Graduate Assistantship Survey
Spring 2017
- Survey Information
- 73 respondents
- Respondents
3) Department/Program / 4) Name of Faculty/staff supervisor(s):* / Hours per Week
Psychology / Dr. Christine Neddenriep / 15-20
CoBE Tech / Dr. Robert Schramm/ Joseph Kokott / 20
University Housing / Terry Tumbarello, Manda Krier-Jenkins, Whitney Supianoski, Jack Fischer, and Justin Dickerson / 20
Psychology / Dr. Neddenriep, Dr. Yankelevitz, Dr. Niemeier / 15
University Housing / Christian Aichele / 20
Biology / Catherine Chan/Seth Meisel / 20
University Housing / Terry Tumbarello / 20
Counselor Education / Brenda O’Beirne, Jennifer Betters-Bubon, Krista Kim / 15
University Housing / ChirstinaAichele, Jack Fischer / 20
Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) / GiorgianneMaziarka / 20
School Psychology / Dr. Christine Neddenriep & Dr. Barbara Beaver / 15
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Dr. Roxanne DePaul / 14
Marketing / Jimmy Peltier / 20
Warhawk Alley - University Center / Tonia Harvel / 30
Athletic Dept / Steven Hillmer / 40
Counselor Education / Brenda Rust O’Beirne and Jennifer Betters-Bubon / 15
Higher Education Leadership / Stephanie Selvick / 20-25
First Year Experience / Marie Hornickel / 20
AAEC-Pathway for Success / Kristine Yesbeck / 20
Accounting / Erin Cook / 20-25
corporate communication / Corey Davis / 30
First Year Experience / Kelli Danielski, Beth John / 25
Psychology Department / Dr. Neddenriep/Dr. Scherr / 15
Women’s basketball / Keri Carollo / 25
Communication / Tammy French / 30-35
Testing Office / Allison Prather / 20
Education/Writing Support / Kristina Navarro / 20
College of Letters & Sciences Advising Office / Annie Weberpal / 14
Center for Students with Disabilities / Claire DuCharme / 20
Athletics / Chris Lindeke / 20
Athletic Department/Volleyball / Stacy Boudreau / 20
FNBSLW / Linda Yu / 20
Economics Department / Professors Marks, Lovett, and Guo / 10-30
School of Business and Economics/ Dean’s Office / Associate Dean Paul Ambrose / 20
CoBE Tech / Dr. Robert Schramm / 20
HPERC / Dr. Kristina Navarro / 20/week
Communication / Tammy French / 20-30
Economics / Daniel Teferra, Linh Pham, Shreyasee Das, Nick Lovett / It varies
Women’s Basketball / Keri Carollo and Amy Zelinger / 30
Communication / Tammy French / 30
CSD / Sara Vogt / 20
Occupational Safety / Alvaro Taviera / 20
COEPS Advising / Robin Fox & Tracy Arneson-Baker / 20
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Roxanne DePaul, Mike Rule, Lynn GIlbertson, Giuliana Miolo / 14
University Housing / Terry Tombarello, Janet Salgado, Christina Aichele / 20
Economics / Dr. Feigenbaum, Dr. Das, and Dr. Pham / Varies
Career & Leadership Development / Ron Buchholz / 20
Social Woek / Sarah Hessenauer / 20
Marketing/ITSCM / Munro and Peltier / 20
First Year Experience / Amberly Bell, Kelli Danielski, Marie Hornickel / 20-25
Career & Leadership Development / Kim Clarksen / 20
University Housing / Devin Ryan, Amanda Murphy, & Terry Tumbarello / 20
Graduate Studies & Continuing Education / Seth Meisel / 20
Academic Assessment / Joan Cook / 15
Communication Sciences and Disorders / Roxanne DePaul, Michael Rule / 14
Counselor Education / Brenda O’Beirne / 15
Economics / David Welsch / 20
Communicaiton - GIA / Tammy French / 20
ITSCM / David Munro / 20
University Health & Counseling Services- Wellness / Valerie Vargas/ Erica Fischer / 20
Career and Leadership Development / Ron Buchholz / 20
Academic Advising & Exploration Center / Katie Barbour / 20
Special Education / Dr. Kathryn Casey / 20
Housing / John Witte / 20
Center for Students with Disabilities / Amy DiMola / 20
Management / SoroushAslani, Uma Kedharnath, Carol Brunt / 20
Career and Leadership Development / Sarah Suter / 20
University Housing / Johnny Moscoso Vargas / 25
Management / Praveen / 8-10
Wheelchair Athletics / Jermey Lade / 17
- Survey Responses
# / % Time Performing Each Task / Min Value / Max Value / Average Value
1 / Support Research of Faculty (e.g., library research, data entry, data analysis, etc.) / 0 / 90 / 18.26
2 / Support Instruction by Faculty (e.g., preparing materials, entering grades, proctoring exams, etc.) / 0 / 100 / 29.93
3 / Supporting Departments Administratively (e.g., copying, telephones, WEB pages, etc.) / 0 / 100 / 25.28
4 / Other / 0 / 100 / 26.88
# / Factors in Accepting an Assistantship / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / Average Value
1 / Financial Support (e.g., wages to defray costs of education) / 41 / 13 / 6 / 13 / 1.88
2 / Eligibility for benefits (e.g., medical coverage, non resident, tuition remission) / 16 / 19 / 22 / 16 / 2.52
3 / Work with faculty (e.g., collegial relationships, finding mentors) / 25 / 23 / 20 / 5 / 2.07
4 / Other / 12 / 13 / 16 / 32 / 2.93
# / Extent to which GA was a learning experience / Response / %
1 / Not at all / 0 / 0.00%
2 / Somewhat / 4 / 5.48%
3 / Moderate / 11 / 15.07%
4 / A lot / 44 / 60.27%
5 / I am a different person due to it / 14 / 19.18%
# / Extent to which GA experience contributed to the following skills/competencies / Not at all / Somewhat / Moderate / A lot / I am a different person due to it
1 / Organization skills / 6 / 21 / 42 / 4
2 / Management skills / 3 / 24 / 37 / 9
3 / Data collection skills / 8 / 13 / 30 / 17 / 5
4 / Data management skills / 8 / 12 / 26 / 23 / 4
5 / Library research skills / 27 / 17 / 19 / 7 / 3
6 / Problem-solving skills / 6 / 19 / 38 / 10
7 / Technology skills / 3 / 16 / 20 / 31 / 3
8 / Oral communication / 4 / 25 / 30 / 14
9 / Written communication / 1 / 9 / 20 / 35 / 8
Other relevant Skills that developed as the result of the GA experience
AIMSweb Training
Benchmark/Dibels Training
Training of StandfordBinet
Data entry in AIMSweb
Clearer understanding of RCBM and RCR
1. Customer relationship
2. Logical thinking
3. Decision making
4. Teamwork
5. Emergency response
Working with others - I am a different person due to it
Crisis response - A lot
Active listening - A lot
Expanded my knowledge and skills in the job search/interview/hiring process; further developed knowledge in research
Event planning, large group coordination, conduct adjudication
academic advising, interdepartmental communication
Crisis management
Teamwork and collaboration skills - either “A lot” or “I am a different...”
N/A
Working one on one with individual on employment preparation.
I gained valuable experience participating in research that is relevant to my future career field
Supporting instruction by faculty
Evaluating people and giving feedback was a great skill I developed.
I learned about bowling and bowling equipment. Before starting this experience, I had never paid any attention to bowling and knew nothing about it, but I have learned a lot. Also, I knew very little about running a business or marketing since I studied Biology in my undergraduate career.
I advanced in my clinical independence.
Working with others as a part of a team
Training, Conflict- Resolution, supervising
Technology and Management (HRS, Qualtrics, Ingeniux, Concur, WISdm, etc), higher education politics, professional relationships and communication, working with multiple departments on campus, serving on committee.
Panning, advising, networking
Research skills
confidence, strategic communication, conflict management, classroom presence, relationship building
I have a better understanding of all of the research that occurs behind the scenes to help freshman and their families adjust to college. In terms of Learning Communities it is a huge part of the Whitewater Freshman experience. In order to make learning communities the best it can be (curriculum/ managing coordinators) the assistantship should be full time or another supervisor should be added. 38 Learning Communities is a lot to handle.
Time management, oral communication, assessments, data analysis
Event preparation and logistics
I think overall it taught me a lot. It helped me learn a lot more about athletics and all the inside jobs that come to make a program successful.
Time-management and skills to deal with conflict.
Supervision of college students, understanding of the admissions process.
Being able to work one on one with students and assisting them was a rewarding experience.
Organizing and planning presentations and programming for groups of students
Supervising
Learned how to do statistics for athletic events, gained more writing skills doing press releases and event recaps, improved social media content creation skills, gained experience in PhotoShop and InDesign, networked with other athletic staff at various events.
-knowledge of inner functions of an intercollegiate athletic department
-professional development & networking
-knowledge of job application/interview process
-event management
General office skills; most relate to the skills listed above in question 9.
Further comprehension and mastery of Economics skill sets
N/A
Customer service
I was able to coordinate and instruct other undergraduate and graduate students and work with student-athletes that really helps shape my future role as a academic advisor. With these experiences I have been able to find what I am passionate about and grow for my future career.
Resolving conflict with students and working as a team with other GIAs. I have also learned how to think on my feet.
Public speaking, interacting with people of different backgrounds, decision making
I think overall it has and within the next year going to make me a stronger person for the real world. Everyday I get the chance to learn something new and have mentors who are willing to teach me in the areas I struggle in.
Patience , working with others, student interaction
Supervising, annual data collection,
Knowledge of safety equipment
Knowledge of natural disaster history
Professional development, making connections.
I completed a lot of tasks relevant to setting up a clinic and managing students. These will be helpful skills in my future practice and as a future supervisor.
Diversity Awareness, Conduct/Disciplinary Skills, Supervision and Advisory Skills, Program Planning and Implementation, Budgeting, Hiring Staff, Time Management
I believe I am a better presenter from the graduate assistantship, and I communicated with many different people.
I have become more culturally competent throughout this assistanship allowing me to foster education, unity, respect and inclusion among my department the sub-department I supervise.
N/A
I have learned how to take minutes during a meeting, how to work independently on projects, how to ask for help when I do not understand the material, how to work ahead, how to be prepared for the expected, how to ask for more work when I have completed the tasks giving, how to work with students from different backgrounds and how to write proficiently at a high standard.
I had never been a TA before, nor did I proctor any exam all on my own before this. Being a graduate assistant enabled me to develop these skills.
-Managing a student staff
-Event planning
-Budget experience
Supervising students, working with students groups, presentation/conference skills, etc.
Campus resources, administrative style, program development, fiscal responsibility, and group dynamics.
I gained more knowledge related to community based learning.
NA
Time management
Communication, how a counseling center runs, promotional materials, event planning, research.
Printing skills
The skill of managing personal life and work
Dealing with power differences, and planning skills.
N/A
I learned how to incorporate Wellness in basically ever aspect in higher education. I find myself looking for ways to help our students through our services that we offer here.
This experience is very similar to an entry-level position in the professional field.
I worked a lot with students one-on-one , which helped me develop confidence in interacting with students in this way. I was able to develop and implement a new exploration program, which allowed me to be creative and find solutions to help students with choosing a major and exploring career options.
Psychoeducational report writing.
Relationships built with others and the importance of them.
I have more experience working directly with students with disabilities, rather than just learning ABOUT disabilities as I had in my undergrad career as a result of my assistantship.
Time management
Time management and being able to jump from task to task
Public speaking, experience supervising an intern, experience with budgeting, experiences with tracking, planing and implementing programming
working with students in crisis
Customer Service, Data Comparisons
Helped learn the importance of building a network
# / Overall satisfaction with GA experience / Response / %
1 / Very Dissatisfied / 3 / 4.11%
2 / Somewhat Dissatisfied / 1 / 1.37%
3 / Moderate / 3 / 4.11%
4 / Somewhat Satisfied / 14 / 19.18%
5 / Very Satisfied / 52 / 71.23%
Additional Comments
I had a wonderful experience this year in FYE and working with Marie. They are a wonderful staff and have been supportive of me this year as I ventured into something that I was not familiar with. I am leaving the staff only due to a realignment with my future goals, but if I was on the same track as I was last year I would for sure be coming back next year.
Being a graduate assistant for the FNBSLW department was very rewarding and was an overall positive experience. The faculty were great to work with and I learned a lot along the way.
I appreciate the opportunity to have a grad assistantships to help with building my skills as well as being able to financial support myself through grad school.
I can’t begin to describe how pleased I am that I was able to take part in this program. As a Graduate Instructional Assistant, I have learned and grown so much. I hope this program continues to be offered.
In regards to questions 6 - I wasn’t an assistant to any particular faculty. I was responsible for helping to lead the Comm 110 courses. All of my time was dedicated to preparation of class materials, leading lab sections, meeting with students, grading assignments, and entering grades.
I enjoyed the office environment and especially my supervisor Kelli. Unfortunately, I did not see myself working in higher education and for that reason I am not returning. In addition, the workload was stressful to manage with school. It was especially difficult to manage Family Programs in addition to Learning Communities. Learning Communities are a large enough task for one person to deal with. I also wished that I interacted more with students.
Getting a good control of English both in speaking and in writing;
Using SAS, Stata, did the California education information data project,which includes more than 12 datasets and 100 thousands observations;
Working together with many professors, experiencing best ideas and advices;
Helping me enrolled in American life better;
It was great working with Dr. Navarro. She is a great resource and wonderful mentor. I am very thankful to have been given this opportunity and working with student-athletes was an experience I never would have thought I would have had. It is great getting to experience new things and help with the WLA program and watch in progress.
I wish I had an opportunity to review (in person) my graduate assistant experience with my supervisors. For example, it would be helpful to have an end-of-semester or mid-semester review to create goals, identify areas that could be changed, and to seek areas of future improvement. In addition, this review would be beneficial to identify strengths and areas of developmental interest for continuation of the graduate assistantship in the subsequent school years.
Grateful for the opportunity!
60% of my graduate assistantship is helping run the Winther Counseling Lab. I chose to include that under other rather than under department admin since that is a separate program within the department.
My graduate assistantship has allowed me to grow as a higher education professional and gain valuable experiences that I know will help me in my future career. I am looking forward to continuing in my role next semester.
My department is very flexible in terms of scheduling, allowing me to work when best suits me. This is extremely helpful as I manage being a full-time graduate system and as I build my own business career. It will also help me accomplish my practicum requirements this summer at the same time.
This was a great assistantship. All of the professors were very friendly and helpful. It was a good mix of work in regards to research, clerical, and classroom help.
All three of my supervisors are great. They are supportive, offer encouragement, and communicate well with me. I especially appreciate their understanding of my other personal and professional commitments and their willingness to allow me to be flexible with my work schedule.
It has been a great experience, and it is a great place to work. However, it is very challenging to complete 20 hours while in graduate school.
The culture of the University Housing/Residence Life department, in general, is not entirely healthy or welcoming for those individuals of marginalized identities (i.e. women, people of color, LGBTQ, etc) due to the perception that a successful staff member is someone who never challenges the words or actions of central staff.
Also get conference attendance funds. Couldn’t really do the percentage question - number 6...Housing doesn’t really involve engaging in research or faculty instruction at our level, but I also don’t do administrative tasks all the time either. I do a lot of program planning, supervising and hiring for the department, attending campus events, attending and conducting conduct and other meetings, presenting at conferences, liaison to student orgs etc....If this could be adapted more I think it would be more relevant to the positon.
I probably would not have come to this school without the assistantship, and I’m very glad I came here for the Applied Economics Master’s program.
I am very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to learning more in the future! Thank you so much for this opportunity!
My supervisor expected me to work on my own with very little supervision or guidance, and was treated like I was less important than other staff members even though I worked similar hours to the full time staff members.
Chris is a fantastic mentor and I am incredibly impressed by how professional he is in all aspects of his work. Warhawk Athletics is lucky to have him.