STUDENT UNION ACTIVITIES
FY22 FEE REVIEW
FEE REQUEST For over 80 years, SUA has planned engaging and diverse events for the KU community. Now, more than ever, there is a need for accessible and safe events that connect students to campus. SUA has creatively adapted to offer events on-campus under guidelines offered by the KU Public Health Committee. SUA is hosting multiple weekly events open to all KU students. To kick-off the semester, SUA partnered with KU Housing and Ambler Recreation Center, hosting two in-person outdoor movies for over 500 students. SUA continues to offer safe in-person programs on campus through Tea @ Three, outdoor movies and grab-and-go creative art events. Due to the extraordinary circumstances of the Pandemic and the loss of the KU licensing fees, the KU Memorial Union had to make the very difficult decision to eliminate $100,000 of SUA’s operating budget and eliminated 1.5 staff advising positions from the Programs Office. Along with the $.75 RCF fee reduction SUA went into FY21 with a 47% reduction in lower revenue needed for student events. SUA will not receive operating funding again in FY22 from KUMU. SUA seeks a $1.25 increase for a total fee of $5.75 RCF for FY22. This will generate $234,204 fee dollars. At this generated fee amount ($234,204) SUA would offer programs of this scale for FY22: $191,000.00:
FY21 fee funding level events: tea @Three, crafting grab & go, Friday night Daisy Hill, Drive-In Movies, KS Union Gallery, In-Person UnionFest
$43,000.00:
One large or 2 mid-level entertainer events - i.e. concert, comedian, speaker, with the anticipation of the entertainment industry emerging after COVID
$
“THE SUA PROGRAMMING THIS SEMESTER HAS BEEN EXCELLENT. THANKS!” - RESPONSE FROM CHILLRAMICS EVENT SURVEY
QUESTION 1 HOW ARE YOU REACHING STUDENTS DUE TO DECREASED INTERACTION ON-CAMPUS TO INFORM THEM OF YOUR SERVICES? Due to reducing paper printing and the decrease of individuals on campus, Student Union Activities (SUA) renewed strategies in engaging our social media accounts to increase outreach to on-campus and off-campus students. With the increase of virtual activity resulting from the Pandemic, SUA expanded distribution of a weekly virtual newsletter. SUA social media was pivotal this year. Twitter engagement increased 84% compared to 2019, and significantly more students interacted on Instagram. Creating a consistent schedule of programming helped engage students through reliable activity and engagement opportunities. When planning the fall 2020 semester, committee coordinators evaluated events to allow for a good mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid event offerings. For the events that were not feasible in a hybrid format, we offered “Grab and Go” events with prepackaged supplies to minimize the risk of transmitting COVID-19. Campus partnerships were also essential in helping our programs reach a wider audience of students (see question 4 for more details). These strategies increased the attendance and visibility of SUAs’ weekly on-campus events and allowed a continued level of service to KU.
151
Hosted events, 54 of those were virtual
“I’M REALLY GRATEFUL THAT SUA IS STILL ORGANIZING EVENTS FOR STUDENTS! THAT’S GREAT SPECIALLY DURING THESE PANDEMIC DAYS.” - SUA EVENT SURVEY RESPONDENT
9,424
SPRING AND FALL 2020 EVENT ATTENDANCE
In the spring semester, with a campus move to remote learning, SUA adapted events to daily occurrences for maximum engagement.
90%
of Fall End of Semester Survey respondents that indicated they felt very or somewhat safe at SUA events.
QUESTION 2 WHAT ARE SOME ADVERTISING PRACTICES YOU HAVE SEEN SUCCESS WITHIN RECENT YEARS VERSUS PRACTICES THAT HAVE LESS ENGAGEMENT? In response to Student Senate’s request in spring 2020 to reduce spending on print materials, SUA nearly eliminated all printing costs. SUA’s fall 2020 end of semester survey respondents indicated that emails, Instagram, and word-of-mouth were the most useful tactics in advertising events. However, still included in those responses were mentions of SUA’s calendar and posters. Print advertising has historically reached students at high levels outside of virtual ads. Utilizing Instagram more, we used story polls to gauge student interests. To remain adaptable in the face of constant change, SUA switched to outreach to platforms that students would be using, especially connected interfaces. For example, Instagram Story polls served as an easy gauge of student interest and interactive event planning. This student input in the selection process of each outdoor movies was exciting and refreshing communication. Throughout the semester, we continued to inform our connected audience and event attendees, both on-campus and off-campus students, of ways to get involved, including how to attend our virtual meetings for a sense of connection. During this past leadership turnover, SUA received an increased number of applicants allowing us to expand our marketing team, improving and exploring marketing needs (newsletters, social media, promotional items, and advertising).
“I REALIZED I GET SO EXCITED WHEN I SEE THAT SUA HAS POSTED TO THEIR INSTAGRAM STORIES AS IT MEANS THERE IS AN UPCOMING EVENT THAT I’M GOING TO ENJOY. AND YES, I HAVE YOUR NOTIFICATIONS TURNED ON FOR THAT REASON. ” - MICHELLE COMPTON-MUNOZ
37%
of Fall End of Semester survey respondents indicated that they like to receive information about events via social media. Instagram was the significant leader of the multi-select options.
73%
of Fall End of Semester survey respondents that indicated that the SUA brand is “very” recognizable.
Respondents from the survey above who chose “Other” indicated “Tabling” and “Chalking” as common methods.
SUA’s End of Semester Survey received 92 responses from students, faculty, and staff who registered for events.
QUESTION 3 HOW DOES YOUR SERVICE PROMOTE ENGAGEMENT AMONG FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AND CONTINUE THROUGH THEIR TIME AT KU? SUA events support KU students at all places and phases. Programs are continually evaluated by leadership to ensure we a programming for first-year students through doctoral students. Early fall SUA events are heavily focused on welcoming new Jayhawks to campus and creating opportunity for them to becoming involved in the KU community. Additionally, SUA recently created a Daisy Hill programming committee to specifically execute events for the Daisy Hill community. A branch of this committee is also dedicated to expanding virtual programming opportunities. Some of the programs which impact first-year students of which we are most proud include: Hawk Week: In the past, SUA has hosted several events to engage first-year students and welcome them to campus, including Movie on the Hill, UnionFest, Carnival, and Friday Nights on Daisy Hill. These events kick off students' experience as part of the KU community and start their experience of belonging at KU. Orientation: SUA welcomes students to campus during Orientation to engage and inform students of what Student Union Activities offers to all. We have sponsored the Crimson and Blue Room in the Kansas Union Gallery in partnership with KUIT providing a place for students and families to take fun pictures to document their unique Orientation experience and receive technical support from KUIT staff. Although different this past summer, we look forward to engaging with some in-person Orientation opportunities in the summer of 2021. UnionFest: SUA largest event of the year historically occurs within the first weeks of the academic year. This event allows first-year students to discover campus resources and explore and secure valuable social relationships, shaping their unique KU experience. While hosting over 150+ student organizations, this event brings students, faculty, and staff together, showcasing our campus offerings' breadth. Groups of students utilize this event to meet with entire housing floors and other organizations while reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. Past students have identified UnionFest as a highlight of their KU experience. Friday Nights on Daisy Hill: SUA has created a series of events on Daisy Hill for the past two years to provide proximity programs to residents. This was the best way to target the first-year crowd and help them feel engaged at home. This has included a partnership with Student Housing to engage all housing residents. Tea @ Three: SUA has created space for conversation and free tea and cookies as a tradition for over 35 years. This consistent program brings people together to talk and engage students from everywhere across campus. It is an easy event to get involved with, primarily due to its consistent time and location.
FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT SUA: “FUN, FREE EVENTS THAT TURN INTO COLLEGE MEMORIES” “THE PEOPLE! ALSO FREE FOOD NOT GOING TO LIE” “CREATIVITY TUESDAYS! CRAFTS HELP ME RELAX” “WHEN THE EVENTS ON CAMPUS COME OUT OF NOWHERE AND MAKE MY DAY/NIGHT” - INSTAGRAM POLL 1/21/2021
QUESTION 4 HOW DO YOU CURRENTLY COLLABORATE WITH ANY OTHER SERVICES OR ORGANIZATIONS ON CAMPUS, AND IF SO HOW? SUA has a strong history of engaging campus partnerships. These partnerships were especially meaningful during the Pandemic. During the spring semester, just weeks after the campus went remote, Student Union Activities partnered with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center (SAPEC) to host a virtual musician over Instagram. Moving the Tea at Three platform virtual created space for Instagram conversations with the Health Education Resource Office about pandemic related topics like stress earing and overall mental health care during isolation as well as other public health and wellness updates. SUA currently works with partners in multiple ways, including marketing, outreach, and hosting events to allow advances in our events and space and theirs. In the fall semester, partnerships strengthened the drive-in movie series, through collaboration with the KU Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity (SGD) in celebration of LGBTQIA+ history month and The Student Involvement and Leadership Center (SILC) for our nontraditional and graduate student night. Partners are essential because they make our events and the Jayhawk community more connected and cohesive by considering others' voices and opinions. They maximize campus reach and broaden event scope. SUA’s partners also provide multiple resources to students for mental health, academic tips, and college life opportunities. Student Union Activities recently ---restructured their leadership team and added a Partnership Coordinator position to renew collaborations. This position will be essential in fostering and supporting more intentional and better supported partnership for future events.
SOME OF THE EXCITING SPRING AND FALL 2020 SUA PARTNERSHIPS
The Lied Center KU Student Housing KU Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity (SGD) The Recreation Center Black Student Union (BSU) Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) Graduate Engineering Minority Consortium (GEM) Student Senate KU Latin American Student Union (LASU) KU Chinese Students and Scholars Friendship Association (CSSFA) The Emily Taylor Center KU International Women's Association (IWA) KU Watkins Health Center Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center (SAPEC) KU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM) KU Information Technology (IT) KU First-Year Experience (FYE) The Student Involvement and Leadership Center (SILC)
27+
Event partnerships across the KU campus over the 2020 spring and fall semesters.
“PARTNERSHIPS ARE HELPFUL BECAUSE THEY BRING EXPERTISE TO THE TABLE AND PROVIDE SPECIFIC RESOURCES TO HELP STUDENTS.” - WHITNEY ESTES, SUA DAYTIME EVENTS COORDINATOR
QUESTION 5 HOW WOULD YOUR BUDGET NEED TO CHANGE TO INCREASE ALL STUDENT EMPLOYEES, WHO ARE PAID BY STUDENT SENATE FUNDS, TO $12.50 AN HOUR? Based off language included by Student Senate in the authorization of the initial SUA RCF funding (FY06) is not to be allocated for student or staff salaries. SUA student leaders receive scholarships from KUMU scholarship endowment funds with the intent of subsidizing a student’s academic costs so they can participate in SUA leadership roles.
QUESTION 6 HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED YOUR SERVICE (EG. INVOLVEMENT FROM STUDENTS, ABILITY TO EMPLOY INDIVIDUALS, USAGE, OVERALL BUDGET, ETC.)? Student Union Activities was one of the only organizations on campus that continued in-person, virtual, and hybrid events in the spring and fall. In the spring, SUA leadership pulled together daily virtual events, such as Self Care Saturdays, Wildcard Wednesdays, and the online continuation of Creativity Tuesdays, to maintain student connection to campus. The leadership team continued to meet through the summer to strategize the adaptation of events and develop an event safety document to support SUA and campus safety. These guidelines are in line with Protect KU and CDC guidelines with a specific event focus. Although SUA has faced significant financial challenges, our event attendance matched well with traffic counts in the KU Memorial Union and estimates as to the number of individuals physically present on campus. SUA end of semester survey and individual event survey responses are evidence of appreciation of students for this perseverance and their continued desire to connect. In the fall semester, SUA launched their ticketing platform, University Tickets, which underwent a lengthy institutional approval process to allow us to be able to limit event access to the KU community through using the existing single sign-on system. While the initial intent of this system was to streamline our large event ticketing to assist in securing income, we shifted its purpose to serve as a reservation and scheduling service for events to better estimate traffic to improve the safety of our setup and to space attendee arrivals, when necessary. This platform also allows us to have better pre and post-event communication to alert them to event changes or process and complete surveys. We will continue to extend the use of the platform both for marketing and event logistics purposes. Due to the extraordinary circumstances of the Pandemic and the loss of the KU licensing fees, the KU Memorial Union had to make the very difficult decision to eliminate $100,000 out of SUA’s operating budget and eliminate 1.5 staff advising positions from the Programs Office. Along with the $.75 RCF fee reduction, SUA went into FY21 with a 47% reduction in lower revenue needed for student events. SUA will not received operating funding again in FY22 from KUMU.
“THE STUDENTS’ DRIVE THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE KU COMMUNITY HAS NEVER BEEN MORE APPARENT.” - WHITNEY MAHONEY, PROGRAM COORDINATOR
PHOTOS FROM SUA’S FALL 2020 DISTANCED END OF YEAR LEADERSHIP TURNOVER CEREMONY AND RECEPTION
SUA Leaders from SP20 semester- pre-COVID
QUESTION 7 HOW DO YOU EMBODY DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESSIBILITY WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT AND/OR SERVICE? SUA values and is driven by pursuing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all aspects of the organization and planning. The SUA mission is “to seek to enrich the college experience by providing diverse, interactive, and educational programming and leadership opportunities for the KU community.” SUA has a diverse leadership team that embraces differences and takes advantage of varied perspectives. To encourage participation among students who have decided not to come to campus this semester SUA offered virtual and hybrid events. Additionally, SUA has developed our craft events into a grab-and-go style, so students have options that meet their comforts of personal safety and need. Distanced seating is included in event setup to allow students to complete a project on-site but supplies are also packaged in a way that attendees may take the supplies to a home or alternate location where they feel more secure to participate. This setup also supports students who are typically unable to engage in activities due to other personal or scheduling issues. Further, SUA is committed to keeping events free, or low cost, so that money is not a concern for a student’s ability to participate. The only instances of paid events are those where a small fee is necessary to offset a significant event cost, like live performances. Food insecurity is a problem across college campuses. SUA has created programs which address this need and also have engaged in partnerships with the Campus Cupboard to inform students of their services. SUA events ensures KU Catering orders provide options that fit dietary needs, such as gluten-free or lactose intolerant. SUA leaders also focus events on mental health and providing educational resources and activities that promote self-care. SUA has partnered with Watkins and CAPS in the past to get useful mental health resources for students. As referenced in Question 4, SUA partners with many offices to increase our reach to specific populations and those who hold marginalized identities. SUA acknowledges that there are campus partners with a higher cultural competency than us and choose to work with those organizations to provide the best and most inclusive events possible for the KU student body.
QUESTION 8 HOW HAS DISCONTINUING THE PRINTING OF CALENDARS AFFECTED SUAS REACH TO STUDENTS? With the discontinuation of printed SUA calendars, most of SUA marketing efforts have shifted to social media and email outreach. 52.8% of respondents from the SUA fall end of semester survey indicated that they learned about events through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, the SUA website, and our weekly newsletter. This year, increased budget was allocated towards social media promotion. However, analytics indicated that social media promotion dollars were not making a significant impact in reach. On Instagram, for example, with an $18 promotion, the Canvas and Mocktails event received 200 likes while one of an unpromoted weekly calendar graphics received 127 likes. This minimal difference shows how people were looking for and engaging with content organically versus the unknown engagements of promoted content. With this minimal difference, SUA is further researching how best to expand reach in a digital age to most responsibly allocate marketing budget. Historically, SUA printed calendars distribution was an instant touchpoint and introduction to SUA at the beginning of the year with a wide variety of students, providing one digestible source of a full semester’s worth of engagement and opportunity. This year, without the printed calendar, respondents in our end of semester survey remarked that it was difficult to initially find SUA event and membership information. Using the relaunched Univerity calendar, our University Tickets ticketing and scheduling platform, and testing engaging and information digital calendar distributions are updates that were implemented in the fall and will continue to develop and become regular process into the spring.
QUESTION 9 WHAT OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING DO YOU RECEIVE? Due to the extraordinary circumstances of the Pandemic and the loss of the KU licensing fees, the KU Memorial Union had to make the very difficult decision to eliminate a $100,000 out of SUA’s operating budget and eliminated 1.5 staff advising positions from the Programs Office. SUA will not receive operating funding again in FY22 from KUMU. With this funding loss, SUA has successfully been granted Pepsi funding to purchase items for events such as heaters, hand warmers, tote bags, and blankets for our successful drive-in movie series. Similar to Pepsi funding, SUA seeks out corporation activations dollars to subsidize costs. SUA’s other source of funding is ticket sales from a select few events. The majority of events are free, ticket sales from some SUA events help defer costs. Ticket sales are not a profit source as SUA’s mission outlines maintaining low ticket costs to maximize access to all KU students. With ticketed events, SUA’s goal is to subsidize the student experience and ensure low-cost entertainment for students. Corporate activation dollars and ticket sales have been almost non-existent during the pandemic.
“I REALLY ENJOYED THE PROGRAMMING SUA HAS DONE THIS SEMESTER AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT NEXT SEMESTER BRINGS!” - SUA END OF SEMESTER SURVEY RESPONDENT