Ledger

Student apathy for campus events coupled with low turnout marked the results of a comprehensive Ledger survey on the quality of student life at the University of Washington Tacoma.

The results were substantiated by an investigation into funding records that uncovered numerous issues, including overestimation of attendance in event funding, post-event procedural discrepancies and delays in capital projects.

The survey of 173 UWT students, conducted from Feb. 16 – 20, found that an overwhelming majority – 69 percent – indicated current events on campus only appeal to them somewhat. Another 22 percent responded events did not appeal to them at all. These results mirror research showing few students are attending the majority of events, despite the large amount of student funds being spent on them.

Survey Results

The survey consisted of 10 questions, ranging from whether students are adequately informed about on-campus events to their current level of satisfaction with the events in general. Students were surveyed in random classes across different disciplines, and in common and non-common areas on campus. The survey has an error margin of plus or minus 7 percent.

Survey results across all grade levels were generally on par, with 38 percent of respondents indicating they attended at least one or two events since the beginning of the school year. Another 34 percent said they attended no on-campus events in the same timeframe, while only 12 percent of students attended more than four events. Forty events have been held on campus since the beginning of the year, according to records supplied to Ledger from Student Life.

Most respondents – roughly 51 percent – indicated that they were satisfied with on-campus events. Thirty five percent were somewhat satisfied, 8 percent were unsatisfied, and 4 percent were extremely satisfied.

Debunking the myth that those attending a commuter campus leave immediately after classes, nearly 32 percent of those surveyed said they spend more than three hours a day at UWT outside of classes.

Respondents were also asked two write-in questions. Responses from those answering the question "What do you feel campus life is lacking?" ranged from the absence of large attractions and a student union building to the lack of a sense of cohesion on campus. Those responding to "What do you enjoy about campus life?" listed UWT’s location in downtown Tacoma as a positive.

Student Life would not comment on the survey numbers, citing the inability to know more about questions asked and general demographics of those represented.

Student Activities Board

All on-campus events are funded by the Student Activities Board, which utilizes funds gathered from student activity fees – currently $106 per student, per quarter. Funds for on-campus events are drawn by the SAB from two $45,000 funds, the Directors Event Fund and the Campus Event Fund, according to Student Life. Events that originate from the SAB itself are funded from the Directors Event Fund, while those from individuals and on-campus organizations receive funds from the Campus Event Fund. In each case, the SAB is responsible for the approval and oversight of all student organization and campus-wide events. The total allocated from both funds so far for this year is roughly $41,522, which includes past and future events. The SAB operates under the umbrella of the Office of Student Life.

"Our activities board is awesome," said S. Jo Enscoe, manager of Student Life.

In previous years, Enscoe said, directors from student government were tasked with the allocation of funds for campus events. Last year the decision was made to create a board made up of representatives from Student Life that would take over for the student government.

"Student government should be about governing," said Enscoe, "and student activities should be about student activities."

Enesco added that any new program needs time to create and build.

"At all of the orientations that I’ve been at, I talked with students – even at the freshman orientation saying, ‘you guys are brand new here, tell us what you want," she added.

Organizations

There are currently 19 registered student organizations at UWT. Of these, five organizations are responsible for holding the majority of organization-sponsored events: the Black Student Union, the Student Social Work Organization, CIVITAS, the Queer-Straight Alliance and the Latino Student Organization.

Of the 40 events held on campus this year, these five organizations spent a combined total from the Campus Event Fund of $8,281 on 14 events. These were attended by 397 people – or roughly $21 per person. Attendance figures do not include three post-event reports from the QSA, which were not available at the time of press.

The SAB itself spent $15,197 from the Directors Event Fund on 20 events – which drew 1,077 attendees, for a total combined cost of $14.11 per attendee.

Three non-organizational events funded with the Campus Event Fund, including both the autumn 2006 Welcome Back Days – cost $2,793 and drew a total of 846 students over two days, working out to a cost per person of $3.31.

The three worst-performing events were all SAB-sponsored, including the Comedy Show Mission Improvable and UWT Blood Drive, which cost $2100, but only attracted 31 people, for a cost per person of $68. Similarly, a show with comedian Spank cost $1,350 and drew only 22 – costing $61 per person.

The investigation into SAB and Student Life highlighted a general lack of transparency, and one instance of not stringently adhering to policy – in one case continuing to fund events by two campus organizations that failed to follow proper post-event procedures.

Organizations may receive more money from the SAB than necessary for on-campus events due to difficulties in projecting attendance. When food is served at an event, one way funds are allocated by the SAB centers around attendance projections.

Half-eaten snack trays left over in the oUWTpost – a common sight this year – serve as a visible reminder that student organizations may be receiving more funds than necessary for providing refreshments at their events.

"The amount given out for food is not arbitrary; it is based off the amount requested, the type(s) of food requested, the type of event and the projected attendance," Enscoe said.

However, projected attendance has been way off mark in many cases this year. For example, the SSWO estimated 60 to 80 attendees at their Aging Out: Current Challenges of the Foster Cares System event. In reality, only 16 people showed up.

Taking into account the most up-to-date attendance figures provided by Student Life, nine events out of 11 campus events were over-projected. The SSWO was not alone: Every student organization that hosted an event this year had much lower attendance rates than anticipated at most of their events.

The SAB has taken measures to curtail unnecessary spending on food by implementing a 20 percent rule. If the cost of food comes in at more than $4.99 per person, based upon projected attendance, then students must be charged 20 percent of the cost per plate.

But student organizations struggled this year to accurately peg attendance in advance.

"It is important to remember that all groups requesting funds are indeed projecting event attendance. No one can possibly know exactly how many people are going to show up, this is even true for events which require an RSVP," Enscoe said. "All anyone can be expected to do is to provide their best projections."

One way the SAB monitors the accuracy of projections, as well as student interest, is by requiring organizations to submit a post event form within 10 days of their event. If money was received for food, an attendance sheet must be attached.

However, not every organization has complied with this mandatory requirement.

According to SAB records, the QSA has not handed in post event forms for three out of four events held this year, including one held in conjunction with the SSWO. A trend of non-compliance began after their first event, held Oct. 4. Their next event was the only one for which the SAB received a post event form. Two more events were subsequently held by the QSA and no post event forms were turned in.

According to the SAB primer, "A Campus Event Fund’s post event report shall be submitted by event organizer/sponsor to the chair of the Student Activities Board no later than the tenth business day allowing the conclusion of the event. If the Campus Event Fund’s Post Event Report is not submitted by the established deadline, the Student Activities Board can limit or prohibit future funding requests of the proposer."

"Taking into account this is a transition year for SAB-CEF funding procedures, the SAB has chosen not to impose disciplinary action," the SAB said in an email correspondence with the Ledger in regards to the QSA issue.

Enscoe stressed that despite the difficulties in a transition year for event funding, the SAB is continuing to assess their own performance on a regular basis.

"The SAB this year has done an excellent job at going above and beyond in establishing a campus culture which promotes funding of well thought out events, not just ideas," she said. "We must continue on this path and we also must continue our efforts to gauge campus interest through surveys and face to face contacts."

Another possible impediment to campus life is the amount of training necessary to create a student organization. In comparison to UW Seattle, the time commitment to get an organization off the ground is substantially more.

Every student organization at UWT must have two officers and an adviser complete a two-day seminar in the summer. Meanwhile, UWS requires one officer to attend an orientation that typically takes only half an hour to complete, according to Kirk Heynen of the UWS Student Activities Office.

As a result, UWT student organization leaders, who face all the time constraints of non-traditional, commuting students, invest a larger portion of time toward training seminars than their resident-campus counterparts.

One complaint resounding throughout the Ledger survey was the lack of a student center big enough to accommodate large-scale events and to serve as a hub for students. Another complaint often voiced was the lack of food choices on campus.

Both issues were to be resolved earlier in the academic year through two projects funded by student fees – the Longshoreman’s Hall and Coco Bob’s convenience store. However, due to unforeseen issues, both projects have yet to be completed.

The Longshoreman’s Hall, a joint project financed by both UWT and SAF funds, was projected to be open for limited operations in November, as previously reported by the Ledger. Due to concerns regarding student safety and accessibility for disabled students, the Longshoreman’s Hall has yet to be opened and the doors remain locked.

"The students and the administration – we wanted to make it right," said Alicia Lewis, a student affairs specialist. "The students had some real concerns with ADA (Adults with Disabilities Act) accessibility."

Further complicating matters was the rough weather in the beginning of the winter, which caused leaks in the roofs and doors that had to be fixed. "There’s all sorts of crooks and crannies in the Longshoreman’s Hall that we didn’t know about that jeopardized the safety of students and needed to be amended," Lewis said.

Most remodeling of the 107-year-old building has been completed and a projected opening date should be announced soon. "We’re hoping sooner than later. It’s not going to be next year," Lewis said.

When completed, the Longshoreman’s Hall will feature a basketball court, computer gaming center and a large event space. Future planning for the Hall remains flexible, allowing for the addition of other features and services. In total, $250,000 in student fees was earmarked for the project, with an additional $50,000 in reserves.

The on-campus convenience store, Coco Bob’s, is scheduled to open at the end of March or the beginning of April after years of delays, including funding problems and a seven month long bidding process.

"I’m stunned that it took this long," said Mark Dodson, special projects coordinator for Student Life. Dodson added that an initial reluctance to fund the project from the SAFC and beautification of the MAT building were all possible factors that caused the delay.