Student Affairs Communications Group Minutes
February 25, 2015
Attendance: Kami Hammerschmith, Brianna McNall, Kent Sumner, Majeed
Badizadegan, Wendy Little, Colleen Schlonga, Carolyn Boyd, Katie Figoni, Nancy
Raskauskas, Michael McDonald, Linda Howard, Natalie Schell, Leslee Mayers
Next meeting of the Student Affairs Communications Group will be Wednesday, March
11, 2015, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., Dixon Upper Classroom. Topic: Structured discussion on
division-wide marketing efforts.
Today
Carolyn commented on three main topics from Susie’s talk last meeting and asked if
anyone had any response to her comments. If anyone has any feedback or
suggestions, please let Carolyn know.
1) Money for projects, Future Thinking Grants
2) Fragmentation of communications on campus
3) Student experience website
Carolyn presented a Powerpoint on the First-Year Experience – Developing a
Comprehensive Communications Plan.
Carolyn has been working with the Student Affairs Leadership Team on the First-Year
Experience initiative. The communications plan will be a university-wide
communication plan. Carolyn is also working with the University Council on Student
Experience and Engagement (UCSEE).
She mentioned there has been a lack of understanding of what the First-Year
Experience entails. It has not been branded. Goals have been created around the
communications plan.
Goal: Increase student, faculty and staff understanding of program and its signature
components.
There are four signature components:
1) Get Started (START, CONNECT and Other orientations)
2) Live in Community (On-Campus Living and Living-Learning Communities)
3) Learn Through Advisors (Academic Advising in the First Year)
4) Engage in First-Year Experience Courses (U-Engage and FYE Courses)
University Relations and Marketing has created messaging for the First-Year
Experience. It includes three pillars.
1) Expand Your Mind
You’ll find yourself learning in every aspect of your experience at Oregon State
University. It will be challenging and engaging, and it will extend beyond the classroom.
2) Connect to Your Community
You’re joining a welcoming campus community, and it won’t take long for Oregon State
to feel like home.
3) Build Your Best Self
You’re discovering who you are, what you want to do and who you want to be. In your
classes, your activities and your experiences, you’ll explore all that the world has to
offer.
Early communication to domestic students will introduce the signature components,
but focus more on messaging. The First-Year mailer, First-Year Experience website and
communications after students arrive on campus will emphasize the signature
components.
For consistency, First-Year Experience should have a capital F, Y and E, there is a
hyphen between First and Year and the abbreviation of FYE should be avoided unless
referring to courses.
Goal: Increase communications on the First-Year Experience addressing international
students.
Goal: Increase knowledge and benefits of First-Year Experience programming among
teaching faculty and increase number of faculty to teach FYE courses.
There is a gap in information communicated to international students. They do not
receive the same admissions materials as domestic students, so are not receiving the
First-Year Experience materials. International communications are primarily digital. It
is recommended that short, practical emails be sent on each of the four signature
components. Communications with international students will focus on the signature
components. The messaging points will be integrated if it can be done in a way that is
not confusing to students who speak English as a second language.
There are concerns by the UCSEE that faculty are not aware of the First-Year
Experience programs occurring in different units of the university. They would like to
get more teaching faculty invested in the program and willing to teach.
The Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies could serve as the clearinghouse for
information on programs.
Draft talking points have been created for campus communicators.
START, CONNECT and Other Orientations
• START and CONNECT help students transition to Oregon State and build connections
across the campus community.
On-Campus Living and Living-Learning Communities
• Students living on campus have higher first-term and first-year cumulative GPAs than
their peers living off campus. They are also retained at higher rates that students living
off campus.
• Students living on-campus have access to a wide array of support services to assist
them in their personal, academic and professional development.
U-Engage and FYE Courses
• First year students who successfully completed a U-Engage course during their first
term were retained at a higher rate than their peers who did not take a U-Engage
course.
Academic Advising in the First Year
• Between Spring 2011 and Spring 2014, there were gains in self-reported student
knowledge of critical advising and student success information, including major and
other university requirements as well as policies and procedures related to financial
aid, grading and graduation.
• Students also reported an increase in positive relationships with faculty, staff and
peers.
Goal: Increase student participation and engagement in campus activities.
Goal: Create communication materials that build sense of community.
This is the least flushed out goal. They are looking at organizing the First-Year
Experience website by signature components. The website needs to be engaging,
interactive and feature compelling stories.
They would like to develop a first-year video featuring campus traditions. There is also
talk of promotion using a hashtag. Those in attendance warned against having too many
hashtags and questioned whether a First-Year Experience hashtag would be picked up.
Hashtag Beaver Nation is very popular.
There is talk of creating an online photo album for each class that comes on campus.
The hashtag could be used instead, so students can upload their own photos instead of
the university uploading photos.
The residence halls have private Facebook groups for each hall. START groups are
organized by living community and encouraged to join their residence hall group. The
groups are started in May for the next school year.
Things Overheard at OSU is OSU’s most popular page.
An assessment area will be added to the communications plan in the future.
Carolyn is working on the plan and trying to complete it in the next two weeks. She will
pass it on to the new Dean of Undergraduate Studies for implementation.
Nancy asked how it is being communicated to the academic side. The UCSEE represents
the academic side. They currently have four working groups: 1) Assessment, 2)
Residence hall programs, 3) FYE courses, 4) International students.
Leslee said the UCSEE existed before the First-Year Experience program. This is the
second year that their charge has been around First-Year Experience. They need to
move the First-Year Experience program to a department, so the committee can focus
on other Provost-agenda items. Future discussions may be around graduation rate,
transfer students and/or Second-Year Experience.
Carolyn will be presenting the First-Year Experience Communications Plan to the head
advisers.
At our next meeting on March 11 we will do group work, long-term planning and
brainstorming around division-wide communication planning. We will look at major
areas of focus for the division and how we communicate them online (website). We will
look at major event communications. Carolyn would like to see representation from all
Student Affairs departments. We’ll look at what we want to emphasize in the Student
Affairs Communications Group next year?
Kent shared information on the SEC Grand Opening, April 24-25. OSU now houses the
oldest student union on the west coast and the newest student center. Friday is the
formal opening. Saturday will be the fun day.
Friday, April 24
2-3:30pm: Speeches and Awards
3:30-5:30pm: Open House
5-9pm: Formal Dinner
Saturday, April 25
Noon-9pm: Carnival Kick-off
Noon-5pm: Open House (cont.)
5-9pm: The Best of OSU Concert Series
The International Resource Center (IRC) held their Grand Opening last weekend. They
have a great new space with a 250-doll collection.
The SEC move-in is occurring in three phases. The first phase was two weekends ago.
About half to two-thirds of the occupants moved in then. This weekend Diversity &
Cultural Engagement are moving and ASOSU Legal Services. Orange Media Network
will move finals week and the AABC will move during spring break.
The art installation is scheduled to be done by the end of spring break.