COLLEGE PROJECT AWARD

As its college project, on November 5, 2012, from 9-2 and 4:30-6:30, Beta Iota Rho hosted a C4 Signing Day in the Campus Center. Phi Theta Kappanspresent were Ryan Flaherty (President), Leah Kowalski (President), David Fox (VP/Leadership), Emily Lynch (VP/Scholarship), Dana Williams (Recorder), and Dayna Keiper (new member). Also there were advisors Mary Sullivan and Stephen Housenick. This event was part of the college’s larger Graduation Day, sponsored by the President’s Office and staffed by the Admissions and Counseling offices. First students stopped at the honor society’s table to learn “reasons to complete” and sign the pledge; then they met with academic advisors to see where they stood on the road to completion and mapped a direct route; then they registered for spring classes, taking stepstoward their destination.

Coming up with the idea for a college project was relatively easy. When we were at the National Convention in Nashville, we all signed the C4 Wall and talked over dinner about having our own campus signing. Thenbetween sessions, Dr. Housenick, Rainy, and Ryan approached a C4representative; they left their contact information and got materials several weeks later. Though really excited about doing this as our college project, we didn’t make any definite plans yet because we knew we had to meet with LCCC administrators and because we still had scheduled items left undone.

But we made it a priority for the fall semester and thus held anearly September meeting. Around that time, Dr. Housenick mentioned our intentions at the Advisors Luncheon (where all club advisors informally met with President Leary over lunch), and the new Dean of Student Development (who was also there) said she was interested in hearing more. As we’d just scheduled the meeting with the president, he invited her, too.

Leah and David eagerly joined our advisor at the meeting with President Leary and Dean Reyes. David brought Administrator Guides for both. First, since Dean Reyes was new to the school, Leah explained to her the purposes of this meeting and the college project. Then the chapter representatives attentively listened as the president discussedsome campus needs and possible solutions. Both Leah and David took notes to share with the chapter and then, when the administrators finished talking, shared the list of ideas the rest of the officers previously brainstormed, including clean-ups and awareness events. Then Dean Reyes asked about the C4 signing, and Leah and David detailed it, highlighting the material in the guides and outlining our general plans. They also shared the following project goals officers and advisors had developed:

  • to
  • work with the administration on a project that benefits the college
  • establish “a supportive relationship” with administrators
  • associate the Phi Theta Kappa name on campus (to students and administrators) with good deeds
  • assist the college with improving retention rates
  • convince students to complete their degrees/certification at LCCC
  • share drop-out datawith students
  • ultimately change the campus’ culture of complacency

Both administrators admired our clear-cut goals. The dean really liked our project idea because it fit her own plans and fulfilled college “mission objectives.” Both she and President Leary liked how it would help with “retention,” too.

That’s when President Leary shared his plans for Graduation Day, an event where students could “MapQuest” (Housenick-ism) their long-term educational goals.Itwasn’t announced yet, so not even Dr. Housenick knew about it. He got really excited, though, saying how perfectly the C4 signing would mesh with it. David asked if we could collaborate by having our signing at the beginning of that process. Everyone agreed that this gavethe process (outlined above) a “cogencyandcoherence” (Housenick). Leahadded, “Saying you want to do something is one thing, but actually making definite plans and acting on themistotallydifferent.” So,all agreed that pairing C4 with Graduation Day essentially strengthened both projects.

We called a chapter meeting the following Tuesday, discussed the president’s meeting, and assigned project roles. Mary shared articles about New York’s state-wide completion initiative;David envisioned starting something similar in Pennsylvania. This time around, though, we started with advertising; this is where we needed flexibility. We had C4 materials – in bright green colors – but Dean Reyes wanted something more “LCCC,” with the school name and colors. So instead of using our packet material, we let her design the buttons we’d hand out. Also, using the editable PDF files, we incorporated the event’s title, date/time, and location into open spaces. The dean was satisfied.

Since David worked with our college printing office before, he’d go there for these redesigned posters; everybody hung them around campus. We liked the glow-in-the-dark wristbands given at the convention, so we asked Mary to order them from C4. Next, Emily scheduled the school photographer to document our event. Then we all brainstormed an event checklist – Dana recorded – of necessary items (i.e., signature sheets, pledge handouts, markers, chapter signs used for all events), and then we assigned one item per person. Mary “donated” the linen table cloth we’d use as our signing wall (inspired by New York and Nashville), and Dr. Housenick offered to buy candy to lure students in. Lastly, we made a schedule - who’d be there and when.

Leading up to the event, we’d meet each Tuesday,update on Facebook, and apprise the president. A few weeks out, Ryan appeared at the faculty’s Professional Development Day, as the student-speaker, to promoteour upcoming event. Although he was extremely nervous, he demonstrated the dedication to this project all of us had throughout, which paid off.

To follow-upon the event, Ryan drafted a notice for C4 and MiddleStates, Dana and Leah used the available press release template, and David gatheredstatistics fromadministrators. The officers added a C4 presentation to the November Induction Ceremony and asked the new members to sign the pledge.

We had a total of 97 signatures. On the Graduation Day side, they advised/registered 228 students, adding more during open registration.So, fewer than half signed. Since it’s only December, we won’t know its long-term effects, but we suspect retention and completion rates willrise if we continue.

Having done this college project, we’ve grown as campus leaders and servants to the administration: we’re confident we’ve set a positive example for our peers, spread the name of Phi Theta Kappa, and proven to administrators that this chapter can be counted on to significantly improve the college. By example, we’ve inspired students to get more involved with campus events and with their own educational goals.

While we’ve learned what proper planning, motivation, and teamwork can accomplish, we’ve also seen how hard it is to battle the dominant apathetic culture. So, there’s much room for improvement. First, we need to get more members involved with these projects; officers can’t do it all. Seven planners and six signers isn’t enough. Also, the signing needs to be more than one day, to accommodate both Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Tuesday-Thursday students. It needs to be a semester event,to show long-term gains. It also needs an online component, to reach even more students, especially those off-campus.

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PRESS RELEASE:

-- Flexibility with schedules and working with Dean Reyes, who had her own ideas. For example, she wanted more LCCC in the materials (the school’s name, colors)– the latter wanted buttons that said “LCCC” and had school colors, so we were flexible and didn’t order C4 buttons.

--(on the signature sheets and the display banner)

--make significant contributions to the college community.

First, honor society members lured students in withfree swag (buttons, candy, wristbands) and then gave them “reasons to complete” and drop-out data; after signing the completion pledge, the students then met with counselors and administrators to determine where they the students stood on the path to graduation; lastly, students registered for the spring semester, as they stayed the course toward completion.

  • by having Phi Theta Kappa student-leaders set a positive example, by demonstrating honors in action, by getting students involved with campus projects, by getting students to seriously consider and openly commit to their educational goals, and by getting the administration to send a clear message by showing its pupils a clear path to meet those goals

We had 7 involved in the planning and 6 at the signing. True, schedules are tight, but the officers can’t do everything.