1. Diagram 1: Interconnections Between ESC Clubs
Ethnic Student Center: Evaluating ESC Club Success Australia Hernandez Cosby, Sheila Dashtestani, Daisy Deely, Tawna Reed, and Carly Schmidt
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Introduction
The Ethnic Student Center (ESC) is an organization of WWU that provides:
A safe and supportive environment
Cultural and educational programs
Services to students and allies of historically underrepresented
ethnic minority groups
Clubs that offer social community, cultural events, leadership
opportunities, social justice issues, and more
This program evaluation focuses on the success of the 13 ESC clubs, in
order to determine what makes a club successful.
We hope that the information, findings, and recommendations within
this program evaluation will prove itself useful by helping the ESC to
continue supporting its clubs and the services they provide to historically
underrepresented ethnic minority groups at WWU.
Methods
The population studied was the individuals within
the thirteen ESC clubs:
African Caribbean Club (ACC)
Black Student Union (BSU)
Chinese Student Association (CSA)
Filipino American Student Association (FASA)
Hui ‘o Hawai’i (HOH)
Khmer Student Association (KhSA)
Latino Student Union (LSU)
Mixed Identity Student Organization (MISO)
Native American Student Union (NASU)
Queer People of Color (QPOC)
South Asian Student Association (SASA)
Vietnamese Student Association (VSA)
El Movimiento Estudiantil de Aztlán (MEChA)
We collected qualitative and quantitative data using the following methods:
Observations:
For each of the 13 clubs
Focus groups & individual interviews:
A total of 21 participants
Surveys:
A total of 137 surveys
Findings
Characteristics important to ESC club success:
Use of ice breakers
Collaboration with other ESC clubs
Affirming member identity
Building community within the club
Promoting leadership development
Satisfaction with the club
Comfortable and safe atmosphere
Success of the club
Sense of leadership within the club
Collaboration with WWU community
Activities relevant to statement of purpose
Sustainability (members believe club
will be active in five years)
The goal of the ESC:
The ESC is organized under the ABCs:
“Affirming identity for underrepresented populations (valuing every student’s culture);
Building community, which is to bring students together over similarities and differences; and
Cultivating leadership (as each student develops the ESC encourages them to take on leadership roles within and outside the ESC)”
(Ethnic Student Center, n.d.).
Figure 1a With 1 representing not satisfied at all and 5 representing very satisfied
Figure 1b With 1 representing not successful at all and 5 representing very successful
“The ESC should support us and provide more outlets for clubs to engage with each other; such as more umbrella ESC events”
(ESC club member)
“More collaborations with outside club members, community, and WWU staff would be a great change to make to the ESC.”
(ESC club member)
Recommendations
While most clubs were viewed and rated very positively by most members, it is important to
note that there is always room for improvement. From the evaluation of ESC clubs, our
evaluation team was able to draw some important conclusions that could lead to increased
club success. Our evaluation team makes the following recommendations:
Increase ESC Club Guidance:
Appoint an ESC club coordinator to advise, coordinate, and support ESC clubs
Increase ESC Accessibility:
Information on ESC club meeting times, places, and events should be easily accessible to all
Increase Collaboration between ESC Clubs:
Build unity and relationships
Promote ESC Club Leadership Development:
Provide opportunities to increase the knowledge and skills of ESC club leaders
Create a Safe and Comfortable Space within ESC Clubs:
Ensure all members are always welcome in the ESC
Increase ESC Resources:
Plan for future expansion of ESC funding and accommodations for ESC clubs
“The Ethnic Student Center is a place that feels like home to me...I go there to visit with my friends and learn more about my culure. My experience at Western wouldn’t be the same without the ESC!”
(ESC club member)
Diagram 1: Interconnections Between ESC Clubs
References
Ethnic Student Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from
Tatum, B. (2000). The ABC approach to creating climates of engagement on diverse campuses. Liberal Education, 86(4),