Running Head: UWA: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 1

The University of West Alabama: Building Multi-Cultural Environments Through

Services Improvements
Amanda Gilliland
Georgia Southern University
COUN 7132











UWA: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 2
UNIVERSITY PROFILE
The University of West Alabama is a small state institution serving 5,000
students. It is located in Livingston, Alabama in a rural area of the state. The small town
charm provides a quaint atmosphere for students at the university, however the smallness
of the town also limits activities outside of school and on weekends for the students. In
order to develop students and help students grow both personally and academically, the
university and its student service divisions must make efforts beyond the basic options
found at a larger state school in order to attract new students and retain current students
while aiming to improve diversity. While UWA has made strides to improve on what it
offers over the last 10 years, it could make even more improvements in their services and
structures to promote developmental change and growth in their students.
UWA is a small institution, but they are capable of and should focus on efforts
that will improve their diversity on campus. A specific area that can be addressed is the
disparity in numbers between genders. The university enrollment shows 72% female
attendance and only 28% male attendance in Fall 2013 (UWA Fact Book, Detailed
Demographics, p. 1). With a history rich in education, being a teachers college, this
trend has always leaned towards female students. While there is significant room for
improvement in male attendance, there seems to be a more equal playing field for
students of diverse ethnicities. Black/African American and White student attendance is
approximately 40% for both categories. UWA has made impressive efforts in enrollment
trends and Fall 2013 freshman numbers reflect not only more black/other enrollment than
white, there is also an improvement in male freshmen enrollment (UWA Fact Book,
Detailed Enrollment Trends, 2013, p. 1). Another unique trend in enrollment at UWA is
UWA: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 3
that over 50% of the students are graduate students (UWA Fact Book, Quick Facts, 2013,
p.1). Services on college campuses are typically focused towards undergraduate students
because they compose the majority of the student body. At UWA there is a need for more
graduate service and focus than would be seen other places. The last area of focus on
improving diversity in the environment on campus would be with international students.
The international population makes up 2% of the student body (UWA Fact Book, Quick
Facts, 2013, p. 1) and needs to be improved.
UWA has developed a strategic plan for improving their multicultural
environments diversity. Their vision is to be widely recognized as a champion of
diversity, noted for its inclusive and equitable culture, welcoming and multicultural
environment, and caring family-oriented atmosphere, where all people are treated fairly
and with respect and dignity (Diversity Strategic Plan, 2007, p. 5). While they have
made efforts, there is room for improvement to help with the multicultural groups listed
above in order to serve students and improve attendance.
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
Looking at the overall profile and layout of the university there are service areas
where UWA can make improvements or begin new initiatives to continue to promote
student development and growth. Specifically Housing services, International services,
Student Activities, and the Graduate College are areas in which UWA could provide the
most influence on student growth through their programs and structures. While
Chickerings Seven Vectors (Pascarella &Terenzini, 2005) are focused on student-
centered development, the student change can be fostered by adjustments to programs
and structure a university can make for their students.
UWA: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 4
Housing services is a primary department that can be a key factor in positive
student development along the vectors of achieving competence, managing emotions,
gaining interdependence, developing interpersonal relationships, establishing identity,
and developing purpose and integrity (Pascarella &Terenzini, 2005). One service that
could be implemented by Housing at UWA is the concept of living learning communities.
Both gender and racial identity can be formed and reinforced by creating community of
students that work and live closely together. Living learning communities would utilize
dorms, incorporate a faculty mentor, and create an academic structure where the students
not only live together but they also study and work together. Being in a group of students
within similar majors and with similar multicultural traits such as gender and race will
help students see improvement in self confidence, increase competence, develop
relationships and grow in their own identity.
Tinto, Love, and Russo (1994) conducted a study of a learning community with
first year students. The outcome of their research was that students developed a
supportive community of peers which helped them integrate their academic and social
skills and gain confidence in the classroom (p. 17). The very balanced representation of
racial diversity among both Black and White students would provide an excellent base of
students to begin a learning community with. It will provide the students with the ability
to see diverse perspectives while being able to identify with someone of their own race as
Housing and university leadership can be intentional in how they structure the
community, ensuring an equal representation of all races in the groups.
Providing the unique academic and social experience, UWA would be able to
attract more students not only of diverse ethnicities but also help improve their gender
UWA: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 5
ratio overall. Learning communities could be tailored to be gender specific for those
majors that have a good number of both genders. Students could have the choice of
coeducational communities or gender specific. For the students that choose a gender
specific community they would be able to have an instant connection in classes with
peers, be able to feel confident in how they interact with other students, and be able to
identify and empathize with pressures of college and know they are not alone with their
insecurities and challenges.
International service and enrollment efforts are significant in improving diversity
on UWAs campus as well as attracting new international students to the university.
Providing services as well as student opportunities would improve international presence
and enrollment. Interactions among other international students help build the confidence
of international students. Knowing a student is also facing similar challenges creates a
bond and grows interpersonal relationships, one of Chickerings Vectors (Pascarella &
Terenzini, 2005), among the students. Having an international conversation hour will
allow university faculty and staff as well as domestic students to interact with
international students. The conversation hour would provide food and topics for
conversation. This not only benefits the international students as they attempt to learn
American culture and improve their English skills, it also benefits domestic students,
giving them appreciate for diverse cultures and ethnicities.
Graduate students represent over half of the student body on campus, yet they can
be the least served population on campus because of their non-traditional backgrounds.
Offering experiences a program that would provide students with a faculty mentor that
will provide more guidance than a typical advisor would be an excellent way to engage
UWA: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 6
graduate students. Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) discuss how many studies on the
effect of teacher behaviors and student success have returned positive outcomes in
knowledge acquisition among students (p. 114). Taking the interaction a step beyond the
classroom can only further the results of success not only academically, but also for
graduate students, they could be an excellent resource for career pursuits as well as will
provide a source of foundation for a student building their own occupational values.
Faculty can provide insight on expectations for coursework, career interactions such as
interviews and supervisor-subordinate relationships.
In addition to implementing faculty mentors, the Graduate office could implement
ways to provide students with professional development opportunities by offering
seminars, socials, and career service sessions in order to prepare the students for their
future and help them attain a job prior to graduation. Placement rate improvement as well
as overall personalized services to graduate students will encourage students to seek out
UWA as a possible graduate school to attend after their undergraduate years. Having the
confidence of preparation from these resources will only improve the students already
growing occupational values.
All of these students are offered activities, programs, and structure under the
umbrella organization of Student Services. Student Services at UWA covers many areas
including intramural recreation, student health and fitness, student organization oversight,
and community outreach. Student services can take their programs and use them to
intentionally help students to develop and grow.
Student organizations provide a chance for students to get to know themselves,
develop their personal identity, and ultimately form attitudes and values they will hold
UWA: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 7
through life beyond college. Religious organizations led by students help grow religious
identity. The student recreation department helps students understand health and wellness
while developing exercise and nutrition habits. Student Activities plans social events for
students that often will incorporate faculty, staff, and community members allowing a
diverse environment for students to get connected to the school, their peers and the town
of Livingston.
A new program Student Services could implement would be a community
outreach initiative. While UWA has a good mix of both Black and White students, the
community has a social stumbling block when it comes to race issues. Black and White
community members are less likely to interact unless in a work environment and there is
a level of racism from both sides that keeps many community activities rather segregated.
In order to engage these cultures as well as give students the experience of outreach and
community engagement, Student Services should build a program that creates community
events to serve the mix of perspectives and cultures that live in the town.
Students could also work towards helping build the small downtown, push for a
buy local campaign and become involved in community government. This will build up
civic responsibility and values in the students and help them engage in unique and tense
cultures in the future. The University of West Virginia brought a buy local campaign to
life and saw the benefits for both the student and the community. Dr. Rita Colistra who
oversees the project for UWV shares that the project provides the students the
opportunity to gain real-world experience while improving a community and boosting a
towns economy, students arent just implementing a campaign. Theyre providing the
business owners and the community with the knowledge to help themselves long after
UWA: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 8
our involvement (Cook, 2013, p. 1). Improving a community while providing academic
and personal growth is something that will also promote UWAs services for students and
community while attracting new students.
Overall each service organization has the opportunity to become creative in
boosting attendance when it comes to fostering a multicultural environment. Diversity in
attitudes, values, and characteristics is vital in helping students develop and build their
own sets of attitudes, values, and eventually a personal identity that will eventually
indicate their purpose in society. Many people look to academics to carry the burden of
attracting new students, yet it is the services that will provide growth beyond the text
book and be a supportive foundation for students in their studies. UWA specifically is
hitting a goal of racially balanced and diverse representation, however they can improve
specifically in the areas of gender and international student representation. If the numbers
from the past few year continue to follow trends UWA will see gender numbers level out
and eventually their diversity strategies will see profitable change and growth in the
international population making Livingston, Alabama and its small campus a unique
regional institution in the University of Alabama system.






UWA: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 9
References
Cook, J. (February 11, 2013). WVU students launch 'Buy Local' campaign in Shinnston,
WVU Today, Retrieved from: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2013/02/11/wvu-
students-launch-buy-local-campaign-in-shinnston

Pascarella, E. and Terenzini, P. (2005). How College Affects Students, San Francisco,
CA: Jossey-Bass

The University of West Alabama Fact Book. (2013). Retrieved from:
http://www.uwa.edu/factbook.aspx

The University of West Alabama Strategic Diversity Plan. (2013). Retrieved from:
http://www.uwa.edu/uploadedFiles/OIE/Diversity/Strategic%20Diversity%20Plan
.pdf

Tinto, V., Love, A. G., and Russo, P. (1994). Building Learning Communities for New
College students: A summary of Research Findings of the Collaborative Learning
Project, National Center for Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment,
University Park, PA