Your Voices Have Been Heard!

Thank you to all of those who participated in our social media survey!  Here is an overview of the findings.

Students were asked to respond to how often they used different online social media or email platforms.  The top 5 platforms used by students in our survey more than 2 times per week were:

1. UGAMail - 94% of respondents use 2+ times per week
2. Facebook - 72% use 2+ times per week
3. YouTube - 42% use 2+ times per week
4. Twitter - 18% use 2+ times per week
5. Online Forums - 18% use 2+ times per week.

Students were also asked in what manner or on which plaform they would prefer receiving information from the Office of Student Affairs.  The top 5 platforms students were somewhat or strongly interested in seeing used were:

1. UGAMail - 98%
2. UGA Gwinnett Campus Office of Student Affairs Website (http://studentaffairs.uga.edu/gwinnett/index.html) - 67%
3. YouTube - 40%
4. Facebook - 36%
5. Online Forums - 28%

As a result, of this survey, we have decided to take the following actions:

• Suspend the UGA Gwinnett Twitter Account. Students report low consistency using this platform and therefore it proves to not be an effective channel to communicate about campus activities, events, or opportunities.
• Transition Gwinnett Growl to an email format newsletter. Students indicated a strong preference to receiving news via email.  The newsletter is now in an email & browser format delivered directly into UGAMail accounts. 
• Invite student body to connect with UGA Gwinnett Student Affairs Group.  Students were invited to "like" the UGA Gwinnett Student Affairs Facebook page.  Students who opt in can get timely updates about campus events, surveys, or opportunities. 
• Explore options with campus offices creating YouTube videos. Students suggested that YouTube videos were a great way to connect.  We are currently reaching out to certain student services on the Gwinnett Campus about creating videos specifically to explain their role on campus.  
• Calendar of events on the UGA Gwinnett Campus Office of Student Affairs webpage. We are working with our webmaster to integrate a Google Calendar displaying campus events (Coffee & Culture, Healthy Habits, Raising Respect) onto the Student Affairs website. 

We appreciate you taking the time to review these actions! If you would like to provide feedback, please email ga4gwin@uga.edu or Dr. Teresa Raetz at traetz@uga.edu.

For the raw data from the survey, see below:

Fall 2012 Student Activity Fees Budget

Hello Students!

Below is the Student Activity Fees Budget and breakdown for Fall 2012 on the University of Georgia Gwinnett Campus.  For an explanation of the initiatives, please see the bottom of the page.

We welcome your feedback and thoughts! Please feel free to email your comments, concerns, or ideas to ga4gwin@uga.edu and to Dr. Raetz at traetz@uga.edu.

About the Student Activity/Recreation Fee

A key part of The University of Georgia's mission is "providing a vibrant, engaging learning environment that promotes the development of the whole person and supports student achievement in and out of the classroom." Student Activity Fees funds are used to create opportunities to promote such an environment. Students enrolled in six or more credit hours at the Gwinnett Campus are required to pay the Gwinnett Campus Student Activity Fee of $45 per semester. Proceeds are to be used to fund the activities and events of registered student organizations and to promote personal development, learning or other beneficial out-of-class experiences. Certain purchases are prohibited by law or policy – e.g., alcohol – and other purchases are very restricted – e.g., food.

The fee proceeds fund several types of events, including three main initiatives: Coffee and Culture, Healthy Habits and Raising Respect (see details below). We regularly assess student interests and event effectiveness, and we make changes based on those data. We increase access by tailoring events to suit the unique needs of Gwinnett Campus students, such as offering events on multiple nights to ensure equal access and creating many events in a “ten minutes or less” format.

About the Initiatives

Coffee and Culture is a regular series in which local visual artists or musicians are invited to perform or show their work in an informal coffeehouse-type setting. The purpose is to promote the personal development of students by presenting unique forms of cultural or artistic expression in a way that is easily accessible to the busy Gwinnett Campus student. 

Healthy Habits is a regular series in which we encourage students to make time for healthy choices on a regular basis with a special emphasis on stress management. We do this by providing information, opportunities to get immediate relaxation via chair massage, as well as providing a free yoga class. 

Raising Respect is a regular series in which we provide information about various identities, ethnicities, cultures, experiences and individuals for the purpose of deepening students’ understanding of difference and promoting inclusion, discussion and mutual respect. 

Please contact Dr. Teresa Raetz with any questions or concerns. Thanks for your input!