UCLA re-entry student program in works

Thursday, February 18, 1999

UCLA re-entry student program in works

PROPOSAL: Older people would adjust to college easier if plan
approved

By Hemesh Patel

Daily Bruin Contributor

While not all students make it straight through college, those
who return often need help in adjusting to the everyday hustle and
bustle of college life.

As a result many colleges, including five UCs, have programs
aimed at helping students re-enter college successfully – that is,
except for UCLA.

Last month, Vice Chancellor Winston Doby and Assistant Vice
Chancellor Robert Naples considered a proposal encouraging them to
establish an office serving re-entry students at UCLA. For over the
last decade, the number of such students at UCLA has grown from 18
to 22 percent of the total student population.

Though it is not presently clear whether a re-entry office will
be created, such an office is in its beginning stages.

"Even though UCLA lacks the full resources to initiate a
re-entry office, we will proceed with recommendations into how such
a program would be funded," Doby said, adding that before plans for
a program at UCLA are implemented, officials must examine the
issue.

"We need to first look at the proposal carefully and generate
questions on the matter," Naples said. "The next step will involve
discussing the issue among the executive management team of student
affairs."

Debra Walker, author of the proposal, suggested such an office
be established because re-entry students are older and have
additional family responsibilities compared to the traditional 18-
to 22-year-old, Doby said.

Walker is currently in Australia and was unable to comment on
her proposal.

According to the study, the re-entry student population at the
university has a number of special needs, including management
skills and financial support.

Re-entry students, like other students, need a sense of
community or belonging.

"Involvement and attachment to the campus significantly
increases success rates," said Dr. Alexander Astin of the Higher
Education Research Institute at UCLA.

Such a program would also address the social and psychological
needs of the re-entry students.

UCLA is not the only UC school lacking a program for these
students. Of the eight other UC campuses, Irvine and San Diego also
have no such program.

But for campuses with such programs, such as UC Riverside,
officials say they have been beneficial to the students.

"The program bridges them to the campus," said Joyce Higashida,
director of the transfer and re-entry services at UC Riverside.
"Interest in the program was student-initiated four years ago when
a lot of transfer and re-entry students wanted a support
system."

"We are trying to develop outreach programs for the transfer and
re-entry students, and have already started a mentoring program,"
she added.

In fact, the existence of such offices may be a factor in
choosing which university to attend.

Walker was informed by the 11 year-old re-entry office at
Berkeley that some students chose to attend Berkeley over UCLA
because of the additional support offered there.

Berkeley offers courses specifically for re-entry students and
according to the study, 400 of 560 new students are either enrolled
or wait-listed for these courses.

UCLA currently offers two courses that former re-entry students
have found helpful: English 100 and 180, which teach students how
to write papers and do research.

"Members of the student body, faculty and staff continue to
await the establishment of the re-entry support office and
program," said Walker in her proposal.

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