Promoting Organic Inclusion of CarolinaLIFE students into the University of South Carolina Community
Background: CarolinaLIFE is an post-secondary education certificate program for students with diverse learning needs. The programs “supports students in reaching their personal goals and prepares them to become productive community members by providing inclusive and individualized experiences in academics, employment, independent living and community involvement” (sc.edu). Through a variety of supports, CarolinaLIFE students develop habits and skills in order to live and work independently upon graduation from the program. I have worked for CarolinaLIFE for three semesters now, and have served in a variety of capacities such as academic coach, employment specialist, and as of this semester, personal development coach. Personal development coach is a new role that was pioneered in the Fall 2016 semester. Personal development sessions provide the CarolinaLIFE student weekly one-on one time with a staff member to develop particular social skills and address any social concerns.
The CarolinaLIFE program also allows young adults with diverse learning needs to participate in the college experience. We aim to support them in ways that allow them to participate in all the unique experiences that accompany college. In this way, we work to combat ableism by providing support to the student in order to help them achieve success. Due to a variety of reasons, CarolinaLIFE students have been hesitant to get involved with the over 400 clubs and organizations that are present on USC’s campus, instead typically interacting with other CarolinaLIFE students and staff members as their primary socialization group.
Importance of Issue: The University of South Carolina provides phenomenal opportunities for students to become involved in their choice of over 400 clubs and organizations. CarolinaLIFE students are no exception; each student has unique hobbies and interests that could and should be fulfilled through becoming involved in campus organizations. This involvement would also allow USC students to interact and connect with individuals with diverse learning needs through their shared interests; an interaction that would be mutually beneficial. However, before this semester, very few CarolinaLIFE students were involved in on-campus organizations. This missed opportunity meant both CarolinaLIFE students and USC students missed opportunities for interaction, growth, and inclusion.
Goal: As of this semester, a primary focus of personal development coaches has been to help CarolinaLIFE students get involved in on-campus clubs and organizations that may interest them. Unfortunately, most of these students are sophomores and juniors. Moving forward, it would be ideal if CarolinaLIFE students were able to find USC clubs and organizations to get involved with starting during their fall semester.
Recommendation: CarolinaLIFE assigns a personal development coach to each student beginning during the fall of their freshman year.
As of right now, many CarolinaLIFE students immediately reject personal development coaches. Personal development is seen as a form of social coaching, and many students do not feel that they need social coaching. If personal development were a requirement starting at the beginning of the student’s freshman year, these students may not hold the same reservations about seeking support and advice from their personal development coaches for all purposes. These coaches could work with their students to find on campus organizations that fit their interests and then provide the necessary support to make sure that these students become involved in these organizations.
Implementation: The following are my proposed steps in order to most effectively support CarolinaLIFE students in a way that organically promotes involvement in on-campus clubs and activities.
Step 1.
The CarolinaLIFE leadership team reviews staff members strengths, personality, and availability and compares this to student personality and availability. After finding a good fit, the leadership team will pair each CarolinaLIFE student with a personal development coach. This relationship will begin as soon as the student begins their first day in the CarolinaLIFE program at the University of South Carolina.
Step 2.
The personal development coach will discuss potential or current interests and hobbies with the CarolinaLIFE student, but also express the importance of trying new things in college. During the first few personal development sessions, the student and personal development coach will discuss potential social situations that may arise after the student joins the organization, and how the student would navigate those situations.
Step 3.
The personal development coach attends the Organization Fair with their student, and the student identifies at least three organizations that interest them (due to either prior interests or experience, or new activities that they would like to try).
Step 4.
The personal development coach follows up with the student regarding their attendance to interest meetings, potential transportation issues, and potential supports while the student is adjusting to a new environment. Potential supports could include attending an interest meeting with the student, helping the student exchange contact information with a few returning club members, or working with the student on specific skills required for participation in certain clubs or activities that may interest them.
Step 5:
The student and personal development coach will discuss the level of support the student would like to have moving forward, a decision that will be made also involving the CarolinaLIFE leadership team. Qualitative information regarding previous conversations between the student and personal development coach will be consulted to determine these decisions. The student's opinion will be highly considered and valued when making this decision.
Step 6.
After initially attending interest meetings of certain organizations, continued involvement in these organizations would be to the students discretion. The student will continue to meet with the personal development coach weekly, where they will discuss any potential concerns the student may have. If the student's interests shift as the semester progresses, the personal development coach will provide support in helping the student find a community that fits his or her interests. The role of the personal development coach will expand beyond helping the student get involved and integrated in the USC community. However, through this process, the personal development coach will hopefully have developed repoire with the student. Through this role, the personal development coach can serve as an even more effective ally and advocate to the student. Each student will continue to have a personal development coach to some degree for the rest of their time in the program.
Evaluation: Evaluation of this process would happen in two separate areas. First is the development of the personal development coach role as a role for all students beginning during their first semester. The effectiveness of these relationships will be evaluated by the CarolinaLIFE leadership team. The leadership team will follow up with personal development coaches regarding their opinions about how the relationship is going, and if it is effective in its intentions to support the student socially. The leadership team will also seek honest feedback from students, done both one-on one in meetings and through surveys.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the personal development coach in supporting CarolinaLIFE student's involvement in on campus clubs and organizations can be done by taking data on the following:
1. Does the student maintain involvement in any organizations beyond the initial few weeks?
2. Does the student view these commitments as obligations or as pastimes?
3. Does the student seem content with their social life at The University of South Carolina, both within the CarolinaLIFE community and beyond?
Final Thoughts: The personal development coach role and its implementation can be modified to meet the needs of specific students, or more broadly, modified in order to most effectively serve students in an organic capacity. Some students may value other experiences over being involved in clubs and organizations on campus, and this can be said for students within the general USC population as well. This plan is not to force CarolinaLIFE students to be involved on campus if they do not want to, but to provide support and facilitation for students who do want to. In doing so, we will work to combat ableism on The University of South Carolina's campus by providing opportunities for supported interaction between CarolinaLIFE students and other undergraduate students. I feel that this plan could work to effectively support the students beginning during their freshman year, so they feel comfortable pursuing the limitless opportunities available at The University of South Carolina.
Background: CarolinaLIFE is an post-secondary education certificate program for students with diverse learning needs. The programs “supports students in reaching their personal goals and prepares them to become productive community members by providing inclusive and individualized experiences in academics, employment, independent living and community involvement” (sc.edu). Through a variety of supports, CarolinaLIFE students develop habits and skills in order to live and work independently upon graduation from the program. I have worked for CarolinaLIFE for three semesters now, and have served in a variety of capacities such as academic coach, employment specialist, and as of this semester, personal development coach. Personal development coach is a new role that was pioneered in the Fall 2016 semester. Personal development sessions provide the CarolinaLIFE student weekly one-on one time with a staff member to develop particular social skills and address any social concerns.
The CarolinaLIFE program also allows young adults with diverse learning needs to participate in the college experience. We aim to support them in ways that allow them to participate in all the unique experiences that accompany college. In this way, we work to combat ableism by providing support to the student in order to help them achieve success. Due to a variety of reasons, CarolinaLIFE students have been hesitant to get involved with the over 400 clubs and organizations that are present on USC’s campus, instead typically interacting with other CarolinaLIFE students and staff members as their primary socialization group.
Importance of Issue: The University of South Carolina provides phenomenal opportunities for students to become involved in their choice of over 400 clubs and organizations. CarolinaLIFE students are no exception; each student has unique hobbies and interests that could and should be fulfilled through becoming involved in campus organizations. This involvement would also allow USC students to interact and connect with individuals with diverse learning needs through their shared interests; an interaction that would be mutually beneficial. However, before this semester, very few CarolinaLIFE students were involved in on-campus organizations. This missed opportunity meant both CarolinaLIFE students and USC students missed opportunities for interaction, growth, and inclusion.
Goal: As of this semester, a primary focus of personal development coaches has been to help CarolinaLIFE students get involved in on-campus clubs and organizations that may interest them. Unfortunately, most of these students are sophomores and juniors. Moving forward, it would be ideal if CarolinaLIFE students were able to find USC clubs and organizations to get involved with starting during their fall semester.
Recommendation: CarolinaLIFE assigns a personal development coach to each student beginning during the fall of their freshman year.
As of right now, many CarolinaLIFE students immediately reject personal development coaches. Personal development is seen as a form of social coaching, and many students do not feel that they need social coaching. If personal development were a requirement starting at the beginning of the student’s freshman year, these students may not hold the same reservations about seeking support and advice from their personal development coaches for all purposes. These coaches could work with their students to find on campus organizations that fit their interests and then provide the necessary support to make sure that these students become involved in these organizations.
Implementation: The following are my proposed steps in order to most effectively support CarolinaLIFE students in a way that organically promotes involvement in on-campus clubs and activities.
Step 1.
The CarolinaLIFE leadership team reviews staff members strengths, personality, and availability and compares this to student personality and availability. After finding a good fit, the leadership team will pair each CarolinaLIFE student with a personal development coach. This relationship will begin as soon as the student begins their first day in the CarolinaLIFE program at the University of South Carolina.
Step 2.
The personal development coach will discuss potential or current interests and hobbies with the CarolinaLIFE student, but also express the importance of trying new things in college. During the first few personal development sessions, the student and personal development coach will discuss potential social situations that may arise after the student joins the organization, and how the student would navigate those situations.
Step 3.
The personal development coach attends the Organization Fair with their student, and the student identifies at least three organizations that interest them (due to either prior interests or experience, or new activities that they would like to try).
Step 4.
The personal development coach follows up with the student regarding their attendance to interest meetings, potential transportation issues, and potential supports while the student is adjusting to a new environment. Potential supports could include attending an interest meeting with the student, helping the student exchange contact information with a few returning club members, or working with the student on specific skills required for participation in certain clubs or activities that may interest them.
Step 5:
The student and personal development coach will discuss the level of support the student would like to have moving forward, a decision that will be made also involving the CarolinaLIFE leadership team. Qualitative information regarding previous conversations between the student and personal development coach will be consulted to determine these decisions. The student's opinion will be highly considered and valued when making this decision.
Step 6.
After initially attending interest meetings of certain organizations, continued involvement in these organizations would be to the students discretion. The student will continue to meet with the personal development coach weekly, where they will discuss any potential concerns the student may have. If the student's interests shift as the semester progresses, the personal development coach will provide support in helping the student find a community that fits his or her interests. The role of the personal development coach will expand beyond helping the student get involved and integrated in the USC community. However, through this process, the personal development coach will hopefully have developed repoire with the student. Through this role, the personal development coach can serve as an even more effective ally and advocate to the student. Each student will continue to have a personal development coach to some degree for the rest of their time in the program.
Evaluation: Evaluation of this process would happen in two separate areas. First is the development of the personal development coach role as a role for all students beginning during their first semester. The effectiveness of these relationships will be evaluated by the CarolinaLIFE leadership team. The leadership team will follow up with personal development coaches regarding their opinions about how the relationship is going, and if it is effective in its intentions to support the student socially. The leadership team will also seek honest feedback from students, done both one-on one in meetings and through surveys.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the personal development coach in supporting CarolinaLIFE student's involvement in on campus clubs and organizations can be done by taking data on the following:
1. Does the student maintain involvement in any organizations beyond the initial few weeks?
2. Does the student view these commitments as obligations or as pastimes?
3. Does the student seem content with their social life at The University of South Carolina, both within the CarolinaLIFE community and beyond?
Final Thoughts: The personal development coach role and its implementation can be modified to meet the needs of specific students, or more broadly, modified in order to most effectively serve students in an organic capacity. Some students may value other experiences over being involved in clubs and organizations on campus, and this can be said for students within the general USC population as well. This plan is not to force CarolinaLIFE students to be involved on campus if they do not want to, but to provide support and facilitation for students who do want to. In doing so, we will work to combat ableism on The University of South Carolina's campus by providing opportunities for supported interaction between CarolinaLIFE students and other undergraduate students. I feel that this plan could work to effectively support the students beginning during their freshman year, so they feel comfortable pursuing the limitless opportunities available at The University of South Carolina.