STUDENT SERVICES
This chapter examines Austin Community College's (ACC) student services in the following sections:
- A. Student Services Administration
- B. Enrollment Management
- C. Financial Aid
- D. Counseling and Guidance Services
- E. Student Activities
E. STUDENT ACTIVITIES
College life is more than attending classes. Students learn valuable leadership skills, life skills and interpersonal skills by participating in student organizations and extracurricular activities. In addition, students may develop a strong commitment to the campus in a way that encourages them to contribute to institutional development as loyal alumni.
At ACC, the Student Life Office delivers student co-curricular services to six campuses. These services include student organizations and clubs, the Leadership Summit, student government, campuswide community services, the Make a Difference program, the student newspaper and the Cultural Connections program. A $3 student activity fee paid by all enrolled students each semester funds this office, and this fee can be increased only through a student referendum. This is the only ACC student service funded entirely by student fees. The activities include leadership workshops, international student mixers, poetry slams, and salsa dance lessons among others. In addition, ACC's Student Life Office staff also provides services for the student newspaper, student government and cultural diversity programs.
The Coordinator of the Student Life Office and four full-time staff members deliver educational programs to ACC students at each of the six campuses. During 2001-02, two staff positions were vacant. In addition to the Student Activities Office, ACC also supports the African-American and
El Centro Cultural Centers, although the directors of these two centers are faculty members who report directly to the associate vice president of Retention and Student Services.FINDING
ACC provides two student cultural centers, one for African-American students and one for Hispanic students. Very few community colleges encourage student diversity by providing physical space and educational programming activities for underserved student populations. ACC has established itself as a leader in this area by providing two centers where students can meet, hold meetings and participate in educational programs to learn more about their cultural heritage. Faculty members serve as directors of the cultural centers and receive a one-class load reduction for this administrative responsibility.
Faculty members also serve as assistant directors and receive a small stipend of $500 for their administrative assistance. The operating budget for the two cultural centers for fiscal 2002 was $3,300. Both centers provide cultural programming events for students on campus and also provide off-campus events in local schools, churches and community centers. These off-campus events encourage underserved populations to learn more about attending college and the educational programs available at ACC. By providing both on-campus and off-campus cultural programming to ACC students and the local community, ACC promotes a greater appreciation of cultural diversity.
COMMENDATION
ACC provides space and programming activities for underrepresented student populations through the African-American and El Centro Cultural Centers.