Transcript CITIZENSHIP AND COLLABORATION SUNNYVALE UNIVERSITY Western Michigan University Jaclyn Rivard : Meredith Atchison : Kira Dow : Emily Lott.

CITIZENSHIP AND
COLLABORATION
SUNNYVALE UNIVERSITY
Western Michigan University
Jaclyn Rivard : Meredith Atchison : Kira Dow : Emily Lott
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
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Introduction
Social Change Model
Student Engagement: On-Campus
Community Collaboration
Community Outreach
Community Engagement
Policies
INTRODUCTION
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It is our belief that in order to improve the
town-gown relationship between Sunnyvale
University and the local town, we must
focus on collaborating with, and building
stronger relationships with community
members.
The following presentation will outline our
plan and key strategies for connecting
Sunnyvale students with local community
members in order to improve the
relationship between the two entities.
SOCIAL CHANGE MODEL
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Focused on the deep understanding of
oneself and others to help foster community
change
Made up of 3 different perspectives
 Individual
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Member of Sunnyvale (student, faculty or staff)
 Group
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Identity
Identity
Sunnyvale University as a whole
 Community
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Identity
Sunnyvale University + Sunnyvale Community
(Dugan & Komives, 2010)
THE 7 C’S OF THE
SOCIAL CHANGE MODEL
Individual
Values
Group
Values
• Collaboration
• Common Purpose
• Controversy with Civility
• Consciousness of Self
• Congruence
• Commitment
Community
Values
• Citizenship
Implementing the 7 C’s at Sunnyvale
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Collaboration: Third Fridays at Sunnyvale
Controversy with Civility: encourage shared access to
student government and city council meetings.
Consciousness of Self: International Town and Gown
Association Certificate Program
Common Purpose & Citizenship: Sunnyvale Action
Team
Commitment: Career Center Partnership including
internship and shared access to career center resources
Congruence: Policy Changes
STUDIES SHOW…
Top 5 “Things” Communities Wish Universities Would Do:
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Invite community members onto campus
Provide more parking for students
Work on mutually beneficial projects with the city
Better manage student rentals
Partner with the community in children’s outreach
activities
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT: ON-CAMPUS
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Late night programming
 Thursday and Friday evenings
 Develop a survey to capture level of student interest
 Events open to the community for a small fee
Create incentives to live in University housing after Junior year
 Discounted housing
 $50 Laundry Card
 Raffle for gift cards to local restaurants/stores in community
Certificate Programming (www.itgau.org)
 Students wishing to live off-campus must complete the International Town
and Gown Association (ITGA) Certificate Program in Town Gown Relations
prior to moving into the local community.
SUNNYVALE STUDENT ORIENTATION
VIDEO: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Sunnyvale Student Orientation: Community Connections
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
 Create a Community Engagement Coordinator position on campus
 Create an Internship and Volunteer Opportunities Database that lists internship and volunteer
opportunities in the community.
INTERNSHIPS
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Local businesses can provide students with
professional experiences
Provides the business with additional
resources for little to no cost
Students bring new perspectives to the
business
Collaborate with Sunnyvale Career Center
to make contacts for internships
Win-Win situation – intentional interaction
VOLUNTEERING
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Volunteer opportunities within the community
Organizations or individuals can post their
needs in the database
Students can give back to the community as
well as earn volunteer hours
Organize large bi-annual volunteer events
that bring students into the community.
Mentoring opportunities for students and
community members
Develop Sunnyvale Action Team
SUNNYVALE ACTION TEAM
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Students can join as individuals, and student
organizations will appoint a representative member
Community members or organizations can suggest
service projects or request student help via online form
or in person at regular meetings
Service will be performed 1-2 times monthly as
determined by the student leadership of this new
organization
“We should entirely shift our focus from
our traditional approach of pondering
what we could do TO the community or
even FOR the community, to a mindset of
candidly discussing what we could do
WITH the community.”
Carr (2003)
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Meetings with Community Leaders
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Students:
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Community leaders:
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Students attend community events to gain a better understanding of how their actions
impact the community at large
Bring the community voice back to their peers
Students learn to respect community and community members
Invite community members to attend student government meetings to gain a better
understanding of the campus community and student body
Individuals have the opportunity to build relationships with one another
College leadership:
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Attend city council meetings regularly and include student leaders (student body
president) in the conversation.
College President and town’s Deputy Mayor attend major events together such as
Welcome Week, Move-In, and other large campus events (Hibel, 2012).
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
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Host annual Community Barbeque Kick Off and Town Hall Meeting asking community for
input on programs and resources they would like to see available to them on campus.
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Ask community for feedback on ideas they have
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Share our ideas with the community:
 Recreation Center discounts
 Kids summer / after school camps
 Arts discounts - theatre, arts
 Career Center - access to services - job postings, resume reviews, career fairs,
practice interviews - volunteering
 Public computer labs on certain days
 Library memberships for community members - partner with local library for
interlibrary loans to create a relationship instead of a replacement
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Discuss which of the suggestions serve the community well, proceed with community input
“96% of community members that attended an event on campus felt the
university was an asset to the community.” (Bruning, 2006)
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
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Develop a Good Neighbor Orientation for students and community members
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Program at the beginning of each semester
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Defines town-gown relationship
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Expectations of both community and student population
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Share benefits to campus and community regarding collaboration and involvement
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Share events planned to bring community and campus together in a positive manner
3rd Friday Program: Invite community members to campus and build partnerships
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On the third Friday of every month, community and campus partner to provide entertainment
for both populations
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Student Center hosts a local talent and local food vendor
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Downtown hosts festival each third Friday drawing
in community members and students
 Host student and community talent showcase
 Local food
 Speakers
 Celebrate the accomplishments of both the college and city
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS WEBSITE
Sunnyvale.edu/Connections
SUNNYVALE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
COMMERCIAL
Sunnyvale Community Connections Commercial
POLICIES
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To live off-campus, students must:
 Live on-campus through their Junior year
 Not have any prior conduct issues on campus
 Follow guidelines established in the International Town
Gown Association (ITGA) Certificate Program Training
The long-term property committee will start pursuing property to
build a new parking structure downtown. Students will be
encouraged to park here whenever they’re in the neighborhood,
and it will be open for community use as well.
Sunnyvale University will be more attentive toward the offcampus behavior of Sunnyvale students; campus police will be
more accessible to the community for reporting conduct issues
and other concerns.
Code of Conduct: Policy Statement About Off-Campus Behavior
CODE OF CONDUCT: POLICY STATEMENT
ABOUT OFF-CAMPUS BEHAVIOR
Sunnyvale University reserves the right to review student
misconduct that occurs off campus when such behavior reflects
upon the integrity of the University. On- and off-campus,
students serve as representatives of Sunnyvale University, and
both positive and inappropriate behavior affect the University’s
image and reputation. Students are encouraged to be involved in
their community in positive ways, such as community service
and local government. The University desires to have students
act as responsible and mature representatives on campus, in the
neighboring community, and in the world at large. (This is
adapted from John Carroll University)
As administrators of Sunnyvale University
and members of this community, it is our
goal to create a collaborative environment
that bridges the gap between town and
gown, and fosters growth and
understanding.
We believe that the plan we have outlined
will increase the civic engagement of our
students, and build stronger citizens.
REFERENCES
Bruning, S. D., McGrew, S., & Cooper, M. (2006). Town-gown relationships: Exploring universitycommunity engagement from the perspective of community members. Public Relations Review,
32, 125-130. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2011.03.031
Carr, S. L. (2003). Love and hate: exploring the relationship between college and community. The
Vermont Connection Journal, 24, 123-132. Retrieved February 9, 2013, from www.uvm.edu
Dugan, J.P. & Komives, S.R. (2010). Influences on college students’ capacities for socially
responsible leadership. Journal of College Student Development, 51-5, 525-549.
Hibel, A. (2012). The blending of communities: Town and gown relationships at colleges.
HigherEdJobs.com. Retrieved from
http://www.higheredjobs.com/HigherEdCareers/interviews.cfm?ID=347
John Carroll University. (n. d.). Off-campus behavior policy. Retrieved from
http://sites.jcu.edu/deanofstudents/pages/community-standards/off-campus-behaviorpolicy/
Tuttle, J. (2012) Effective policies for your college town. ICMA Annual Conference Presentation.
Retrieved from:
webapps.icma.org/conference_Handouts/handouts2012/Towm%20Gown%20Williamsburg
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