The College Union: Comparing First-Year Student's and Senior's Use and Satisfaction

The Association for College Unions International (ACUI), in partnership with EBI Benchmarking Assessments, has created the ACUI/EBI College Union/Student Center Assessment. The union visitor and non-visitor assessments provide administrators with a sense of student perceptions about their union experience. Results can be effectively utilized to focus attention on strengths and areas in need of improvement. This research note compares the responses of 11,771 first-year and senior students from the 2010-11 academic year assessment.

First-year students were significantly more likely than seniors to reside on-campus. Nearly three-quarters of first-year students indicated their place of residence was a residence hall, compared to 14% of seniors. First-year students were more likely than seniors to report visiting the college union multiple times per week and participating in activities sponsored by the union multiple times per month.

When asked to cite the top three reasons they visit the college union, seniors were more likely than first-years to cite studying, attending a student organization meeting, and using computers. First-years were more likely than seniors to cite eating, relaxing, postal services, and entertainment activities. First-year students were more satisfied than seniors with the extent to which the union publicizes opportunities to join organizations, promotes a sense of community on campus, and promotes programs of interest to students. First-year students were also more likely to agree the union is an enjoyable place to spend time, relax and is a place they feel welcome. First-year students were more likely to agree the union offers a wide variety of entertainment options and they are reasonably priced. Overall, first-year students were more likely than seniors to be satisfied with the college union.

1. First-year students are more likely than seniors to visit the college union multiple times per week.

   • Thirty-one percent of first-year students reported they visited the college union more than five times a week, compared to 20% of seniors.
   • One-fifth of both first-year and senior students indicated they visited the college union either never or once a month or less.

2. Seniors are less likely than first-years to participate often in activities sponsored by the college union.

   • Twenty-seven percent of senior students indicated they never participated in activities sponsored by the college union, compared to 22% of first-year students.
   • Approximately 41% of first-year students reported they participated in activities sponsored by the college union at least once a month, compared to 30% of seniors.

3. Seniors are more likely to visit the college union to study, attend a student organization meeting, and get access to computers, while first-years are more likely to visit the union for eating, relaxing, postal services, and entertainment activities.

   • More than 80% of both first-years and seniors indicated a top reason for visiting the union was eating.
   • Seniors were significantly more likely to report studying and attending a student organization meeting as a top reason for visiting the union.
   • Approximately 18% of seniors reported a top reason for visiting the student union was to use computers to access email, compared to 8% of first-years.

4. First-year students are more satisfied than seniors with the extent to which the union promotes programs of interest to students, promotes a sense of community on campus, and publicizes opportunities to join organizations.

   • First-year students were significantly more likely than seniors to be satisfied with the extent to which the union promoted programs of interest to students (56% compared to 50%).
   • Fifty-six percent of first-year students reported they were satisfied with the extent to which the union promoted a sense of community on campus, compared to 48% of seniors.

5. First-year students are more likely than seniors to agree the college union is an enjoyable, welcoming and relaxing place, is a place to get involved in campus life, and offers a variety of reasonably priced entertainment.

   • Seventy-two percent of first-year students agreed the college union was an enjoyable place to spend time, compared with 68% of seniors.
   • Two-thirds of first-year students agreed the union was a place to relax, compared to 61% of seniors.
   • Two-thirds of first-year students also agreed the union was a source of information for learning about campus events, while only 59% of seniors agreed.
   • First-year students were more likely than seniors to agree the union was a source for events they find interesting and was a place to get involved in campus life.

6. First-year students are more likely to be satisfied with the college union than seniors.

   • Fifty-nine percent of first-year students indicated they were satisfied with the college union overall, compared to 52% of seniors.

Conclusion

First-year students are more likely than seniors to visit the college union multiple times per week and participate in union-sponsored activities more than once a month. First-year students are more likely than seniors to cite eating, relaxing, use of postal services, and entertainment activities as top reasons for visiting the union, while seniors are more likely than first-years to cite studying, use of computers and attending student organization meetings as top reasons for visiting the union. First-year students are more likely than seniors to agree that the college union is an enjoyable, welcoming and relaxing place, is a place to get involved in campus life, and offers a variety of reasonably priced forms of entertainment. Overall, first-year students are more likely to be satisfied with the college union than seniors.

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