2013 Fall Welcome to the Union Summary

Welcome to the Union September 18 and 19, 2013 The purpose of the Welcome to the Union program is to share with new student employees the history of the Oglesby Union and its contribution within the Division of Student Affairs. It is also meant to inform students about the various Union departments and their staff. The orientation is a great way to meet other new student employees, learn some advice from students who have been working in the Union for some time, and to learn what is expected from them in their work environment.

The Welcome to the Union sessions were held on three dates this semester: Wednesday, September 18 from 11:30am-12:30pm and 1:30pm-2:30pm and Thursday, September 19 from 3:30pm-4:30pm.

Invitations were sent to any new and returning student employees, interns, volunteers, and executive board members of the Oglesby Union. Forty-three students replied and 36 students attended, with the Thursday session most attended, followed by the Wednesday afternoon, and then the Wednesday morning session. New students arrived at the beginning of the session and returning students were encouraged to come for the second half.

The speaker for these sessions were the Graduate Assistant for Education and Assessment who led the orientation in a roundtable format with one undergraduate student assisting in each session from the Union Administration and Guest Services Departments. At each session, the Director, Senior Associate Director, and/ or Associate Director of the Oglesby Union spoke to the new students, as well. The food given at this event was Walmart pastries and Starbuck’s coffee, totaling $14.84, Hungry Howie’s Pizza with assorted soft drinks, totaling $31.78, and Nuberri, totaling $34.95. After the PowerPoint presentation, students were given an Oglesby Union staff shirt along with their New Employee Handbook.

Demographics:

Classfication 3%

Residence Freshman Sophomore

31%

47%

11%

Junior

17%

Senior Graduate 19%

Transfer Other

72%

No Answer On-Campus Off- Campus

Gender

Ethnicity

No Answer African American/ Black American Indian/ Native Alaskan Asian/ Pacific Islander White/ Caucasian

14% 28%

No Answer

36%

Male Female

72%

42%

8%

Hispanic/ Latino Mixed

Marketing Information:

How Many Years Have You Worked for the Oglesby Union?

How Did You Hear About This?

5%

Email

3% 0 years

19%

Evite

27%

1-2 years

78%

55%

3-4 years

2%

Feedback:

The Orientation Workshop was Helpful 25 20 15 10 5 0 Agree

Disagree

Supervisor Other

11%

Strongly Agree

Flyer

Strongly Disagree

Would you attend any of the following D.E.A.L. sessions?

Leadership Development and Collaboration

16%

22%

Interdependence, Event Management, and Meaningful Interpersonal Relationships Personal and Educational Goals

19%

Intellectual Growth

25% 18%

Realistic Self-Appraisal

Will You Read the Handbook?

6% 8%

No Answer Yes No

86%

Please note that any information with “No Answer” charted means that students did not respond to that question on the survey.

Union Departments and/ or RSOs in Attendance: • • • • • • •

Askew Student Life Center (3) Dance Marathon (4) Guest Services (3) Homecoming Executive Council (3) Peer Involvement (5) Pow Wow Committee (1) RSO Review Board (1)

• • • • • •

SOAR Board (5) Student Activities Center (5) Union Administration (3) Union Board (1) Union Marketing (3) Union Productions (3)

Please note some students hold positions in multiple departments and/ or RSOs. What is one thing you learned about during the orientation?

• Department heads and who's important in the union

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

How to view pay check on blackboard Who the staff are and what they do Learned about the union itself and the importance of the students How to fill out a timesheet The history of the union Bookstore discount Benefits for student workers Circus is part of the Union What rules and guidelines I am expected to follow at work Learned more about the departments of the union The union isn’t just limited to the Oglesby Union Dress Code All of the opportunities available to us I gained more love for the union

What can be done to improve the orientation?

• • • • • • • •

The orientation was carefully planned and I did learn things I didn't know before I felt that this orientation was more focused on staff members instead of volunteers More energy Make everybody talk about their departments and what they do; where they're located I don't think anything has to be done to improve the orientation Have ice breaker games Well done, and loved its intimacy More interactive activities Suggestions for Next Year:

Offering three sessions to choose from and using the roundtable format worked well and should be utilized again. Attendance from Fall 2012 increased almost three-fold from 14 attendees to 39 attendees, a 157% increase. Students were engaged and got to interact with one another. Students appreciated Union Leadership taking time to speak to them and answer any questions. Few returners came for the second portion of the session. Supervisors should encourage attendance from these students to faciliate introductions across departments. Additionally, an icebreaker and/ or more interactive activities for students to share about their departments should be included.