COUNSELING
CENTER
UNIVERSITY
OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE
PARK, MARYLAND
WHAT'S
IN A VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE?
A SURVEY
OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
STAMP
UNION PROGRAM COUNCIL (SUPC) EXPERIENCES
Victoria
J. Belanger, Marsha A. Guenzler)
and
William E. Sedlacek
Research
Report No. 3-92
This
research project was supported by the Stamp Student Union and the Counseling
Center, University of Maryland, College Park. The authors wish to thank members
of the Stamp Union Program Council (SUPC) for participating in the study.
Computer time was provided by the Computer Science Center, University of
Maryland, College Park.
COUNSELING
CENTER
UNIVERSITY
OF MARYLAND
COLLEGE
PARK, MARYLAND
WHAT'S
IN A VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE?
A SURVEY
OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
STAMP
UNION PROGRAM COUNCIL (SUPC) EXPERIENCES
Victoria
J. Balenger, Marsha A. Guenzler, and William E. Sedlacek
Research
Report No. 3-92
Summary
Seventy-five SUPC members completed a checklist of
SUPC experiences (Balenger, Sedlacek, & Guenzler, 1989) had been expanded
to include examples of positive and negative "critical incidents"
(Flanagan, 1954) generated by members at an SUPC retreat. Members designated
which experiences they considered to be particularly positive or negative.
Experiences most often identified as positive included the
affiliative experiences of "making new friends" and "feeling
`involved' on campus", as well as the leadership-oriented
experiences of "becoming more assertive" and "getting leadership
experience". Other experiences often cited as positive were
"attending a retreat", "being part of a successful programming
effort", and "getting praise or recognition for my work".
The most often identified negative experience was
"balancing schoolwork with SUPC involvement". Other negative
experiences included: "receiving negative feedback"; dealing with
Union and SUPC policies and procedures; "doing more than my share";
and "feeling that I did not fit in".
Implications for student affairs professionals who work
with the Stamp Union Program Council are discussed.
What's in a Volunteer Experience?
Those concerned with volunteer recruitment and retention
recognize the importance of structuring the volunteer experience so that it
fits with the needs and expectations of the volunteers, whatever they may be
(Henderson, 1980; Phillips, 1982). Empirical research offers a potentially
useful means of understanding these needs and expectations, however, the
results of studies that focus on general motivations or rewards associated with
volunteering may be difficult to apply. For example, Fitch (1987) categorized
the motivations of students who volunteered in the community as both altruistic
and egoistic. Sergent and Sedlacek (1990) found that volunteers in different
campus organizations had different Holland types (Holland, 1985) and
motivational needs, as measured by the Adjective Checklist (bough &
Heilbrun, 1983). While such theoretical studies clarify motivational needs for
volunteering, "practical" or applied research also is needed to
bridge the gap between these needs and the actual volunteer experience.
In terms translating research into practice, student
affairs professionals who coordinate volunteers must be cautious about applying
research findings that relate to volunteers in organizations different from
their own. One of the most important implications of Sergent and Sedlacek's
(1990) study was that research on volunteer motivations may not generalize
across students within different campus organizations. The major purpose of
this
2
study was to learn more about the experience of students
who volunteer for the Stamp Union Program Council, an organization that
provides social, cultural, recreational, and educational programming for the
University of Maryland campus community.
In an earlier study of SUPC members that attempted to link
motivational needs with program board activities, it was found that students
most valued volunteer activities directly related to the mission of the program
board, such as serving program attendees, and affiliative experiences such as
making new friends and being "involved" on campus (Balenger,
Sedlacek, & Guenzler, 1989?. Thus, this study provided information about
which specific activities and experiences were the most reinforcing for student
union program board members.
This study represents an attempt to build upon the earlier
research by identifying specific activities and experiences that significantly
affect the overall quality of the volunteer experience for SUPC members. In
addition to documenting the proportion of members that had had various
experiences in SUPC, relationships
between specific volunteer experiences and the variables
of gender and leadership status in the organization were also explored.
Seventy-five students attending regularly scheduled
committee meetings completed a revised version of a "volunteer activities
checklist" developed by Balenger, Sedlacek, and Guenzler (1989?.
Participation was voluntary, and all responses were anonymous and confidential.
Although SUPC had 160 official members for the spring
3
semester, 1991 (M. Ellis, Coordinator of Student Programs,
personal communication, July 5, 1991), this does not account for those who quit
or became inactive during the semester. Estimates by committee chairs near the
end of the semester suggested that there were actually about 110 active SUPC
members who regularly attended committee meetings. Thus, this sample comprised
about 68% of the active membership of SUPC. The timing of the study (at end of
spring semester) negatively affected the response rate, because committee
meeting attendance drops during the period when final exams are pending.
While the original checklist measured activity preferences
of SUPC members, the revised version assessed which SUPC experiences were
identified by members as particularly positive or negative (see Appendix). The
list of SUPC activities/experiences from the 1989 survey was expanded to
include examples of positive and negative "critical incidents"
(Flanagan, 1954) generated by members attending a 1989 retreat. Critical
incidents are behavioral or experiential anecdotes that pertain to the most
important aspects of an activity. Typically, respondents are asked to provide
examples of positive and negative, or effective and ineffective, behaviors
(Stano, 1983).
The revised checklist used in this study was checked for
content validity by both the Coordinator for Student Programs of the Stamp
Student Union and the President of SUPC. Descriptive statistics and chi square
tests were used to analyze the data.
4
Participants were 56% male and 80'% White (see Table 1 for
sample characteristics). (aver 90% of the sample in the age range of 18-22;
the modal age was 19 (364). The majority had been involved with SUPC 1-2
semesters (43%) or 3-4 semesters (25%). Fifty-one percent of
respondents reported that they had held a leadership
position in SUPC.
------------------------
Insert Table 1 about here.
------------------------
Chi square tests revealed that, generally, members who had
been involved for longer (more than 2 semesters) and those who had held
leadership positions in SUPC had had a wider range of volunteer experiences
than other members. Because students who had been involved for longer were also
significantly more likely to have held leadership positions, what accounted for
the wider range of volunteer experiences cannot be determined. However, chi
square tests found that student leaders were significantly more likely than non-leaders
to have had five specific volunteer experiences that were not also significant
for length of involvement (see Table 2).
Insert Table 2 about here.
Table 3 summarizes the SUPC experiences that were
identified as having the most positive or negative impact on the overall
5
quality of the volunteer experience. Tables 4 and 5
provide rank orderings of the experiences most often identified as positive and
negative, respectively.
----------------------------------
Insert Tables 3, 4, and 5 about here.
----------------------------------
Regardless of length of membership, students who had held
SUPS leadership positions were significantly more likely to have had five of
the volunteer experiences on the checklist than were nonleaders. At least three
of the experiences that student leaders had more often seem to be directly
related to involvement as a leader: dealing with SUPC policies and procedures,
dealing with Union policies and procedures, and making contacts with people who
might help them in the future. Although it is possible that the significant
differences occurred by chance, these findings suggest that involvement as a
leader may expose students to a broader range of volunteer experiences than
they might otherwise have. Additional research concerning what types of
experiences are unique to student leaders versus other involved students would
shed more light on this topic.
It is interesting to note that all respondents, regardless
of leadership status or length of membership, were equally likely to have had three of the experiences identified by the highest
b percentage of SUPC members as positive: "making new
friends" (i), "being part of a successful programming effort",
and "feeling `involved' on campus". Leaders and non-leaders,
old and new members, were also equally likely to have had one of the most often
cited negative experiences, "feeling that I did not fit in" (ii).
Thus, it seems that certain social or affiliative experiences are common to
SUPC members regardless of level of involvement, and that these experiences
tend to have strong positive or negative value for them.
While the affiliative experiences of "making new
friends" (i) and "feeling `involved' on campus" (77%) were most
often identified as positive, similar proportions of the sample also considered
"becoming more assertive" and "getting leadership
experience" to be very positive. This suggests that volunteers place a high value on the opportunity to
affiliate, but also on learning to lead. Other experiences often rated as
positive include "attending a retreat" (54%), "being part of a
successful programming effort" (45%), and "getting praise or
recognition for my work" (42%). While attending a retreat can be viewed in
terms of both affiliation and leadership development, the latter two
experiences seem to reflect a need for achievement (Atkinson, 1964; McClelland,
1962). People with a high need for
achievement are motivated by a need for accomplishment brought about through their own efforts.
(i) The number who
identified this as a positive experience exceeded the number who initially
indicated they had had this experience.
(ii) The number who identified this as a negative experience
exceeded the number who initially indicated they had had this experience.
7
It is particularly interesting to note that only 26
respondents (35% of total sample) initially identified "making new
friends" as one of their SUPC experiences. However, when asked to
designate the five experiences that have been the most positive for them, 43
(57% of total sample) cited "making new friends". This suggests that
participants did not consciously consider making new friends to be one of their
volunteer experiences until they thought about what had been most positive about
their SUPC involvement. Perhaps making new friends is more an outcome of
volunteering than it is a purposeful activity or experience.
Likewise, two of the most often cited negative
experiences, "doing more than my share" and "feeling that I did
not fit in" were designated as negative by more SUPC members than those
whom originally indicated they had had these experiences. Again, it was
apparently not until people thought specifically about what had been negative
for them as SUPC members that they became aware they had actually experienced
these things.
The most often identified negative experience was
"balancing schoolwork with SUPC involvement" (67%). In addition to
the two negative experiences described in the previous paragraph, participants
also cited: "receiving negative feedback" (52%), dealing with Union
policies and procedures (36%), and dealing with SUPC policies and procedures
(35%). While it should be acknowledged that members consider these to be
negative experiences, it is striking that many represent growth opportunities
that may help these young adults learn to function more effectively in both the
personal and professional realms. For example, members who learn to balance
schoolwork with SUPC involvement may acquire valuable time management skills
that will generalize to other areas of their lives. Those who learn to utilize
negative feedback are likely to find that doing so will enhance both their
personal and career development. Dealing with Union and SUPC policies and
procedures, while it may be experienced as unpleasant, could prepare members to
more effectively negotiate with other organizations in which they volunteer or
work for pay.
Those who advise SUPC committees might try to "re-frame"
certain experiences that are perceived as negative by members. For example, one
can take opportunities to point out the skills members are developing in the
course of their SUPC involvement. Training and development efforts (e.g.,
retreats) can focus on such topics as time management and utilizing feedback,
so that members may feel more confident in meeting these challenges.
Two of the experiences identified as negative, "doing
more than my share" and "feeling that I did riot fit in", seem
amenable to interventions on both the individual and systemic levels. For
example, members who are doing more than their share may be individuals with
"responsibility issues" that might be addressed through a referral to
the Counseling Center. Alternatively, they may be leaders on committees that
have little sense of teamwork or initiative. In such cases, advisors can
explore with their committees ways to help members feel more invested in the
programs and events they undertake. As an example, it might emerge that
9
members are reacting to a committee chair with an undemocratic
leadership style by neglecting to do the tasks they are assigned.
There can be a lot of reasons why members might feel they
do not fit in. When a member is very different from others in terms of values
and lifestyle, he or she might feel uncomfortable as an SUPC member. Advisors
who are sensitive to this might meet with the person individually to talk about
how he or she relates to other members. If it appears that the person is having
pervasive interpersonal problems, the advisor might make a referral to the
Counseling Center, where one can get individual or group counseling around
these issues. However, if the person is otherwise well adjusted (e.g., has an
adequate support system outside of SUPC), the advisor might help him or her
explore such alternatives as switching to a different committee or even leaving
SUPC in favor of a volunteer opportunity that represents a better
"fit". On a systemic level, advisors should be alert to ways in which
the volunteer experience could be structured to help people feel they fit in.
For example, if it becomes apparent that new members are feeling isolated,
maybe a "buddy system" could be instituted to facilitate the
transition for them. In situations where exclusive "cliques" have
formed, advisors can invite their committees to discuss this trend in terms of
why it has emerged and what effect it has on both those who are and those who
are not included in the cliques.
Finally, in any volunteer organization on a predominantly
White campus, it is possible that members of diverse racial and
10
ethnic groups will not feel that they fit in. Advisors
should make special efforts to be accessible to students who are members of
minority groups, and should take the initiative in raising racial/cultural
issues whenever it seems appropriate. If it ever becomes apparent that students
of color are not comfortable in SUPC or as members of certain committees, there
are many levels on which interventions can be made. Recruitment efforts can be
directed toward achieving a more balanced racial composition in SUPC.
Orientation and training efforts can be made around helping members develop
greater sensitivity to issues of diversity.
On a more individual level, members who represent
different racial/ethnic groups can be encouraged to take leadership roles and
to "work within the system" (e.g., by advocating programs of interest
to members of their racial/cultural groups) toward making SUPC more responsive
to their needs. Those who feel a need for greater support around racial/cultural
issues can be referred to the Counseling Center, the Office of Minority Student
Affairs, or the Office of Human Resources.
This study was an attempt to explore various aspects of
SUPC volunteer involvement: the frequency with which members had had specific
experiences; the relationship of specific experiences to gender and leadership
status; and which experiences were considered by members to be the most
positive and most negative.
While gender did not significantly relate to the number of
reported SUPC experiences, leadership status and length of time as
11
an SUPC member did. Students who had held leadership
positions in SUPC were significantly more likely than non-leaders to have
had five of the volunteer experiences listed on the checklist. Additional
research regarding the unique impact of leadership status on one's volunteer
experience was suggested.
Pertaining to the quality of the volunteer experience,
SUPC members seemed to most value affiliative and leadership-oriented
experiences, and to feel most negative when their volunteer work seems to
overtake them and becomes difficult to manage (i.e., balancing schoolwork with
SUPC involvement; doing more than their share in SUPC).
Another important theme was the need to feel involved,
accepted, and approved of by others. For example, participants felt positive
about feeling "involved" on campus, attending a retreat, being part
of a successful programming effort, and getting praise or recognition for their
work. They felt negative about feeling they did not fit in and receiving
negative feedback. A final negative theme pertained to dealing with Union and
SUPC policies and procedures.
Advisors who work with SUPC members can make individual
and group interventions toward maximizing the positive aspects and minimizing
the negative aspects of the volunteer experience. Also, as it was noted
earlier, certain negative experiences can be "re-framed" as
positive in terms of the growth opportunities they offer.
12
References
Atkinson, J.W. (1978). An introduction to motivation (2nd
Ed.). New York: Van Nostrand.
Balenger, V.J., Sedlacek, W.E., & Guenzler, M.A.
(1989). Volunteer activities and their relationship to
motivational needs: A study of
the Stamp Union Program Council. (Counseling Center Research
Report No.
18-89). College Park:
University of Maryland.
Fitch, R. Thomas (1987). Characteristics and motivations
of college students volunteering for community
service. Journal of College
Student Personnel, 28 (5), 424-431.
Flanagan, J.C. (1954). The critical incident technique. Psychological
Bulletin, 51, 327-358.
Gough, H.G., & Heilbrun, A.B. (1983). The Adjective
Check List manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting
Psychologists Press.
Henderson, K.A. (1980, September). Programming
volunteerism for happier volunteers. Parks and Recreation, pp.
61-64.
Holland, J.L. (1985). The Self-Directed Search
professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment
Resources, Inc.
McClelland, D. (1962). Business drive and national
achievement. Harvard Business Review, 40(4), 99-112).
Phillips, M. (1982). Motivation and expectation in
successful volunteerism. Journal of Voluntary Action
Research, 11,
118-125.
Sergent, M.T., & Sedlacek, W.E. (1990). Volunteer
motivations across student organizations: A test of
person-environment fit
theory. Journal of College Student Development, 31(3), 255-261.
13
Stano, M. (1983, April?. The critical incident
technique: A description of the method. Paper presented at the
Annual Meeting of the Southern
Speech Communication Associates, Lincoln, NE.
14
|
Table 1: Sample Characteristics |
||
|
Characteristic |
N |
%(a) |
|
Gender |
|
|
|
Male |
42 |
56 |
|
Female |
33 |
44 |
|
Totals |
75 |
100 |
|
Race |
|
|
|
Black |
4 |
5 |
|
White |
60 |
80 |
|
Asian |
7 |
9 |
|
Hispanic |
2 |
3 |
|
Other |
2 |
3 |
|
Totals |
75 |
100 |
|
Class Status |
|
|
|
Freshman |
20 |
27 |
|
Sophomore |
18 |
24 |
|
Junior |
22 |
29 |
|
Senior |
13 |
17 |
|
Other |
2 |
3 |
|
Totals |
75 |
100 |
|
Resident Status |
|
|
|
With parent or relative |
17 |
24 |
|
In an off-campus apartment
or house |
8 |
11 |
|
Campus residence halls |
47 |
65 |
|
Totals |
72 |
100 |
|
Length of SUPC Membership |
|
|
|
Less than one semester |
14 |
19 |
|
1-2 semesters |
32 |
43 |
|
3-4 semesters |
19 |
25 |
|
More than 4 semesters |
10 |
13 |
|
Totals |
75 |
100 |
|
Ever Held SUPC Leadership
Position |
|
|
|
Yes |
38 |
51 |
|
No |
37 |
49 |
|
Totals |
75 |
100 |
16
Table 2
|
Table 2: A Comparison of SUPC Member Experiences by
Leadership Status |
||||||
|
Experience |
|
Leaders (a) |
|
|
Non-Leaders (b) |
|
|
|
|
N |
% |
|
N |
% |
|
Dealing with SUPC policies
and procedure © |
|
34 |
90 |
|
20 |
54 |
|
Dealing with Union
policies and procedures © |
|
31 |
82 |
|
13 |
51 |
|
Making contacts with
people who might help me in the future (d) |
|
24 |
63 |
|
12 |
32 |
|
Saving program attendees © |
|
25 |
66 |
|
7 |
19 |
|
Working with other members
(d) |
|
37 |
97 |
|
28 |
76 |
Note. Table refers to number and percentage of students
who reported having had each of the experiences listed. Leadership status refers
to whether or not the member had ever held a formal leadership position in the
organization. (a) n = 38. (b) n = 37. (c) Subgroups differed significantly at p
< .01. (d) Subgroups
differed significantly at p < .05.
17
|
SUPC Experiences Identified as Having the Most
Postive or Negative Impact on the Overal Quality of the Volunteer Experience |
||||||
|
Experience |
Had Experience |
|
Positive |
|
Negative |
|
|
|
N |
% |
|
% |
|
% |
|
Attending the Awards
banquet |
26 |
35 |
|
15 |
|
8 |
|
Attending Exec. Council
Meetings |
22 |
29 |
|
14 |
|
9 |
|
Attending the Holiday
Party |
24 |
32 |
|
13 |
|
0 |
|
Attending a retreat |
26 |
35 |
|
54 |
|
8 |
|
Balancing schoolwork with
SUPC involvement (a) |
33 |
44 |
|
24 |
|
67 |
|
Becoming more assertive |
24 |
32 |
|
75 |
|
0 |
|
Being part of a group with
a common goal |
44 |
58 |
|
32 |
|
0 |
|
Being part of a successful
programming effort |
44 |
59 |
|
45 |
|
0 |
|
Conducting a committee
meeting |
22 |
29 |
|
9 |
|
9 |
|
Dealing with SUPC policies
and procedures |
40 |
53 |
|
0 |
|
35 |
|
Dealing with Union
policies and procedures |
36 |
48 |
|
3 |
|
36 |
|
Delegating tasks |
30 |
40 |
|
20 |
|
3 |
|
Doing more than my share
(a) |
18 |
24 |
|
(N=1) |
|
(N=18) |
|
Feeling accepted by others |
45 |
60 |
|
29 |
|
0 |
|
Feeling
"involved" on campus |
39 |
52 |
|
77 |
|
0 |
|
Feeling that I did not fit
in (a) |
3 |
4 |
|
(N=2) |
|
(N=16) |
|
Getting leadership
experience |
24 |
32 |
|
71 |
|
0 |
|
Getting job experience |
26 |
35 |
|
8 |
|
0 |
|
Getting praise or
recognition for my work |
36 |
48 |
|
42 |
|
3 |
|
Handling the SUPC budget |
15 |
20 |
|
7 |
|
20 |
|
Holding an office |
23 |
31 |
|
35 |
|
9 |
|
Implementing a program |
29 |
39 |
|
34 |
|
0 |
|
Interacting with the Union
staff |
46 |
61 |
|
7 |
|
7 |
|
Learning more about racial
or cultural diversity |
29 |
39 |
|
21 |
|
0 |
|
Learning specific skills |
37 |
49 |
|
11 |
|
0 |
|
Learning to say
"no" to others |
24 |
32 |
|
4 |
|
17 |
|
Making contacts with
people who might help me in the future |
27 |
36 |
|
30 |
|
4 |
|
making new friends (a) |
26 |
35 |
|
(N=43) |
|
(N=0) |
|
Planning a program |
31 |
41 |
|
39 |
|
6 |
|
Providing a service to the
campus community |
42 |
56 |
|
24 |
|
0 |
|
Receiving an award for my
work |
24 |
32 |
|
4 |
|
0 |
|
Receiving negative
feedback |
23 |
31 |
|
4 |
|
52 |
|
Recruiting new members |
32 |
43 |
|
6 |
|
9 |
|
Running for an office |
33 |
44 |
|
9 |
|
3 |
|
Serving program attendees |
31 |
41 |
|
0 |
|
3 |
|
Socializing with other
members |
53 |
71 |
|
25 |
|
0 |
|
Training/orienting new
members |
29 |
39 |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
Working with other members |
51 |
68 |
|
22 |
|
6 |
|
working with SUPC advisors |
40 |
53 |
|
10 |
|
5 |
|
Working within the system
to get things accomplished |
44 |
59 |
|
7 |
|
11 |
Note. Respondents (N=75? indicated which of 40 experiences
they had had, identified up to five that had a positive effect and five that
had a negative effect on the overall quality of their SUPC volunteer
experience. (a? Designated as both positive and negative by 9% (y=2> of
respondents who had experienced this.
18
(a) Because the total number who identified this as a
positive or negative experience exceeded the number who indicated they had had
this experience, percentages were not calculated.
19
(a) Because the total number who identified this as a
positive or negative experience exceeded the number who indicated they had had
this experience, percentages were not calculated.
21
Table 4
|
Rank Ordering of the SUPC Experiences Most Often
Identified as Positive |
|||||
|
Experience |
Had Experience |
|
Positive |
Rank |
|
|
|
N |
% |
|
% |
|
|
Making new friends (a) |
26 |
35 |
|
(N=43) |
1 |
|
Feeling
"involved" on campus |
39 |
52 |
|
77 |
2 |
|
Becoming more assertive |
24 |
32 |
|
75 |
3 |
|
Getting leadership
experience |
24 |
32 |
|
71 |
4 |
|
Attending a retreat |
26 |
35 |
|
54 |
5 |
|
Being a part of a
successful programming effort |
44 |
59 |
|
45 |
6 |
|
Getting praise or
recognition for my work |
6 |
48 |
|
42 |
7 |
Note. Experiences were rank-ordered according to
percentage (number that identified experience as positive out of number that
had the experience?, with the exception described below. (a? Because the total
number who identified this as a positive or negative experience exceeded the
number who initially indicated they had had this experience, percentages were
not calculated.
22
|
Rank Ordering of the SUPC Experiences Most Often
Identified as Negative |
|||||
|
Experience |
Had Experience |
|
Positive |
Rank |
|
|
|
N |
% |
|
% |
|
|
Making new friends (a) |
26 |
35 |
|
(N=43) |
1 |
|
Balancing schoolwork with
SUPC involvement |
33 |
44 |
|
67 |
1 |
|
Doing more than my share
(a) |
18 |
24 |
|
(N=18) |
2 |
|
Feeling that I did not fit
in |
3 |
4 |
|
(N=16) |
3 |
|
Receiving negative
feedback |
23 |
31 |
|
52 |
4 |
|
Dealing with Union
policies and procedures |
36 |
48 |
|
36 |
5 |
|
Dealing with SUPC policies
and procedures |
40 |
53 |
|
35 |
6 |
Note. Experiences were rank-ordered according to
percentage (number that identified experience as positive out of number that
had the experience), with the exception described below. (a) Because the total
number who identified this as a positive or negative experience exceeded the
number who initially indicated they had had this experience, percentages were
not calculated.
23
Appendix
SUPC
Survey
Demographics Please circle the appropriate
answers.
1. Your sex is: 2. Your
race is:
a. male a.
Black (African-Amer.)
b. female b. White (not of Hispanic origin)
c. Asian (Asian-Amer., Pacific Isl.)
3. Your age is: d.
Hispanic (Latino, Chicano)
years e.
American Indian or Alaskan Native
f. Other (specify)
4. Your campus
status is: 5. Your place of residence
is:
a. Freshman a.
With parents/relatives
b. Sophomore b.
In off-campus apartment/house
c. Junior c. In campus residence hall
d. Senior d. In fraternity/sorority house
h. Other e.
Other (specify)
6. How long have you
been a member of SUPC?
a. Less than one
semester d. Three to four semesters
b. One to two
semesters e. More than four semesters
7. Have you ever
held a leadership position in SUPC?
a. yes
b. no
Directions On the next page is a list of
possible activities and experiences of SUPC members. 6o down the list and place
a check on the line next to each thing that you have done or experienced
as an SUPC member.
24
Activity
or Experience
Attending the Awards Banquet Attending Exec. Council
meetings Attending the Holiday Party Attending a retreat Balancing schoolwork
with SUPC involvement Becoming more assertive Being part of a group with a
common goal
Being part of a successful programming effort Conducting a
committee meeting Dealing with SUPC policies and procedures Dealing with Union
policies and procedures Delegating tasks Doing more than my share Feeling
accepted by others Feeling "involved" on campus Feeling that I did not
fit in Getting leadership experience Getting job experience Getting praise or
recognition for your work Handling the SUPC budget Holding an office
Implementing a program Interacting with Union staff
Learning more about racial or cultural diversity Learning specific skills
Learning to say "no" to others Making contacts with people who might
help me in the future
Making new friends Planning a program Recruiting new
members Receiving an award for your work Receiving negative feedback Running
for an office Serving program attendees Providing a service to the campus
community Socializing with other members Training/orienting new members Working
with other members Working with SUPC advisors Working within the system to get
things accomplished ether (specify?
More Directions: Now, go back over the list and
identify up to five items that have had a significantly positive effect
an the overall quality of your experience as an SUPC member. Place a
"P" on the line next to each of these.
Then, go back over the list again and identify up to
five items that have had a significantly negative effect on the
overall quality of your experience as an SUPC member. Place an "N" an
the line next to each of these.