2014 Fall Welcome to the Union Summary

Welcome to the Union September 11, 16 and 17, 2014 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: Thursday, September 11 from 11am-12pm, Tuesday, September 16 from 5:30pm-6:30pm, and Wednesday, September 17 from 3:30 pm-4:30pm. Invitations were sent to any new and returning student employees, interns, volunteers, and executive board members of the Oglesby Union. Twenty-eight students replied and 18 students attended, with the Tuesday evening and Thursday morning sessions most attended, followed by the Wednesday 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 at least one undergraduate student assisting in each session from the Union Administration and Guest Services Departments. At each session, the Associate Director of the Oglesby Union spoke to the new students, as well. Assorted Costco snacks totaling $93.70 were provided during each session, including muffins, granola bars, brownies, chips, and drinks. Throughout the session, Oglesby Union promotional items were handed out to students who were actively participating and engaged. After the PowerPoint presentation, students were given an Oglesby Union staff shirt along with their New Employee Handbook.

Demographics:

Classfication 0% 0% 0%

0%

No Answer Freshman

5% 5% 17%

Gender

17%

17%

Sophomore

No Answer

Junior

Male

Senior

Female

Graduate 56%

Transfer Other

83%

Ethnicity

Residence No Answer

5%

0% 0% 6%

17%

39%

African American/ Black

22%

On-Campus

American Indian/ Native Alaskan

28% 11% 0%

No Answer

Off- Campus

72%

Asian/ Pacific Islander

Marketing Information:

How any Years Have You Worked for the Oglesby Union?

How Did You Hear About This?

0% 0%

0%

8% 38%

0 years

40%

Email

Other

1-2 years 60%

54%

3-4 years

Feedback:

The Orientation Workshop was Helpful 15 10 5 0 Strongly Agree

Agree

Supervisor

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

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

Leadership Development and Collaboration

17% 35%

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

17%

Intellectual Growth

13%

18%

Realistic Self-Appraisal

Will You Read the Handbook?

0% No Answer Yes No 100%

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 (1)  Union Administration (2)  Guest Services (8)  Union Marketing (1)  Student Activities Center (3)  Delta Sigma Theta (1)  Corozan Dancers (1) Please note some students hold positions in multiple departments and/ or RSOs. What is one thing you learned about during the orientation?  I learned about the time sheets and how to properly fill them out.  More about other departments and leaders  All the people I should become acquainted with - the people in charge.  That I can go talk to anyone in the Union if I had any questions or concerns.  We have Unions in order to interact with students and staff members. It’s important because students are able to interact with other students.

       

I got to understand the core values and our position here.

I learned why student unions are important!

I learned who is the head of each department History of the Union as a whole.

I learned about the KNOW more program.

10% off of bookstore I learned that Robyn Brock is new to the Union and she is motivated to become a leader.

The many departments we have

What can be done to improve the orientation?  It would be awesome if a lot more people came. Great opportunity to learn.  Marketing to more student leaders  More interaction with each other  Advertise more what the sessions are about.  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. Students appreciated Union Leadership taking time to speak to them and answer any questions. Few returners came for the second portion of the session and attendance was lower this year than in Fall 2013. Supervisors should encourage attendance from new and returning students to faciliate introductions across departments. Additionally, an icebreaker and/ or more interactive activities for students to share about their departments should be included.