1

MEMO OF TRANSMITTAL
To: Andrene Kaiwi-Lenting, NSTP Director
From: Eduardo Uribe-Saldana
Date: 27 November 2016
Subject: Proposal to Investigate the Impact of OUR in the Transition of Ethnic Students into Cal
Poly San Luis Obispo
Purpose
Attached is the requested recommendation report concerning the impact of OUR in the
transition of ethnic students into Cal Poly.
Recommendations
The following two recommendations are evaluated throughout the report as possible solutions:

Change the name from OUR to OUM

Restructuring the organizational levels within OUR

Methods
In order to consider all options, a variety of research methods are used. The following is a list of
sources utilized:

Online survey of Cal Poly students

Personal interviews with:
o Kyle Halloran
o Cathy Miralda
o Austin Rivera
Mustang News article
CSU Mentor Website
Multicultural Center Website
New Student and Transition Programs

Findings
The data collected throughout my research methods is reported in the Results section. This
evidence is then analyzed within my Conclusions section.
Final Recommendation
My preferred solution is to change the name OUR to Orientation for Untied Minorities (OUM) to
garner more support by increasing the orientations representative inclusivity,
Thank you for considering this report. I appreciate the opportunity. Please contact me through
my email euribesa@calpoly.edu if you have any further questions.

Proposal to Extend the Impact of OUR in the

Transition of Ethnic Students into Cal Poly San
Luis Obispo

Prepared for: Andrene Kaiwi-Lenting,

Director of the New Student and Transitions Program
California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo
Prepared by: Eduardo Uribe-Saldana
Undergraduate Biomedical Engineer
California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo

November 27, 2016

Table of Contents
Table of Figures

Introduction ______________________________________________
Clientele
Background
Solutions

Methods ____________________________________________________
Online Survey
How WOW and OUR affects ethnic students.
Interviews
Kyle Halloran
Cathy Miralda
Austin Rivera
News Articles
OUR Orientation Up for Review.
Websites
CSUMentor - Explore Campuses Campus Facts Cal Poly San Luis
Obispo.
Multicultural Center - Dean of Students Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
FAQs New Student & Transition Programs Cal Poly, San Luis
Obispo.

Results __________________________________________________
Online Survey
How WOW and OUR affects ethnic students.
Interviews
Kyle Halloran
Cathy Miralda
Austin Rivera
News Articles
OUR Orientation Up for Review.
Websites
CSUMentor - Explore Campuses Campus Facts Cal Poly San Luis
Obispo.
Multicultural Center - Dean of Students Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
FAQs New Student & Transition Programs Cal Poly, San Luis
Obispo.

Conclusions _______________________________________________

12

Recommendation __________________________________________

12

Bibliography _______________________________________________

13

Table of Figures
Figure 1 ____________________________________________________
Ethnicity.
Figure 2 ____________________________________________________
Success rate of WOW and OUR orientation.
Figure 3 ____________________________________________________
Challenges faced at Cal Poly.
Figure 4 ____________________________________________________
OUR awareness.
Figure 5 ____________________________________________________
People helped by OUR.
Figure 6 ____________________________________________________
People interested in learning about OUR.

8
8
9
9
9
10

Introduction
According to the CSU Mentor website, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is composed of 57% white
students in 2016 [1]. The lack of diversity in Cal Poly generally alienates minority students,
which is why programs such as the MultiCultural Center and Cross Cultural Center are in place
to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for all cultures [2]. The Orientation for United Raza
(OUR) is an alternative orientation program from Week of Welcome (WOW) that has helped
myself and other ethnic students around Cal Poly assimilate quickly into the student body and
campus life.

Clientele
The Mustang News confirms from Andrene Kaiwi-Lenting, the Director of the New Student and
Transition Programs (NSTP) that OUR has been under review for the past year by. OUR was
offered last minute for the incoming class of 2016 but there is no guarantee that OUR will exist
for the incoming class students of 2017 [3]. It is important that the issue revolving OURs
continuance be resolved as soon as possible to allow enough time to coordinate and train
leaders to continue providing a successful OUR experience for the next generation of students.
If this program is not offered for the next generation of students, we could be stripping future
ethnic students of a memorable orientation experience and discourage prospective students
from attending a school as great and filled with opportunity as Cal Poly.

Background
Registration for WOW is $175, and thats not accounting for the extra $25 that NSTP asks each
student to bring along for other personal expenses [4]. The OUR program is an alternative
orientation to Week of Welcome (WOW) at Cal Poly. OUR originated from Movimiento
Estudiantil Xicano de Aztlan (MEXA), as a program to provide a cheaper alternative to WOW,
but still allow incoming low-income families to receive a similar orientation experience [3]. These
orientation programs are meant to help incoming students establish themselves into the school.
A campus with 57% white students [1], can be intimidating and alienate ethnic students. It is
important to create a foundational network that will support these students into performing well
in their academics. Without the OUR orientation program, more ethnic students will be stripped
of this advantage and must juggle the added burden of trying to make friends as they transition
into their new school and assimilate into the fast-paced quarter system [5].

Solutions
I would propose two different solutions. The first involves changing the name from OUR into
OUM, which would represent the Orientation for United Minorities. The original name is tailored
to appeal specifically to Hispanic students because the program derived from MEXA. Although
this is an all inclusive program, the name itself can deter any incoming non-Hispanic students
and would accurately represent OURs main goal, to integrate minority students and students of
color into Cal Poly. This would be a good start to improve the outreach program. The name
brand of the alternative orientation program is more marketable by being multicultural. A
multiculturally inclusive name simultaneously garners support from all ethnicities to unite
minorities into one admirable strong voice and representation of diversity to ameliorate the
effect of a 57% white
student body [1].

6
The second solution I recommend is to restructure the chain of command so that the OUR
program is run through the MultiCultural Center (MCC) instead of MEXA. The MCC supports
and advocates for under-represented students by honoring cultural expression, building
community, and creating cross-cultural connections [2]. The MCC is the appropriate branch of
administration to handle the OUR program and would fit in nicely. OURs transfer from MEXA to
the MCC would improve the issue of communication. With the MCC in charge the middle man,
which in this case was MEXA, can be skipped and there wont be a loss of information because
the program remains in administrative hands the entire way.

Methods
Online Survey
288 Cal Poly students answered the following survey:
1. What is your ethnicity?
a) White
b) Hispanic/Latino
c) Black/African American
d) Asian, American Indian or Alaskan Native
e) Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
2. Which orientation did you participate in and did you make lasting relationships?
a) WOW; I made many friends who Im close to even till this day.
b) OUR; I made many friends who Im close to even till this day.
c) WOW; I made friends but hardly any I talk to on a regular basis.
d) OUR; I made friends but hardly any I talk to on a regular basis.
e) WOW; I didnt make any friends.
f) OUR; I didnt make any friends.
3. Did you face any of the following challenges? Choose all that apply.
a) Culture shock
b) Homesickness
c) Assimilation into campus life
d) None
4. Are you aware that OUR is an alternative orientation option to WOW?
a) Yes
b) No
5. If you are aware of OUR, did OUR help you or someone you know transition? Would
you recommend it?
a) Yes, OUR helped a lot and I would DEFINTELY recommend it.
b) Yes, OUR helped but I would NOT recommend it.
c) No, OUR did not help and I would NOT recommend it.
6. If you are not aware about OUR, would you like to learn more about it?
a) Yes
b) No
The purpose of the survey is to draw a correlation between which orientation program has a
lasting impact on ethnic students early transition. I tried to keep the survey as short as possible
to encourage fast completion. I also made the questions multiple choice with brief answers so
that I can extract the results easily and quickly.
Interviews

7
Kyle Halloran
I interviewed Kyle in person he was an OUR 2016 participant. I asked him about his OUR
experience, as he saw the program in what may have been its last year.
Undergraduate Electrical Engineering Student, OUR 2016 Participant
California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo
Cathy Miralda
I met with Cathy in person to ask her about the responsibilities and challenges involved with
running the OUR program. I wanted to discover the problems innate within the program and
listen to her suggested solutions to improve the OUR program
New Student and Transition Programs Student Liaison, OUR program coordinator
California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo
Austin Rivera
I met with Austin in person to ask him about the organizational level within PCW. I tried to learn
how PCW runs so smoothly and find out what PCW does correctly for the OUR program to
improve on.
Housing Committee Chair, Polycultural Weekend
California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo
Newspaper Article
Mustang News
I found the following article from Mustang News published on January 21, 2015:
OUR Orientation Up For Review posted by the Mustang News Staff.
Website
CSU Mentor
I will take the information taken from the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo -Student Profile posted by
CSU Mentor section for the purpose of finding the current demographics.
MultiCultural Center
I will use the information found in the Muticultural Center page within Cal Polys website, to
show that the existence of the MCC as a safe space signifies the existence of an
underrepresented community of students in Cal Poly.
New Student & Transition Programs
I will use the information found in the New Student & Transition Programs page within the Cal
Poly website to refer to the expensive pricing for WOW.

Results
Online Survey
Of the 288 responses, 123 were white, 70 were Asian, 61 were Hispanic/Latino, , 25 identified
themselves as other, 6 were Black/African American, 2 were American Indian or Alaskan Native
and 1 was Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. 145 did WOW and said they made friends but
hardly any they talk to on a regular basis.78 did WOW and made many friends theyre still close
to till this day. 36 did WOW but didnt make any frirends. 19 did OUR and made friends they are
close to even till this day. 9 did OUR and made friends but hardly anyone they talk to on a regular
basis. 1 did OUR and didnt make any friends. 124 experienced cultural shock, 128 were
homesick, 163 had trouble assimilating into the campus and 72 experienced none of the listed
challenges. 189 are aware about OUR as an alternative orientation option to WOW and 99 were
not about OUR being an alternative orientation option to WOW. Out of those that did OUR, 41
were helped by OUR and recommend it, 9 were not helped by OUR and would not recommend
it, 5 were helped by OUR but would not recommend it and 233 did not apply to this question and
responded N/A. When asked if they were not aware about OUR and asked if they would like to
learn more about it, 110 responded Yes, 88 responded No and 90 did not apply to this question
and responded N/A[6].

Figure 1: Ethnicity [6]

Figure 2: Success Rate of WOW and OUR Orientation [6]

Figure 3: Challenges Faced at Cal Poly [6]

Figure 4: OUR Awareness [6]

Figure 5: People Helped by OUR [6]

10

Figure 6: People Interested in Learning about OUR [6]

Interviews
I asked Kyle Halloran the following questions:
1. What year did you participate in OUR?
2016
2. What did you take away from the OUR experience?
The main takeaway of the orientation program is networking. Creating a network and
making friends. Theres a lack of ethnic community. What OUR provides is any easy way
to find that community, while transitioning to a new school. The need for the OUR
program is the minority students cry for help to belong in a community. Removing the
OUR program singles out the transitioning students and assure them as minorities by
reminding them that programs benefiting them is being overlooked [5].
I asked Cathy Miralda the following questions [7]:
1. How was your transition your first year at Cal Poly?
It was a culture shock! Especially as a Latina. I didnt feel comfortable. Joining my
multicultural sorority, Lambda Sigma Gamma, helped me a lot to finally feel comfortable
and settle in.
2. What kind of challenges did you have to overcome as an OUR coordinator?
Miscommunication and untimely communication. Sometimes the board wouldnt even
respond to us, but if they did, the email responses would typically take from days to
weeks. Lack of support, when we got last minute approval, it didnt seem genuine, it was
more of a condescending approach of letting the program happen instead of agree with
it.
Also disorganization, although it was last minute we should have been prepared, but it
was hard because Jackie and Diana, the other coordinators, were really busy at the
time. It was summer and everyone was doing their own thing. It was our fault, because
we didnt try hard enough to get the names and it derailed our schedules.
3. What kind of changes would you like to see made in the OUR program to improve it?

11
Definitely the name! We want to be more inclusive. OUR is not exclusive but the name
Orientation for United Raza sounds like its only for Hispanics. We want to show that
OUR is not just for Latinos but also for blacks and Asians. Our outreach and recruitment
too. Usually we get lots of SI (Summer Institute) kids.
4. What is PCW doing to be successful that OUR lacks?
They have really great organizational levels, its very comprehensive and their
responsibilities are well evenly dispersed. Because the way we have it set up right now,
many times the leaders werent getting the information they needed and would have to
track down the coordinators for it and sometimes the coordinators didnt know either so
theyd have to track down the answers and pass it down the chain of command.
I asked Austin Rivera the following questions [8]:
1.

What is your position and what are your responsibilities within PCW?
I am the Housing Committee Head Chair of Polycultural Weekend. I deal with the
housing, any liability issues that we need to avoid, the pairing of hosts with hostees.

2.

How is PCW organized?

There are 4 committees and each has 2 committee head chairs. We have the housing,
resources/food, workshops/transportation and they hype committee.

3.

What do you think OUR can learn from PCW?

Ive done PCW all four years since I was in high school. PCW has its highest retention
rate its ever had, 83% in 2016. OUR is not its own program. They go through WOW
training and WOW scheduling and WOW workshops. Everything they do to prepare
goes through WOW. The big problem is logistically planning events fro 60+ people. It
makes it very difficult to block in that many people for a specific time and its very hard to
schedule events because you have to find venues and rent out the entire place, usually
because the groups are so big. They can go to mini groups and can schedule to meet up
later as sets of smaller groups together. I think MEXA is stubborn. I did one year of OUR
and I didnt come back because of it. MEXA likes to think they still have control over
OUR but they have no administrative authority, even if they came up with OUR. OUR
must go through administration. Personally, I think MEXA should be skipped in the chain
of command and should be a program under the Multicultural Center.

Newspaper Article [3]

Mustang News
This news article written by the Mustang News staff provided a secondary source that informed
me about the origins of the OUR program. OUR was created by the Movimiento Estudiantil
Xicano de Aztlan (MEXA) to accommodate low-income colored students. This article
demonstrates the principle of early college integration that the OUR program represents for
minority students, provided from the perspective of past OUR participants and coordinators. The
article confirmed through a quote from Andrene that the status of OURs continuation has been
under evaluation since 2015.
Website

12

CSU Mentor [1]

CSU Mentor site was the most reliable and up to date. It provided me with a general sense of
Cal Polys current composition. It confirmed that Cal Poly is primarily a white school, composed
of 57% white students.
MultiCultural Center [2]
The Muticultural Center page found in Cal Polys website, reaffirms the importance of having a
safe space for an under-represented community of students. The MultiCultural Center is also
proof that administration is committed to making Cal Poly into an all-inclusive campus.
New Student & Transition Programs [4]
The New Student & Transition Programs page within the Cal Poly website lists the price to
experience the WOW experience as $175 and thats not including the extra $25 that NSTP asks
each student to bring for food and potential unaccounted expenses.

Conclusions
OUR is a program that should garner more support by first to increase their representative
inclusivity by changing their name to OUM (Orientation for United Minorities). Orientation for
United Raza alienates non-Hispanic minorities through their name, although the program
openly welcomes people of all ethnicities. I am very passionate about this issue because I was
helped by this program. OUR is the reason why my transition and the transition of many other
OUR participants into Cal Poly went seamlessly smooth. Figure 3 shows that a resounding 56%
of students that took the online survey felt assimilation into the campus was a challenge for
them and 43% experienced culture shock [6]. The issues of assimilation and culture shocks are
remedied by early student integration into your respective ethnic community is important creates
a sense of familiarity around them that allows for a comfortable environment to thrive
academically and socially. The first solution, a change of name into OUM, will maintain the
relationship between MEXA and administration intact but will also be provide all-inclusive
program and unite the minorities. The second will skip the middle man, MEXA and reorganize
the organizational structure. I hope that with the help of Andrene, the New Students and
transition Programs board, OUR coordinators and OUR leaders, the communication can be
improved by both sides. The improved organization and communication can then lead to a
compromise to prolong the OUR programs existence and expand its reach to more future Cal
Poly students.

Recommendation
I am recommending a change of name from Orientation for United Raza to Orientation for United
Minorities.

13

Bibliography
[1] CSUMentor - Explore Campuses Campus Facts Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Csumentor.edu. 2016. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
[2]Multicultural Center - Dean of Students Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Deanofstudents.calpoly.edu. 2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
[3] OUR Orientation Up For Review. Mustang News. 2015. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
[4]FAQs New Student & Transition Programs Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Orientation.calpoly.edu. 2016. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
[5] K. Halloran, OUR 2016 participant, OUR Program. Interview. San Luis Obispo, CA. 11 Nov.
2016.
[6] E. Uribe-Saldana, How WOW and OUR affects ethnic students? Survey. 13 Nov 2016.
[7] C. Miralda, New Student and Transition Program Student Liaison, OUR Program. Interview.
San Luis Obispo, CA. 11 Nov. 2016.
[8] A. Rivera, Head of Housing Committee, Polycultural Weekend. Interview. San Luis Obispo,
CA. 13 Nov. 2016.