Music, Math and
Science – mandatory if you plan on majoring in
these subjects
4:30 – 5:30 PM Getting Started: ResNET
5 – 6:30 PM Dinner in the Commons
6:30 – 7:00 PM Orientation Mentor Meeting
7 – 8:30 PM For Men Only presented by Joel
Goldman in Casa Loma Room
7 – 8:30 PM For Women Only presented by
Elaine Pasqua in University hall
8:30 – 9:00 PM Ice Cream Social
9 – 10:30 PM Welcome To The Time Of Your
Life - Will Keim
Friday, August 31st
7:30 – 9 AM Breakfast in Commons
8 AM – 6:00 PM Academic Advising for First
Year Students and Transfers
9 AM – 12:00 PM Music Placement Test
10 – 11:00 AM Student Employment Workshop
10 – 11:00 AM Workshops (topics TBA)
11 AM – 12:00 AM Loan Entrance Workshop
11 AM – 12:00 AM Workshops (topics TBA)
11:30 – 1 PM Lunch in the Commons
1 – 2:00 PM Loan Entrance Workshop
1 – 2:00 PM Workshops (topics TBA)
1 – 2:00 PM Getting Started: ResNET
2 – 3:00 PM Student Employment Workshop
2 – 3:00 PM Workshops (topics TBA)
2 – 3:00 PM Getting Started: ResNET
3 – 4:00 PM Workshops (topics TBA)
4 – 5:00 PM Workshops (topics TBA)
4 – 5:00 PM Transfer Student Registration
5:30 – 7:00 PM 100th Annual Maroon and Grey
Dinner in the Orton Center
7 – 7:30 PM Orientation Mentor Meeting
7:30 – 9:00 PM Programs in the Residence Halls
9 – 10:30 PM 22st Annual New Student Talent
Show
10:30 – 11:30 PM U of R Ghost Stories at the
Firepit
11:30 – 1:30 AM Pajammy Jammy Jam
sponsored by the Frosh Quad
Saturday, September 1st
9AM - 1PM Brunch in the Commons
8 AM – 2:00 PM Academic Advising Continued
9:30 – 10:30 AM Department Open Houses
(Environmental Studies, Education, Theatre)
11 – 12:00 PM Workshops (topics TBA)
11 – 12:00 PM Getting Started: ResNET
12 – 5:30 PM First Year Students Register for
Classes
12 – 1 PM Getting Started: ResNET
1 – 2:00 PM Workshops (topics TBA)
2 – 3:00 PM Workshops (topics TBA)
3 – 4:00 PM Workshops (topics TBA)
3 – 4:00 PM Music Major Reception
4 – 5:00 PM Workshops (topics TBA)
5 - 7:00PM Dinner in the Commons
9 – 1:00 AM Wild Video Dance Party
Sunday, September 2nd
9AM - 1PM Brunch in the Commons
10 AM – 1:00 PM Sign up for Student
Employment Interview
10:30 – 12:00 PM Religious Life Open House
and Interfaith Service
12 – 1 PM Getting Started: ResNET
1 – 3:30 PM First Year Seminar Class Meeting
5 – 8:00 PM Dinner with First Year Seminar
Professors
6 – 8:00 PM Dinner with Transfer Students at
Char Burgess’s home
9 – 11:00 PM Movie on the Quad
Monday, September 3rd
7:30 – 9:00 AM Breakfast in the Commons
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Sign up for Student
Employment Interview
10:30 AM – 3:30 PM Returners Check-in
11 AM – 1:30 PM Lunch
1:30 – 4:00 PM Pool Party
5 – 6:30 PM Dinner in the Commons
7:30 – 9:00 PM Dessert with the President
9 – 11:00 PM Movie in the Hunsaker Center –
Back to the Future
Tuesday, September 4th
8 – 4 PM Classes Begin
5 – 7 PM All University Picnic and Interactive
Involvement Fair on the Quad
Mandatory “Hawaii Experience”
Placement exams should take place during mandatory orientation
WHO should run it: Student leaders selected for being outgoing, engaging, fun to be
around, and exemplifying Aloha spirit; selected faculty, staff and deans. Must be
mandatory for all students, both first year and transfer.
Students may use AP test scores to move out of lower ENG or math but all others must
take core classes together within the first year.
HOUSING (Socialization / Culture)
Improve housing condition; should be repaired and up to code.
Mandatory on campus housing for freshmen.
Work study job for dorm advisor [?Not sure what this is about]
Improve security
Twice per semester mandatory dorm activities
Food options near housing until 2am
Kick HCC out because they have separate campus and we need to make room for [UHH]
students
Dorm priority to off-island students
More housing units must be made available.
Housing must be reserved for UHH students, HCC students are taking dorm spaces
(confirm this?). (Several groups expressed this)
Build more dorms to support enrollment increases
CURRICULUM (Socialization/Culture)
Learning community: A bloc of first-year classes required for all incoming freshmen.
Counselors/advisors register incoming freshmen. Classes would include a University
101.
CAMPUS LIFE (Culture):
Drop-off child care.
Childcare workers can be students in the ed. Program.
Students should get a discounted rate.
Have work study students watch kids [?not sure if feasible?]
Part of early childhood program
24-hour study venue; something should be open at least until midnight daily, 1 on
weekends. Library should be open
24 hours during finals
Half hour before first class (7:30am?)
At least until 11pm nightly
Student-run coffee shop, possibly in campus center after food service closes
Business students can run it as part of an internship / learning community as Boise State
does.
School library and Lava Landing should be 24 hour
Late night / 24 hour on campus food for students studying
Food options
Healthful food
Other options besides Sodexho
Variety of options, keeping in mind that we’re a small school and there is a
practical limit to this.
Student-friendly hours (24 hour or close to it)
Food needs to be affordable for students with and without meal plans
Parking: Both availability and permit process. Permit process is very inconvenient and
unnecessary.
Bring back $1.00 daily parking.
Our group decided that the most important issue that UH-Hilo needs to address is helping
to ease the transition to college life by improving Student Services. We also agreed that
campus life needs to be improved and the university should also do a better job drawing
on the special features of Hawaii Island and the community. But the absence of student
services in the lives of most students was in our minds the most pressing issue concerning
the transition to college life. Though we believe part of the responsibility for this falls on
the faculty/professors, one department needs to spearhead the effort, and we believe the
majority of the responsibility should fall on Student Services.
Some of our suggestions:
Promote their programs. Or maybe make some of them mandatory? The students who
are at risk of not graduating and who were forced participate in their programs had an
80% graduation rate. Maybe they should be mandatory for all incoming students. All
our group members said that they never utilized student services or their advisors until
their junior or senior year, and by that time they didn’t really need them as much as when
they were freshmen. It also seemed that no one knew exactly what Student Services is or
what it does. At least no one in our group had a clear picture. Is this because they don’t
have to actually provide the service if no one knows about them? They need to step up
and make themselves known.
Learning Communities. These are good. We believe these should be mandatory for all
incoming students, whether transfer, out of high school, exchange, or non-traditional.
We didn’t settle on an exact format, but maybe 4-6 students, one mentor (senior or grad
student) and one faculty/professor.
Non-traditional students. One of our group members expressed concern over the
difficulty facing non-traditional students at UHH that try to make a class schedule work
around their other life commitments. More classes being offered from mid-afternoon to
early evening, as well as early in the morning, would help this group. Because UH-Hilo
has a seemingly high percentage of non-traditional students compared to other
universities, catering to them should be somewhat of a priority.
ADVISING AND SUPPORT (Culture)
Advisor meetings should be mandatory 2x / semester with faculty advisor, once/month
with peer advisor. Peer advisor submits monthly report to faculty advisor.
Upper division peer mentors would work with professional advisors. Students’ progress
tracked constantly and progress reports sent to the appropriate dean.
Faculty. Professors are not off the hook. Yes, UH-Hilo has small classes and it is easier
to make close bonds with your professors here than at big universities. But still, many
students don’t actively seek help and guidance, and our group believes that if they had
help forced on them, they would be less likely to drop out. We believe that professors
playing an active part in the learning communities could help close this gap in
communication and guidance.
There should be a qualified faculty advisor who is
Trained and approved by the advising center
Their responsibility should not be an added task but part of a culture of care for
students’ excellence
Focus advising needs and interventions, new students need more intensive
advising