Waylon Tulip is 24 years old and has been attending Green River full-time since winter 2003.  His goal is to major in education and become a high school teacher. He will graduate this spring. 

When asked what he likes about Green River, the first thing that came to his mind was the trees and the beauty of the campus. He also added that he likes the changes that the college is doing to the campus, especially the commons area. 

Waylon is happy with the faculty, class selection, and smaller class sizes.  Waylon also likes the library. "The Help Center is very resourceful."

Waylon gave Student Services a thumbs up.  "The student activities have helped me meet a lot of people.  Also, the Counseling Services are great. The counselors were always available for me when I needed help with an issue."

When asked about Waylon's dislikes, he conveyed that he served on the Judicial Committee for the Senate.   One of the biggest contentions for many students is smoking.  "I wish there were more designated smoking areas."  He also said, "Parking is a pain, but now there are ways around it." He also added that he would rather have parking problems than lose trees.

Waylon voiced his dissatisfaction with the cost of attending Green River.  "Over the last two years, tuition has gone up quite a bit and I have to pay my own way."  He added that there is a lack of financial aid for those students between the ages of 21 and 23.  "I had to claim my parents income even though I was living on my own. I know that there are a lot of 21-23 year olds that don't live with their parents that are really hurting because of this government regulation."

Kelly Windisch

Kelly Windisch is a single parent and full-time student in the Court Reporting program.  She has been attending Green River for three years and hopes to graduate by 2007.  When asked what she is most satisfied with at the college, her response was, "There is a lot of faculty involvement in student success. They really care.  Last quarter I had a problem, but the faculty worked with me so I could get though it.  Green River's instructors are top notch!"

In addition, Kelly commented on the extracurricular activities provided by Student Services. "There are clubs for just about everything, opportunities to go abroad, and I love the idea of a Kid's Day." 

"I also think it is great what the college has done with the campus... the student housing and the fountain!  I love the fountain and so does my son!"

When asked if she was dissatisfied with anything on campus, she said that her instructors seem a bit stretched. She wished they could hire more faculty to help out.  Also, she said, with a smile, "The parking is really lame!"
 

A monthly newsletter that gives you the facts...    March  14,  2005  -  Vol. III, Issue v

Welcome to The Report Card, a monthly newsletter containing information on various topics related to institutional effectiveness.  This issue is on Student Satisfaction.

Background: 

The Office of Research and Planning began conducting the new student survey in the early 1990’s. The survey is conducted biennially and a questionnaire is sent to all new students during fall quarter. The questionnaire was significantly revised this year with assistance from Student Services staff. Students are asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with various services and selected aspects of the college. The questionnaire also solicits information about factors influencing students’ decision to attend Green River and students’ educational needs. New questions were added to solicit information about students’ opinions of Green River being supportive of various student populations.

Highlights:

In fall 2004, over 2,000 questionnaires were sent to new students and a total of 470 questionnaires were returned (a response rate of 23%).  Of the respondents, nearly 63% were female and 23% were students of color.  About 66% were 20 years old or younger.  Approximately 43% identified themselves as academic transfer students and 59% attended full-time. Fifty-nine percent indicated they were a first generation college student (neither parent attained a bachelor’s degree).   

Sources of Information about Green River           

• Respondents indicated the college website (66%), quarterly class schedule (43%), and the college catalog (39%) to be major sources of information about Green River. (See Figure 1).

Factors Influencing Students’ Decision to Attend
 

• Respondents indicated that offering the courses or programs they wanted (59%), being close to home (48%), and the cost of attending (42%) were very important factors influencing their decision to attend Green River.
  (See Figure 2).
   

 Campus-Wide Learning Outcomes
 

• Almost half of the respondents (48%) had heard about the campus-wide learning outcome of responsibility. Over 47% had heard about critical thinking. About one-third had heard about written communication and 36% of quantitative reasoning. (See Figure 3).
   

Skills or Abilities
 

• The majority of the respondents rated their skill or ability in being responsible for their own behavior and actions (95%), problem-solving (84%), and learning on their own (82%) as excellent or good. (See Figure 4).
   
• Over half of the respondents rated their skill or ability in public speaking (58%) and math concepts and statistical reasoning (53%) as fair or poor.
   
• About 54% indicated they needed additional support to improve their mathematical skills, and 27% indicated they need additional support to improve their reading comprehension skills. (See Figure 5).
   

College Entry Services
 

• Respondents reported high satisfaction with the college web site (85%), application/admission process (77%), registration (75%), student online resources (73%), and the bookstore (71%). (See Figure 6).
   

 College Aspects
 

• Selected aspects of the college that respondents indicated high satisfaction with were the condition of buildings and grounds (78%), accuracy of college information received before enrolling (77%), and the variety of courses offered each quarter (69%). (See Figure 7).
   
• About 24% of the respondents indicated they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the availability of courses offered at times they wanted.
   

Support for Various Student Populations
 

• The majority of the respondents agreed that Green River was supportive of part-time students (70%) and students from various ethnic and racial backgrounds (67%). (See Figure 8).
   
• Nearly 67% agreed that they felt a sense of belonging at Green River.
   

 Overall
 

• About 70% of the respondents indicated their overall impression of the quality of instruction was above average or excellent.
   
• 72% were satisfied or very satisfied overall with the new student entry process.
   
• So far, 91% said they were either satisfied or very satisfied overall with Green River.  

Click here to view the complete results of
the 2004 New Student Survey.

For more information about this survey or other surveys,
please contact Fia Eliasson at : (253) 833-9111 ext. 2568