The Retention Task Force subcommittee on Institutional Policies and Practices hosted a focus group Mar. 3 as part of a larger effort aimed at finding ways to keep students at Mills College.
Officials began the task force last semester, and the focus group was just one way it is reaching out to students.
Kennedy Golden, the chair of the Institutional subcommittee, and Associate Director of Operations in the Division of Student Life, organized the meeting and sent an e-mail to student news requesting students to come and share their opinions on campus issues and policies.
No students showed up, but Golden spoke to reporters about the success of the Retention survey sent to the Mills community this semester. According to Golden, as of March 3 more than 103 responses had been received via the online survey from both undergraduates and graduates.
“It is rich and exciting and we got a lot of good information,” said Golden. “And hopefully it can be utilized in a way that is positive.”
Sociology Professor Dan Ryan, head of the Retention Task Force, also created a blog for students to comment about issues in the Mills community. Posts include offering shuttle rides for first years in Oakland to encourage more exploration of the Bay Area, changing shuttle times to coincide with students’ class schedules, more recreational activities in dorm rooms and more food options on weekends.
The blog went live Feb. 11 and is continuing to accept student opinions and thoughts on how to make the campus a better place.
Golden said she will make data from the survey available in upcoming weeks after the information is analyzed and prepared for future long-term and short-term projects.
We would like to hear from you: Do you think the data from the Retention Task Force will lead to actual change at Mills?
