Student Achievement Assessment Committee

Learning Outcomes:

• Monitor and assess the usage of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union facilities by on-campus and off-campus groups

Annual Report

1. Learning (or Service) Outcomes assessed this year:

Monitor usage of meeting and event spaces in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union to:
• maximize space availability
• ensure proportions of funding are correct based on types of groups using spaces
• update applicable policies as necessary

2. Assessment Methods and Procedures:
Database programs are used to track events. Pre-determined reports produce quantitative data regarding utilization, including numbers of events in each individual space, as well as types of groups using those spaces. These reports are run on a monthly basis and summarized in an excel spreadsheet. Other reports are produced on an as needed basis.

3. Inferences from Assessments:

The Bowen-Thompson Student Union and Academic Space numbers for July 2003 are double those in 2002. This may be due to the detailed way we scheduled OREG and Conference Programs events in 2003 compared to 2002. Also contributing to the difference is the way our new database software EMS Enterprise counts events versus Resource 25.
Events in October 2003 are also markedly lower than in 2002. This may be due to the fact that both Campus Involvement and Alumni used fewer rooms for Homecoming and Family Weekend. However, the trend from month to month throughout the academic year is similar in 2002 and 2003 (see attached bar chart).
In terms of the indicated increase in events scheduled in 2003-2004 as compared to 2002-2003, the following issues should be considered. In August 2003, a new reservation software (EMS Enterprise) was installed to handle non-academic space reservations. This software counts events slightly differently than Resource 25. For example, a two-day long room reservation would be counted as one in Resource 25, but as two in EMS. On the other hand, EMS has allowed us to process requests much faster. It is possible that more requests are able to be filled, that otherwise may not have been. We are looking forward to making this comparison after the next fiscal year with more compatible numbers.

4. Actions Taken/Program Improvements:

Event statistics allow us make procedural changes to maximize availability, ensure proportions of funding are correct based on types of groups using spaces, and update applicable policies as necessary. For example, we completed a mid-year evaluation of the usage of the Olscamp Conference Center by different group types to ensure the percentage of funding was correct. In addition, we have used event statistics to update our Master Calendaring process, which gives student organizations preference during the academic year.