Retention committee meets with UC students
By Daily Bruin Staff
Dec. 6, 1998 9:00 p.m.
Monday, December 7, 1998
Retention committee meets with UC students
ACADEMICS: Student-run group aids at-risk minorities, attempts
to decrease college dropout rate
By Natasha Behbahany
Daily Bruin Contributor
Students from UC Irvine and UC Davis came to UCLA Friday to
discuss how to keep students from dropping out.
UCLA’s Campus Retention Committee (CRC) demonstrated to the
visitors how UCLA students have developed the only student-run
program in the nation that focuses on bringing together outreach
and retention programs.
By working with the administration and other campus groups, the
CRC has helped to create programs for students who need guidance
through the personal and academic trials of college.
"We don’t talk about our drop-out rates, because sometimes it’s
embarrassing," said Mandla Kayise, vice-president of the Black
Alumni Association and former advisor to the CRC.
Although Kayise said the CRC wants to broaden the scope of who
it helps, statistically Chicanos, African Americans and American
Indians are at the greatest risk of not finishing college.
This is where groups that work under the CRC play a vital role.
For example, the Community Programs Office (CPO), has created over
30 projects that integrate community service and education.
Gabino Arredondo, a fourth-year Chicano studies and education
student, helps high school students in the surrounding area learn
about the admissions process and financial aid.
The ultimate goal is to help these students become UC-eligible,
Arredondo said.
"After the passing of Proposition 209, there is so much need in
all our communities," he said.
According to Kayise, the passage of Prop. 209 was both
devastating and beneficial to the CRC.
"The admission process is grossly focused on academics, with
little regard to culture and the range of experiences a student had
in high school," he said. "Cultural dynamics play an important role
in a student’s success."
Students at other UCs were concerned with the direct effects the
proposition will have on the future of their campus.
Kevin Nadad, a third-year psychology and political science
student at UCI, came to the conference to show UCI’s chancellor
that students are making progress towards initiating programs aimed
at outreach and retention.
"We are trying to focus on steps to ensure the diversity of the
campus," Nadad said.
Nadad also blamed a lack of funds for the non-existent outreach
and retention programs at UCI. The chancellor, however, has agreed
to provide financial support if he sees the students are serious
about creating new programs, Nadad said.
Funding has also been a problem for various outreach programs at
UCLA.
"The administration has not been as supportive in providing us
with space," said Natalie Stites, chairwoman of the CRC and
president of the American Indian Student Association. The event
included a tour of the CRC and SRC offices to show visitors what
Stites described as "tight spaces."
The main focus of the conference was to gather students who
wanted to make changes on their campuses.
"We’re interested in those who are actually doing something and
not just talking," said student Regent Max Espinoza, a fifth-year
Chicano studies and political science student.
Espinoza, as former CRC chair, understands the need to help
students in danger of dropping out.
"It’s no good to have students and then not be able to retain
them," he said.
Specifically, the CRC has influenced policies regarding the
dismissal of students or those on academic probation. Counseling
services are available to help students who are in need gain
readmission or get off academic probation.
"We’re here for one reason: to graduate more students,"
Arredondo said.
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