Committee Meeting Minutes - August 29, 2002

BOARD OF VISITORS
Student Affairs Committee
Board of Visitors Conference Room
August 29, 2002
10:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

MINUTES

Mrs. Carrington, Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:17 a.m. Roll call indicated that the following Committee members were in attendance and that a quorum was present.

Committee Members Present:
Mrs. Teresa H. Carrington, Chair
Ms. Delores E. Archer
Mr. Willie Brown (departed after brief attendance)

Committee Members Absent:
Mr. Alfred Austin
Mrs. Maria A. Ortiz

Other Board Members Present:
Dr. Alvin Bryant, Rector
Mr. Jack L. Ezzell, Jr.
Mr. Colvin Gibson

Members of NSU Staff Present:
Mr. Larry Curtis, Vice President for Student Affairs
Dr. Adebisi O. Oladipupo, Vice President for Research & Technology
Mr. Orby Moss, Director of Athletics
Mrs. Terricita Sass, Associate Director, Office of Planning & Budget
Dr. Alvin J. Schexnider, Executive Vice President
Mrs. Deloris H. Smith, Recorder

Student Representative Present:
Ms. Christine Carter, President, Student Government Association

1. Approval of Minutes

Mrs. Archer motioned, seconded by Mr. Brown and unanimously voted by the Committee to approve the minutes of the May 9, 2002 meeting.

2. Discussions Items

Report from SGA President - Ms. Christine Carter, President of the Student Government Association, reported that during the summer, the SGA has been making plans for the current school year as follows:

• Last night, the SGA sponsored an "open house" in the Twin Towers Residence Hall. During this activity, students were asked to sign up for various activities being planned by the SGA. Pizzas and beverages were served.
• The vice president of the SGA presides over the Student Senate. Students submit their concerns to him, and he is responsible for presenting them to the university administration for possible solutions.
• Plans are underway for 2002 Homecoming activities.
• The Spartan Cavalry, the pep group appearing at athletic games to inspire "Spartan spirit" and "Spartan pride," consists of 350 students. The SGA has ordered Dr. Seuss tee-shirts for them this year, which they will wear at each game.
• An SGA representative has been appointed to work with the various religious organizations on campus. A religious activity is being planned for Homecoming.
• The Big-Brother/Big-Sister Program will continue. This is a program where upper class students are assigned the responsibility for mentoring freshmen.
• A Town Hall meeting with members of the university administration is scheduled for September 24.

In concluding her report, Ms. Carter thanked the university administration for working cooperatively with the SGA and said that she looks forward to having a very good year.

Contingency Housing - Mr. Curtis reported the following:

• This year, the University had an overflow of students for campus housing. The Ramada Inn was used to house the student overflow until rooms became available on campus. Students were required to sign a temporary housing agreement prior to moving into the Ramada (Mr. Curtis reviewed the contents of this agreement with the committee). They were required to pay $12 for each day that they resided in the hotel. University shuttle busses transported them to and from the hotel. As of last Saturday, all of the students at the Ramada had been housed on campus. This housing arrangement enabled the University to keep these students in school and prevented them from leaving because of the lack of housing.
• Dr. Bryant stated that he had received complaints from angry parents because their children had not gotten a room in the residence halls. Mr. Curtis explained the reasons why some of them did not get a room--many because they did not follow instructions for obtaining a room; i.e., they did not pay the required $300 deposit by the deadline and/or did not obtain the required clearance from the Accounts Office indicating their ability to pay the balance. Guidelines and instructions for obtaining a room were dispensed as early as January, but many students did not follow them. Also, the amount of the required deposit was decreased from $500 to $300.
• Ms. Carter suggested that the posted signs regarding applying for housing be made much larger so that they will be more visible and students will not be able to use the excuse that they did not know about the deadline, etc.
• Currently there are 1,954 students housed in the residence halls (948 freshmen and 1006 returning students).
• Renovations have been made to the residence halls. All of the carpeting has been removed from the Midrise and replaced with tile. The Midrise has also received new furniture.
• Live-in graduate assistants are now assigned to each residence hall. Security is also present in the freshman dorm and Scott Hall.
• Coed visitation will resume on September 4.
• Construction of the new residence hall has been delayed pending approval by the Virginia General Assembly. This four-story facility will be constructed next to the Phyllis Wheatley Residence Hall. American Campus Housing in Texas is the builder. The University will receive between two and three hundred thousand dollars from the company in excess of their profits.
• Renovations will begin on the Twin Towers once the new residence hall is completed.
• Mr. Curtis showed the committee a copy of the new residence hall handbook/planner that will be distributed to all residents.

New Student Center - Mr. Curtis reviewed the synopsis of the proposed new student center. It will cost 20 million dollars and will be financed with 9 (d) Debt revenue bonds. The student body will be petitioned to approve an increase in student activity fees in order to support the financing for this facility. There is a great need for a new student center as the current building was constructed in 1968. A number of colleges and universities are building new residence halls and student centers. New facilities such as these greatly enhance recruitment and retention efforts and keep the University competitive with other schools. (Mr. Curtis distributed and reviewed copies of (1) the Norfolk State University Board of Visitors "Resolution Authorizing Preliminary Work for the Funding and Construction of New Student Union Building" and (2) the Norfolk State University Board of Visitors "Resolution of Support for Public/Private Partnering and Authorizing Reconveyance of Real Estate to the Norfolk State University Foundation").

Dr. Bryant asked Ms. Carter what the SGA's feelings are regarding the increase in student activity fees to help pay for this new building. She responded that it is difficult for her and the students because tuition was just increased, and we do not want to overwhelm students and lose them because of financial reasons. She said that students do not understand the breakdown of where the money is going; all they see is the increase. Thus, if there is an increase in the activity fee, there should be a notable increase in the number of activities available to students so that they will feel that they are getting more for their money.

3. Information

Admissions Report - Mr. Curtis passed out copies of the undergraduate report. He said that for the first time, applications to the University have surpassed 8,000--complete and incomplete. Freshman acceptances numbered 3,065. There were 574 honor students admitted; of this number, 160, actually enrolled. As incentives, they were offered $3000 Presidential or Board of Visitors Scholarships ($1500 each semester). These scholarships are renewable if a GPA of 3.0 is maintained. The number of transfers increased by 3% (from 643 in 2001 to 660 in 2002). From the Passport Program with Tidewater Community College, 121 students came. Completed applications totaled 5,678, which greatly exceeded the number from last year (3,933). Enrollment deposits (1077 freshmen; 345 transfers), which basically assure that a student will attend, climbed to 59% over last year (1,422) and exceeded our target, which was 1,411.

There were 2,271 internet applications received this year. More applications will be completed on the internet because we are getting ready to put a live interactive application out there with a credit card so that an applicant can not move forward until they complete each field. Once this is done, it will automatically download into the University's Datatel system and interface with that to cut back on keyboarding. This will enable us to turn applications around at a more rapid pace.

Admissions is an extremely competitive endeavor. The University receives a report from the SAT which shows the other schools that our applicants applied to. A number of NSU applicants also apply to Hampton, Old Dominion, and Christopher Newport.

Mr. Curtis distributed and reviewed the Enrollment Count and FTE Report obtained from the Office of Planning and Budget. He said that the current freshman class is the strongest we have admitted to date. They have excellent academic profiles. The average GPA is 2.6--up from 2.5; the average SAT increased from 854 to 873. The SAT scores have gone up by 78 points in the last three years. This has enabled us to exceed the national average for African-Americans, which is 859. Mr. Curtis said that his personal goal is a GPA of 3.0 and an SAT score of 900.

Mr. Gibson stated that he is happy to see the increase in SAT scores. However, he invited the University to elevate its thinking as to where it stands with respect to other students on the SAT. He said that it is a data point to look at where African Americans are, but we should not take much consolation in that. We should set our targets high and strive to get to the average for everyone.

Mr. Curtis distributed copies of an article from USA Today regarding the SAT and gave a brief summary of the article.

Mr. Curtis said that since Norfolk State raised its admissions standards, high school students are working harder. The word is out that you can not get into Norfolk State unless you meet certain academic standards. Once students are rejected because they do not meet the requirements, they retake the test and try to improve their GPA's.

Mrs. Carrington said that the committee needs to review the policies we have in place to see if we are accomplishing our goals. She said it is important that we look back at the policies that were put in place three years ago and re-evaluate them to see if we are accomplishing what we want insofar as retention and the graduation rate are concerned. A report will be given on these agenda items at the December meeting. Other issues that the Student Affairs Committee wants to work on this year include include peer instruction, retention, student surveys, and customer service.

Mr. Curtis distributed and reviewed the "Norfolk State University Enrollment Count and Full-Time Equivalent Report" developed by the Office of Planning and Budget. He said that as of yesterday, the headcount was 6,526 and the FTE is up by 24 compared to last year. Tomorrow (August 30) is the last day for Fall registration.

Mrs. Sass, of the Office of Planning and Budget, gave a brief slide presentation on Enrollment Trends from the Fall of 1997 to the Fall of 2001. Mrs. Sass indicated that when data is submitted to Richmond, the FTE is 15 hours rather than 12. For graduate students it is 12 hours rather than nine hours. She said that information for 2002 is not yet available. A report will be given on that in December. Mr. Gibson asked if university funding from the Commonwealth is part of the formula based on FTE's. Mrs. Sass responded that it is not.

Mr. Curtis stated that since implementing the ACCESS Program, students have been encouraged to take 12 hours instead of 15 until they adjust to college life. Thus, some students will only end up with 24 hours their first year. This, of course, will adversely affect the FTE. The raising of academic standards, as well as charging students per credit hour rather one flat rate, have both contributed to the decline in FTE's.

Mr. Curtis said that as of 1998, the University has embarked upon a very aggressive nationwide recruitment and marketing initiative, and we are reaping the benefits from it. We will continue this initiative.

Dr. Bryant said that there are a large number of good students in this area--both athletes and others; thus, the University should concentrate on recruiting and enrolling more of them.

Mr. Curtis stated that our recruiters do the Virginia Tour along with other schools. He will give a definitive report on where our students come from at the December meeting.

Athletic Department Status Report - Mr. Moss distributed copies of his report to the committee. He began his report by introducing the new head basketball coach, Dwight Freeman, to the committee. Coach Freeman then introduced the members of his staff--Arthur Zeno, Darryl Sharp, and James Hammond.

Mr. Moss continued his report by providing the following information:

• The Athletics Foundation consists of 90 paid members. Efforts are underway to increase this number. There will be a reception area at the west end of the stadium during half-time for all members of the Foundation. Chick-fil-A will be hosting this activity.
• The department is in the second year of a concessionaire contract with Carolina Concessions. They remain the responsibility of the Auxiliary Enterprise Office.
• It is difficult for schools with football programs to address the measurement of participation insofar as gender equity is concerned. Thus, NSU athletics is addressing the issue through the proportionality option, which measures equality of treatment in equipment and supplies, scheduling of games and practice times, facilities, coaching staffs, publicity, travel and per diems, medical and training, recruitment, housing, academic support and interests and abilities. In addition, the president has asked that we explore the possibility of adding women's golf. Contact has been made with Ocean View Golf Course as a possible site where the women can play.
• The department has finalized a new five-year contract with Coca-Cola. We will receive a large scoreboard which will have a TV screen to allow us to do live replays. Coca Cola will pay for this. We have also been able to include Coca-Cola in the Spartan Partnership Program, which encompasses our signage throughout the campus. This partnership will cost $70,000 yearly, and will cover a five-year period.
• Labor Day weekend will be busy for the Athletic Department. The Labor Day Classic Football Game with Virginia State University will be held Saturday night. Attendance must reach 20,000 in order to meet the financial goals for football. Virginia State will be paid $32,000.
• The department's investment in the P. Diddy Concert is well over 300 thousand dollars. Attendance must reach at least 15,000 in order for the department to break even. The weather will be a key factor regarding attendance. Rain/lightning insurance has been purchased to cover the University if the weather is bad. In such an instance, the concert will be cancelled.
• Mr. Gibson recommended that the football stadium be used as a performing asset to generate funds and help retire the debt service on it. Mr. Moss said that the department has undertaken the challenge of the P. Diddy Concert. If all goes well, it will set the tone for future events of the same type. More than 2000 flyers have been distributed to promote the concert, and it is receiving great coverage on hip-hop radio stations locally, in Richmond, Petersburg and Washington, DC.
• Athletics has a large investment in the football program (more than 2 million dollars annually). Football is critical and must pull its weight. A copy of the football schedule was included in the athletic report. Seven of the eleven games scheduled are home games.
• Dr. Bryant mentioned the fact that a number of regional athletes are lost to Norfolk State because they are not aggressively recruited by NSU coaches. He said he learned this during visits to area churches and other organizations. Some area coaches are NSU graduates.

Mr. Moss responded that NSU coaches do recruit in this area first and that it is a high recruitment area. Emphasis is to recruit local athletes because it helps the budget.

The head basketball coach, Mr. Freeman, expressed his views on the recruitment issue. He said that facilities available on campus do in fact help recruitment. He said that he and his staff plan to recruit in the local area. He said he would like to receive help from alumni in the area to encourage and influence students to come to Norfolk State by talking positively about the University throughout the community. He said that he and the members of the basketball team will be visiting local churches, schools, etc. in the area each month. Mr. Gibson assured Mr. Freeman that the local alumni would be meeting with him within the next 30 days on this issue.

Mrs. Carrington informed the committee that the agenda in December will pertain to enrollment and admissions standards, graduation rates, the image we are trying to create as far as students and admissions is concerned, admissions requirements, and graduates--the number receiving jobs and the number going onto graduate school.

4. Adjournment

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:55 a.m.

	Respectfully submitted,
	_______________________________
	Larry Curtis Vice President for Student Affairs
	_______________________________
	Teresa Carrington, Chair Student Affairs Committee

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