Climate Survey Results 2023

Focus group: Black/African Amercian students 
Attendees: 18 students 
Process: Facilitators opened the conversation for students to lead with their concerns.

Student Themes

Transcripts Issues

Students expressed concerns about the process of updating and replacing grades in their transcripts, indicating potential academic/scholarship challenges.

Parking Permits:

Among attendees, 2 out of 18 students raised issues regarding parking on campus.  

Canvas hybrid course accessibility  

A student shared their experience of registering for a hybrid class for Winter2024 but receiving access to only in-person resources (No Canvas access) and a different Professor to the one they originally signed up for. It was assured by the Professor they would get access to the online resource during the 1st month of the quarter, but it did not happen. There wasn’t any communication about this class not being a hybrid and the student currently is underperforming as the class type is not catered to their schedule.

Professor-Student Communication:

Approximately 7 out of 18 students reported difficulties in establishing effective communication with their professors, hindering their academic progress and understanding.

Online Class Interactions:

Many students noted a lack of substantial interactions in online classes, affecting their engagement and learning experience.

Class Format Preferences:

8 out of 18 students expressed a preference for more in-person classes, suggesting a desire for a variety of instructional formats. Adding as well, they noted that most IT classes were only offered online.

Decentralization Issues:

4 out of 18 students commented on decentralized problem-solving processes within the institution, highlighting potential inefficiencies and difficulties in addressing student concerns.

First Quarter Challenges:

Several students, numbering 5 out of 18, expressed feeling lost during their initial quarter, indicating a need for improved orientation programs such as HDC 101 College Orientation.

CTClinks Problems:

7 out of 18 students encountered issues with CTClinks, indicating a need for enhanced technical support and guidance.

Food Quality and Prices:

Feedback suggested dissatisfaction with food quality and affordability (Student-friendly) on campus, indicating a desire for improvements in these areas.

Inconsistency of Course Series:

A Student highlighted concerns regarding the inconsistency of course series in quarters, which sometimes led to prolonged graduation dates and financial challenges due to loss of scholarships and financial aid, frustration due to unmet Education plans. e.g., Biology 211 available in Spring, Biology 212 available in Fall, however, Biology 213 unavailable in Spring of the following year.
 

Positive Aspects

• Tutors and Faculty Recognition
• Positive feedback was given to specific faculty members with 7 out of 18 students acknowledging their support and dedication to student success. Additionally, students advocated for increased tutor availability and online classes taught by the same in-person instructor. 
• 11 out of 18 students praised the Tutoring Center as a valuable resource for academic support. 
• The Seattle Promise office received recognition from 6 out of 18 students for its effectiveness and convenience. 
• Students appreciated the availability of Financial Aid and access to necessary resources and course prerequisites. 
• Positive sentiments were expressed regarding the vibrant and inclusive student life, fostering a sense of community and belonging among attendees.

Focus groups: Student leaders of color and LGBTQIA 
Attendees: 7 students 
Process: Facilitators shared questions for student response

Student Leaders of Color Focus Group

Overall Experience at the college

• Campus very diverse, people usually have a sense of belonging some point in their journey here, very welcoming, meet many people from same country and different countries (se Asian)
• Very comfortable at ANAPISI sees presentation and sense of belonging (east Asian)
• Don’t see people that look like me often, but so diverse, and there are so many different people and experiences, so you feel included overall in the diverse campus (s Asian)

Discrimination

• Not a lot of diversity in my home country, this is an American concept as in home country, they don’t have racism or talk about it, here people don’t show or say their isms. Maybe professor does not address you the same as another student, then you might address but if it’s a singular exp, it might not be mentioned (s Asian) 
• Even before coming here, learned and heard about racism, but did not experience it in home country, me and a lot of friends when encountering just keeping going forward and just does not care because that is how the system work (SE Asian)

Global perspective in understanding US, Central campus

• Common to ask where you from, your ethnicity, where your family from etc. usually in international student group, in home country don’t ask since its monolithic (e Asian) 
• People actually asking versus assumption, even if for native/domestic students, its nice to know where people are coming from (se Asian)

What should EDIC office be aware of when talking about EDIC via global/international perspective?

• Giving examples of what microaggression towards folks are, I might not know what someone is doing against me is due to race, gender etc. giving more examples can help me recognize (s Asian) 
• To some extent everyone has an area on campus they belong to, good thing to share is to let folks know about your experience and sharing experience with folks with different background, and creating more communities for students to participate in (se Asian) 
• Creating more group, mixed groups to hear exp and culture from other folks, I enjoy learning about other people, its good to exchange / have more interaction between the different groups (e Asian) 
• More events that include intermingling, a lot of students don’t know how to join or participate, having more diverse events can help with intermingling and can help with respect. Folks might not know about other cultures and not understand some words that are not respectful. This might come off as disrespectful to other folks (e Asian) 
• Having lots of talk, to raise awareness, maybe having this diverse student leaders' group, sharing about exp. Maybe having friends help share exp.  
• I have been here for two years, so I have learned about different cultures and perspectives, so my perspective have changed and evolved  

Do you think Central is doing a job in having cultures come together and having respectful interactions?

• For LNY, we shared Chinese, Viet. Etc. LNY celebration culture. Having firsthand exp is a good way to learn. Central is taking a good step.  
• We have a lot of clubs, and people from different countries where they get to learn from each other  
• International Perspective – when you arrived, what are your thoughts on how we talk about ism
• So different here, even in class we talk about isms, was very surprised as this was not talked about in my home country (Japan, e Asian), teacher in Japan shy away from this or don’t know how to talk about it 
• This is a very fundamental things, in US its more pronounced, not that its nonexistence in India, but I feel like it's more messed up here (s Asian) 
• The culture here is so mixed, you will see a very diverse population every day, so it's forced that we must talk about it, you cannot avoid it and you will notice. Might be the reason you want to learn more about it or talk about it (se Asian) 
• If someone, for ex. A man wears a dress, people might think it's weird. Like all gender bathrooms would not be a thing in my home country - China (e Asian) 
• As much problem there is, it's also inclusive since it's so talked about  
• I think my country is progressive, so all gender bathrooms will be possible, but we have a lot of gender-based violence so this might contribute, and people will argue it will. (s Africa)

What is embraced in your home country that is not embraced here?

• American is inclusive and diverse, and other country might not be as diverse, so there is not as much differentiating, so things applied here is not applied back at home  
• Talking to friend, different race, going to my home country and friend is nervous because she is a different race than Japanese people  
• As a black person, it's difficult to go to other countries, traveling alone might not be the safest, my country is pretty diverse, but I know other places are not always

Has your perspective shifted since coming to Central?

• For me, it has made me realize I take a lot of things for granted, even though it's quite diverse, I am the majority in my country, so things that is easy to do in my home country might not be here. Even seeing another person like me is not common. (s Africa) 
• Very scared at first when arriving about racism. I am very boisterous, parent said if you face racism to just keep quiet to be safe. However, my perspective has shifted a bit as I don’t have it as bad as some folks, esp. in Seattle. I think my relative had bad exp and passed that perspective down and that can scare the younger folks (s Asian)  

Did you get a talk about racism in US from parents?

• I think it's understandable for people to think that since we will be minority here, so general perception is to not to be too loud if you are a minority, don’t act up (se Asian) 
• As non-resident, my parents told me you're not a citizen, so you have to behave. (s Africa) 
• My parents told me to not to go to protest, because they will target you before a us citizen (s Asia) 
• If you have fight with someone from us, don’t argue because they might have a gun (e Asia)  

Has your prior perception of US changed since arriving at Central?

• Prior, America is dangerous, but my time here, I don’t think about it all the time, so I do have a sense of being safe, which is different than what's said before (se Asia) 
• When I was first researching, my parents did not want me to come, the BLM/2020 movement did not help. But each state is different, and Seattle has been good. People are nice. It's wrong to generalize the whole country as state to state is different (s Africa)

LGBTQ+ Students Focus Group

Perceptions of climate overall  

• Interested in increasing support for queer international students. They are not included in the central community. Not familiar with students of color LGBTIQQ people, but know they exist. They may be afraid/hesitant to come out.  The queer community should be diversified. It's very white. Not a judgement, simply an observation.  
• Central is accepting of students generally.  
• Queer POC experience  
• Felt very comfortable here. There are many students of color, but they are not involved in the QTC. Possibly because of cultures that are more conservative may not be accepting. There is an opportunity to better support queer students of color and international students.  
• QTC felt overwhelming, then felt guilted for not being more active. There was pressure to be more active and advocate. Pressure to be more aggressive in attendance and advocacy. The queer student community on campus does not feel welcoming to those that just want to build community. Feeling of intensity regarding queer advocacy which also shows the need for improvements.  Has personal experiences with TDOR, really appreciated that event. The qtc space feels too structured to offer connection.  
• Currently making efforts to expand perceptions of LGBTIQ representation. There's a difference in queer POC and queer international experience. The trauma of the country impacts how students might navigate central.

What would an inviting space on campus look like?

• Queer spaces are overwhelmingly white. There needs to be more diversity. Queer white people have different experiences than POC. Also, a need for queer history to be shared. People are transphobic in the queer community and there should be more information on the history on queer advocacy to address the transphobia.  
• Less segregation would be nice. There should be more space given to all-gender bathrooms. Not sure where queer space is at central and the EDIC office is a space for everyone.  
• There's some isolation with people and qtpoc students have their own groups. The concern isn’t diversification but unification within the queer community. Believes people are generally decent.  
• A more intersectional approach would help. Central seen as a queer college.  
• Queer community feels cliquey on this campus. QTC could be expanded more. Don’t see much of a divide. Not blatant bigotry. There’s support at central, in comparison to how things would be in home country.  
• Sees central as a very progressive space. Has heard experiences of sexual harassment from other queer students. Some people may not understand consent.  
• Central has a big queer community. Has not seen anyone get assaulted or harassed here. Faculty sharing they were also queer was deeply impactful and helped them feel comfortable. There's exposure to other gender diverse identities and some are willing to share their experience and help others learn.  
• Intersecting identities, machismo and discrimination took/ take place. Feeling made fun of for just existing as a queer person impacts perceptions on feeling safe.  
• We need to make sure that acts of bigotry are not tolerated and people should know that. The college should do more to address discrimination. There should be a statement, similar to land and labor acknowledgment that speaks to various ism. It should be included in campus tours. It should be clear that these things are taken seriously, could be shared in the first class, orientation, tours, advising meeting, etc. behavioral expectations of other students should be clear and we should expect more for the community.  

LGBTQIA and other cultures  

• Queerness in other cultures looks different. We should be able to support each other. There are some international students that are homophobic, but they say quiet because it's not as accepted here. In some cultures only people with high SES that are allowed to be out publicly. Financial support impacts how out someone can be.  
• Out queer international students may be afraid to go back to their home country. Little support for international students and supporting their various identities.  

Focus groups: Indigenous student group and students of color

Indigenous Students Focus Group

What do you need to feel a sense of belonging at South?

• More in person existence such as in person classes, more visibility of staff and faculty on campus 
• More inclusive teaching and accurate representation of Native Americans in the curriculum 
• A lot of Native history is left out when the topic of Natives comes up in classes 
• A Native student center - Students express that is the space they would go to do their homework and hang out if it existed on campus because they would see more of themselves, more students like them 
• Culture keeping workshops, teachings, etc. 
• Scholarship opportunities for Natives 

How has Seattle Colleges discriminated against you (person/place)?

• Lack of education and awareness of Native people 
• Lack of depth and understanding when it comes to Native and Indigenous experiences 
• Certain instructors seem to “play games”, in other words, Seattle Colleges seems to hire people to teach about topics they have no lived experience in i.e. non-Native faculty teaching subjects such as Native American history
• Would like to see more faculty that represent the cultures they teach about

What has helped you to be successful in Seattle Colleges or anywhere?

• Making the choice to stay in school; have seen other relatives drop out including other fellow Natives in classes and they did not stay 
• Determination as a native person comes from a family and culture of struggle and poverty 
• Gaining respect for staff and instructors who teach from experience and live from experience 
• Enjoy seeing Native staff and faculty when they do come across them

Black Student Experience  

Why did you chose South Seattle College?

• Went to North – No degree she wanted – South – Feels like a home – people are great  
• Chose south cause of proximity  
• They are paying me for my degree and wine program. Likes the resources SS provides.
• Small campus and the one-on-one experience – it also feel peaceful.  
• Had  older sibling that also attended South
• Central didn't offer the same classes
• Students enjoyed that South was a small campus and we offer good support and good teachers
• Was very impressed with the South and the Culinary Arts Program  
• Get paid for coming to school and a GREAT Wine Program.  
• Started at GT and transferred to South for the BEST Welding Program  
• Convenient and I feel supported and lots of resources.

What do you need to feel engaged and have a sense of belonging?

• More cultural events at campus for Black students, more students coming together – have a career events – more transfer programs on campus
• Culture days at this school is needed
• Religious clubs that will host certain events like Iftar – Seeing more staff of color makes feel connected  
• Bring back spring fest where there’s a cookout and food
• Have something for Gradates to feel celebrated, last year they had graduation festival.  
• Internship opportunities & Job Faires for students – Have the WorkSource bring jobs to the campus.  
• Community Events
• Transfer Events
• Staff and Student Meet ups to talk about their culture and background and share their food and lifestyle.
• BBQ's
• Welcome back Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter
• Alumni come back and talk to the students in their specific field
• Do something for the graduating classes/send off with a big bang
• Graduation fair  
• Internship and Job Fairs for on and off campus
• There isn’t much of interaction on campus

Have you ever felt discriminated at South?

• Financial aid – Creates a barrier where she couldn’t get a scholarship because she wasn’t on financial aid
• Have to make multiple meetings and email to get connected to certain people
• The registration process can be better. They don’t relate information like financial aid. Needs more communication between staff who are using the same email to respond to students.
• I felt like I belonged here. I see people who look like me around me as an African American Muslim.
• Haven’t felt like their race has been a factor in the way they have been treated.
• Students had issues with Finacial Aid
• Why do you have to be on Finacial Aid to get a scholarship?  
• Can never get a timely response, have to email back and further and get shifted from one department to another, multiple meetings and emails
• Registration and cashiers, they don't talk to each other, and one has no idea what the other one is doing. I've been dropped from classes because of this.  
• South feels Very welcoming, and I feel like I belong.

Have you ever felt it's because you're black?

• 2 Student responded-No 

 Do you believe as a Black person vs Nigerian or African person you are treated differently?

• 3 students said No
• 1 student said yes 

Your experience as AA or as an African, how is it different?

• African American receives less money financially  

What has worked to help you be successful, anywhere, not just at South or the Seattle Colleges?  

• South Seattle Resources  
• Mentors
• Not taking no for an answer
• Support groups
• Roundtable discussions once a month with diverse topics and resources  

Any ideas or suggestions for improving the Black Student Experience at South?

• Black People Scholarship
• Black office or location for black people
• Black community and support each other
• Programs for Black Students
• Woman of Color Support Group
• WOC Initiatives  
• More Black speakers (networking or company event)  
• Job fair/ Career fair  
• Scholarship opportunities  
• More events
• Community
• Networking
• Roundtable discussions once a month with diverse topics and resources  
• Volunteer opportunities (on and off campus)