Effective Academic Advising of Pacific Islander Students: A Community College perspective Michelle Tuitupou Academic & Career Advisor, Salt Lake Community College Latu Kinikini Assistant Director for Scholastic Standards, University of Utah Objective Understand the community college perspective Understand Multicultural Advising and its purpose Understand Pacific Islander students and their experiences Increase knowledge of student development theories that may work better for Pacific Islander students Provide recommendations for successful advising of Pacific Islander students Community College vs. University Tuition Campus/Class size Campus Housing/Commuter Degrees obtainable College life Diverse student population Representation of Community College Students Among Undergraduates - Fall % 45% of higher education students attend a 2-year community college American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) 2013 Community College Facts report % who are CC studentsUndergraduate segments 45%First-time freshmen 56%Hispanic 49%Black 42%Native American 44%Asian / Pacific Islander (API) By the year 2050 US Population Projection YearWhite-non hispanicsEthnic Minorities %30.62% %34.90% %38.67% %42.47% %46.34% %49.92% A change in the US population demographics also means a change in college/university student enrollment Who are the Pacific Islander students? Pacific Islanders come from three sub-regions across Oceania. Polynesian: Hawaiians, Tongans, Samoans, Maoris, and Tahitians Micronesian: Guamanians and Palauans Melanesian: mainly Fijians Pacific Islander population in the U.S. 35% increase The Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (NHPI) population in the U.S. increased by 35% which is over 31/2 times faster than the national growth rate of 9.7% Salt Lake Community College Pacific Islander Student Headcount Fall & Spring semesters History of Salt Lake Community College Multicultural Advisors Need Vision Current Situation Hispanic/ Latino(a) African/ African American Asian/ Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Pacific Islander Advisor Job Description Provide intrusive/proactive academic advising Follow up advisement of PI students with the goal of increasing retention Focus advising on PI students, particularly those on Academic Standards Develop prevention and intervention strategies Pacific Islander Advisor Job Description Coordinate services Develop recognition strategies for students in good academic standing Identify, outreach to, and assist on-campus PI students who scored in ESL, math, reading, or writing developmental classes Case Management Academic standards Developmental education classes Nearing graduation Undecided majors Retention Effort Analysis - SLCC Methods of Advising Social Media PUA Club Community Involvement Calling campaign Did you know? series What guides our practise? Background Experience Student Development Theories o Chickerings Theory of Identity Development o Magoldas theory of Self-Authorship o Ethnic Identity Theory o Ta-Va Theory Chickerings Theory of Identity Development Chickerings theory describes how students develop socially & intellectually in a college environment. Students need to feel they matter and are appreciated. 7 vectors of development 1 Developing Competence 2 Managing Emotions 3 Moving through autonomy toward interdependence 4 Developing mature interpersonal relationships 5 Establishing identity 6 Developing purpose 7 Developing integrity *progression is not necessarily linear *students move at different rates and work on developing in more than one vector at a time Baxter Magoldas theory of Self-authorship Self-authorship is the ability to develop ones own perspective. It is more than a skill. It is a way of making meaning of one's experiences. Developing self-authorship takes time and energy. Epistemological How do I know Intrapersonal Who am I Interpersonal How do I want to construct relationships with others Ethnic Identity theory a multitude of characteristics like nationality, religion, culture and history to which personal and social meanings of group identity are usually attached (Cokley, 2007, p.518). positive ethnic identity is most important in the development of healthy, psychological functioning and self-esteem [of PI students] (Evans, et al. 2010, p.273). PI Identity theory Common themes Ancestry Family Cultural practice Community and place Static vs. Fluid Ethnic Identity theory As a first generation PI student myself, I learned to be a cultural straddler where I attempted to find a balance between the knowledge and behavior I learned at home and that which I would receive outside of it. The balance I found became less of a question as to how can I use what I learn from this space into that space? and more of a question as to who do I want to be today? At that time, I thought that being skilled in my English and classical music abilities meant I had to disconnect myself from my identity as a Tongan. With that being said, I found myself avoiding my PI friends so I could associate with my white friends in my honors and music classes. Both my white and non-white friends began to see me as white-washed, or fiepalangi (personal conversation, December 1, 2012 ). Ta-Va (Time-Space) Theory Dr. Okusitino Mahina Ta (Time) and Va (Environment/Space) is a process that requires mediation of social and intellectual spaces in order to create harmony PI students constantly negotiate their Ta and Va The practice of nurturing spaces (tauhi va) in higher education requires time, energy and resources. E.g. common geneaological link and shared social space are important as this has a long history with Oceania people. Our Moana/Pacific students are sandwiched between two largely irreconcilable worlds, that is, Western and Moana/Pacific cultures and languages - done in the West in singular, technoteleological, individualistic, analytical and linear modes in contrast to their arrangement in the Moana/Pacific in plural, cultural, collectivisitic and circular ways. Examples: funeral, non-linear four year plan, balance between family & education, recite genealogies Remedy: knowledge production and knowledge acquisition Recommendations Parental/Family involvement Community involvement One-stop shop Storytelling Learn the students culture Mentoring/Training Consider new theories, e.g. Ta-Va Theory Recommendations Adapt to the transitional and learning needs of students In the past, [educational institutions] have tended to develop new student support programs implicitly assuming that the challenge is to help students adapt to the institution. In some cases, and to a certain extent, this may have been appropriate. For nontraditional and diverse students, however, the logic needs to be reversed: Institutions must seek ways in which they can change so at to accommodate the transitional and learning needs ofnontraditional students (Teranzini et al.,1994, p. 72) References Chickering, A. W. (1969). Education and Identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Baas. Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F., Patton, L.D., & Renn, K.A. (2010). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. 2 nd Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Mahina, O. (2007). Tongans at the University of Auckland: A cause for Celebration. In O. Mahina, N. Seve-Williams, A. Faaiuaso & D. Hosking (Eds.), Atea, Moana and Vanua: Voices from the Brown Edge. Auckland: O Lagi Atea Moana Press. Terenzini, P.T., Rendon, L.I., Upcraft, M.L., Millar, S. B., Allison, K. W., Gregg, P.L., et al. (1994). The transition to college: Diverse students, diverse stories. Research in Higher Education, 35(1), U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). Profile america: Facts for features (CB12-FF.09). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Commerce. U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). Retrieved from Thank you! Michelle Tuitupou Latu Kinikini