The State University of New York

The State University of New York

Council of Chief Student Affairs Officers

and

The Office of University Life & Enrollment Management

Outstanding Student Affairs Program Awards Application Form 2011

COLLEGE INFORMATION

Name of Campus: Buffalo State College

APPLICATION INFORMATION

First/Last Name: Rao/Laura

Title: Coordinator

Department: Volunteer and Service-Learning Center

E-mail Address:

AWARD CATEGORY (please check one):

___x__Student Affairs/Academic Affairs Collaborations

______Campus Safety

______Innovative Use of Social Networking

______Career Development Programs

______Programs that Support the Education Pipeline

TITLE OF PROGRAM: Refugee Awareness Project: The World at Our Doorstep

1.  Describe program objectives. Include information on the campus need that is met by this program.

BSC Refugee Awareness Project: The World at Our Doorstep was intended to provide opportunities for Buffalo State College (BSC) to engage students in educational initiatives along with volunteer and service-learning activities to increase understanding and appreciation for the diversity of Buffalo’s refugee and immigrant communities and prepare them for working and living in a diverse global community.

The Project was additionally designed to meet the College’s mission and strategic plan, most particularly Strategic Direction 1: “Engage students in rigorous and transforming learning experiences, both in and out of the classroom, heightening their aspirations and empowering them to succeed as citizens in a challenging world”. High quality activities specifically met Initiative 1.2 of the Strategic Plan, which aims to: “Increase student participation in active, inquiry based and collaborative forms of learning and engage an increased number of students in internships, service learning, capstone learning experiences and similar collaborative initiatives”.

2.  Describe program design.

The BSC Volunteer and Service-Learning Center (VSLC) is a Student Affairs office and has had a significant academic affairs/student affairs collaboration since its creation in 2003 through the support of curricular service-learning and co-curricular volunteer service. That collaboration was considerably expanded when the VSLC partnered with campus academic departments and community groups to implement unique opportunities for discussion, education, and action on local, national, and global issues of refugee and immigrant resettlement through the Refugee Awareness Project. The program was designed in response to student and faculty interest and previous exposure to refugees, as well as community input into the need to educate and engage the campus more widely with refugee initiatives. An AmeriCorps member was recruited to assist with program design and implementation over the course of the year.

Buffalo has a large and dynamic refugee population, and the majority of Buffalo’s refugees have resettled on the West Side of Buffalo adjacent to the BSC campus. Each year since 2005, over 1,000 refugees have been resettled in Buffalo and the surrounding area, and a remarkable 58% of the student body in one west side Buffalo Public elementary school are immigrants and refugees who speak 73 different native languages. Refugees arrive in Buffalo after fleeing their home countries due to instances or well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. Buffalo immigrants’ and refugees’ countries of origin include Bhutan, Ghana, Somalia, Sudan, Burma, Bangladesh, Thailand, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. BSC also has had a significant number of refugees who attend and graduate from various programs across campus. The need for increasing BSC student and faculty awareness of these diverse cultures and communities, as well as discussion around how the campus supports these groups was clear.

Planning for the Refugee Awareness Project began in earnest in the Spring 2010 semester as a community advisory group and a campus Student Affairs/Academic Affairs advisory group were convened in order to gain input on what the project should encompass. Individual refugees and resettlement agency staff provided input on what they felt students could gain and who in the community could be involved. Members of the campus advisory group included faculty from 4 Student Affairs offices and 5 academic departments on campus, and provided input on the connection of Refugee Awareness Project goals, and how initiatives and community input could connect with curricular learning.

As a result, a series of events and activities were planned collaboratively and held throughout the 2010-2011 academic year. All project activities infused academic and co-curricular learning experiences with direct connection to individual refugees, immigrants, refugee-serving agencies, and community-based groups that serve the significant refugee population in BSC’s backyard- the West Side of Buffalo.

Project events reflected varied input and included:

A.  October 12-16: BSC Refugee Awareness Week: The World at Our Doorstep

1.  Tuesday, October 12: Refugee Stories. Local refugees from 6 different countries shared unique experiences from home and in Buffalo with a standing room only audience of faculty, staff, and students.

2.  Wednesday, October 13: Community Marketplace. Dozens of students, faculty, and staff connected with refugee-serving organizations and cultural groups about opportunities for service and involvement at a tabling event in the student union.

3.  Wednesday, October 13: Film: God Grew Tired of Us. This evening film presentation about Sudanese refugees, and opportunity to speak with a local “Lost Boy” and BSC graduate was overflowing with campus and community participants who were stimulated by the emotional and funny film and resulting lively discussion.

4.  Thursday October 14: SIOP Training. Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol training was geared toward education students and educators. The Buffalo Public Schools Director of Multilingual Education and a BSC faculty expert provided training on working with English language learners.

5.  Thursday October 14: Active Learning in Refugee Communities. Students, faculty, and community members gathered to discuss current service-learning projects and share opportunities for future academic engagement with diverse community needs.

6.  Saturday, October 16: Fall Community Service Day. Service Day engaged 150 BSC students and community members in one-day service activities to meet identified community needs with refugee groups. Projects included winterizing refugee families homes and educating family members on improving energy conservation for the cold winter months and building a greenhouse for a refugee community garden.

7.  Saturday, October 16: Refugee Week Celebration Picnic. After the morning service projects were completed, students and refugee families returned to campus to eat lunch and play games. Ethnic food and entertainment were provided by a SOC 350:Sociology of the City service-learning class.

B.  December 4, 2010: Asarese-Matters Clothing Give-A-Way: This annual event run by the BSC Office of College and Community Partnerships, VSLC, and Alumni Affairs was focused this year to expand outreach and connection to the refugee community through a service-learning project in a Fashion and Technology course. Students in the course researched refugee clothing needs by conducting interviews with refugees in the local community, and targeting clothing donations to meet those needs.

C.  January 2011-May 2011: The Refugee Awareness Project is continuing in the Spring 2011 semester as five service-learning classes, direct outreach to student groups, and three service events and activities are being planned and implemented to connect at least 150 students to refugee communities.

1.  Faculty members from departments across campus are incorporating service-learning projects that meet local refugee needs as identified through Project activities while enriching curricular learning. Courses include COM 301: Principles of Public Relations (students are developing a PR plan for a local resettlement agency), EDU 211: Introduction to Literacy Instruction (students are running a global book hour to educate and engage students in reading), FAR 333: Advanced Printmaking (students are facilitating art activities for refugee families through a local library), SOC 320: Sociology of the Family (students are supporting English language learners in community language classes).

2.  VSLC AmeriCorps ABLE English Language Learners Support Coordinator is outreaching to BSC student groups including Adelante Estudiantes Latinos, African American Student Organization, Amigos de la Tertulia (Spanish Club), Asian Student Organization, Black Active Minds, and Caribbean Student Organization in order to engage these groups in service activities that connect to the wider community.

3.  Monday, January 17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. This event brought 50 volunteers together in the community to provide educational supports, service opportunities, and recreation for local youth from diverse backgrounds, including refugee children.

4.  Monday, March 28-March 31: Alternative Spring Break Buffalo. BSC student participants may provide assistance to refugee groups and initiatives within the city of Buffalo while building community among their own diverse group of 15 BSC students.

5.  Saturday, April 16: Spring Community Service Day. Student, faculty, and staff participants will complete one day projects in diverse neighborhoods surrounding BSC to meet community need. At least 3 projects will connect students to refugee supports.

3.  Describe the effectiveness of program implementation (i.e., to what degree did the program meet objectives, participation levels, cost effectiveness, scope or impact on campus/community and use of campus/community resources).

The Refugee Awareness Project met and exceeded all expectations and objectives! The program was unique and special to the participants, and has worked to build town-gown relationships along with Academic Affairs/Student Affairs connections. Approximately 700 students, faculty, staff, and community members participated in the Fall 2010 activities. Participation included Student Affairs Directors and staff, Academic Affairs Deans and faculty, and students from departments across campus. The program’s success was due to a number of factors, primarily the VSLC’s ability to hear Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and community voices in the planning process, and reflect everyone’s needs in the program outcome.

The campus truly came together through the project. All rooms were full to capacity, and conversations were dynamic and pervasive throughout the semester and into the spring. Meaningful connections were made, and will continue well into the future. Throughout the Refugee Awareness Week faculty, staff, and students listened intently to individuals tell their personal stories of struggle in their home countries and refugee camps, and their poignant journeys to the US through the resettlement process. Students asked meaningful questions at the events, and connected with people from backgrounds incredibly unique from their own. Faculty participants led discussions on existing curricular projects, and became excited about future opportunities as they met with students and community partners to identify additional connections between community needs and academic curricula. Student Affairs staff made connections about ways to expand co-curricular service experiences for students to work with many of Buffalo’s diverse refugee groups. A packed room with participants sitting on the floor laughed and cried as they watched a film about the Lost Boys of Sudan, and then met and dialogued with two lost boys and a lost girl who told their own stories. All participants reflected on ways the college and community can grow existing connections, and provide meaningful interactions that develop deeper student learning and meet refugees’ immense needs of acclimating to a new culture and community.

The VSLC submitted and received a SUNY Office of Campus Equity and Diversity grant to implement the project, and utilized grant funds for all program expenses including AmeriCorps volunteer match funds, honorarium for refugee speakers, printing, supplies, and busses for service events. An additional grant from the Western New York Service-Learning Coalition provided funds for SOC 350: Sociology of the City to plan and implement the Refugee Week Celebration Picnic.

4.  Outline collaborative approach of program (i.e., efforts to involve other departments, divisions, etc.).

Numerous Academic Affairs and Student Affairs departments were involved in program design and implementation:

A.  A campus advisory committee made up of faculty members from Elementary Education and Reading, Sociology, Geography and Planning, Social Work, First Year student programs, and the Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education along with campus offices including the Career Development Center, International Student Affairs, Equity and Campus Diversity, and International Education provided input and assisted with marketing and promotion. The committee developed program activities along with a Community Advisory Board, and provided insight and recommendations for connecting program activities with department curricula and community need.

B.  The BSC Anne Frank Project, a Theater department program which celebrated the life and wisdom of Anne Frank, provided input and collaborated with the Refugee Awareness Project.

C.  Faculty members from departments including Sociology, Psychology, Geography and Planning, Elementary Education and Reading, served as facilitators and participants throughout the Fall 2010 activities.

D.  Faculty members connected course curricula with program activities by requiring student attendance or providing extra credit for participation. Students from courses in the Educational Opportunity Program, Fashion, Political Science, Elementary Education and Reading, Sociology, Social Work, and First Year student learning communities.

5.  Outcomes assessment (i.e., provide evidence of the effectiveness of the program).

Participants were asked to complete pre surveys prior to program participation asking about their level of understanding and awareness of local and global issues related to refugees. They were emailed a post survey one week after their participation, and asked to the same questions to determine how participation affected their knowledge. Notable changes were found from pre to post survey and are noted below:

·  When asked, “I know what the definition of the word “refugee” really means, 63% responded agree or strongly agree on pre-surveys, and 77% responded agree or strongly agree on post surveys.

·  When asked, “I appreciate how diverse groups add to the strength of a community”, 88% responded agree or strongly agree on pre-surveys, and 92% responded agree or strongly agree on post surveys.

·  In response to “I appreciate the diverse nature of the neighborhoods around Buffalo State”, 81% responded agree or strongly agree on pre-surveys, and 92% responded agree or strongly agree on post surveys.

·  When asked, “I am aware of opportunities to support and assist refugees in the community”, 48% responded agree or strongly agree on pre-surveys, and 69% responded agree or strongly agree on post surveys.

In addition, post survey responses also demonstrated participants increase in awareness and community engagement:

·  In response to the question, “As a result of Refugee Awareness Project, I am more likely to engage in service or other events with refugees or refugee-serving groups”, 69% responded agree or strongly agree.

·  When asked to rate their overall experience at Refugee Awareness Project events, 88% rated their experience as good or excellent, with no respondents rating their experience as fair or poor.