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As Paying Customers, How Do Students Rate their XU Experience? Demographics of the 502 students who responded include:
Age: 15 to 43 Classification
Gender
502 Xavierites complete survey about academics, on-campus facilities, dining services – and more To gauge students’ satisfaction as paying customers of Xavier University of Louisiana, an enterprise team comprised of members of The Xavier Herald and XTV created and implemented a survey assessing students’ opinions about life on campus, student services and the overall Xavier experience. Team leaders Eric Craig, a senior political science major from Los Angeles, Calif., and Franziska Pirkl, a senior public relations major from Munich, Germany, said the project’s goals are to generate quantitative and qualitative data the administration, Board of Trustees, faculty, staff—and students—can use to address
the challenges of student recruitment and retention, as well as gauge school pride and student engagement. Using research methods learned in the Departments of Mass Communication and Political Science, the team met over the course of several weeks to hammer out the survey format, questions, and delivery methodologies. The team conducted the anonymous survey, “Customer Satisfaction at Xavier University of Louisiana,” Feb. 2-7, 2016, utilizing social media, online links, email, hand-distributed reminder bookmarks, and one-on-one interviews.
Survey Results Based on the customer satisfaction survey, roughly 41 percent of respondents indicated that they feel satisfied about their overall college experience at Xavier. The same percentage said they feel neutral about it, and 18 percent of students are dissatisfied.
dents indicated that they are satisfied with the level of transparency student services, SGA and XAB provide regarding the selection of music artists and activities. Only 10 percent feel dissatisfied with overall student services and their engagement with students.
A large number of respondents, about 54 percent, expressed that they are satisfied with the academic quality they are receiving for school fees and tuition. Even though many students criticized Xavier’s high fees and tuition in the comment section, they strongly complemented the level of education they are receiving, as well as the positive relationships with their professors. Roughly 52 percent of those surveyed said they are satisfied with faculty interactions. The results also showed that office hours are being kept by faculty and materials/grades are being posted in a timely manner.
When looking at the students who live on campus, 350 out of the 502 respondents, 66 percent are dissatisfied with campus housing. The majority of comments stated a lack of responsiveness to inadequate living conditions, cleanliness, building maintenance, plumbing issues, insect problems and health hazards such as mold.
When asked about their overall customer service experience at Xavier, the majority of students, 45 percent, feel satisfied, but also reported unpleasant experiences with Financial Aid, Fiscal Services or the Registrar’s office. Student services received a fairly positive rating. Half of the 502 respon-
Considering that 387 out of the 502 respondents are on a meal plan, 58 percent of those living on campus eat in the cafeteria every day. A majority of students on a meal plan are dissatisfied with the menu choices and variety of Sodexo and only 14.4 percent are satisfied. The majority of comments indicated that dinner hours should be extended beyond 7 p.m. and that there should be an early breakfast on weekends. Furthermore, 37 percent of students feel satisfied about the cleanliness of the cafeteria, 28 percent feel dissatisfied and 33 percent are neutral about it.
Explore the results of the survey through Pages 7 - 12 xulaherald.com
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Editor’s Note: These survey results are meant for enhancing student retention, school spirit and campus life. The quoted comments from students were selected based on reoccurring themes found in the survey responses. In order to provide the Xavier community with professional and unbiased journalism, team members of the Xavier Herald and XTV interviewed Xavier’s new President Dr. C. Reynold Verret; Ralph W. Johnson, senior vice president for administration; Marion Bracy, vice president of facility planning and management; Dr. Anil Kukreja, Dean of the College Arts and Sciences; and Joseph Byrd, vice president for student services.
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Students Rate Residence Life Quality by Ashlee Hill Staff Writer Editor’s note: For details about each residence hall, staff writer Tyler Despenza scoured archived copies of The Xavier Herald at the Library Resource Center. The following includes excerpts from newspaper reports. While some students consider on-campus living as a way to meet people and form friendships, others feel living conditions in all four of Xavier University’s residence halls are poor. Based on responses to the Student Customer Service Satisfaction Survey regarding dorm services and maintenance, 47 percent of the respondents who currently live on campus are dissatisfied with their experiences with residence life, specifically dorm services and maintenance. There were 300 out of 502 respondents who live on campus. Of those 300 respondents: • 29 live in the freshmen’s men’s dorm, St. Michael’s, also known at the Mike’s. The dorm opened in 1957, named for the Archangel Michael, who led God’s army. Originally, the building was reserved for sophomores, juniors and seniors. The building opened with 95 rooms, 17 of which were private, 75 were semi-private, and three were for guests. • 119 live in the freshman women’s dorm, Katharine Drexel Residence Hall, or KD, which is named for Xavier’s founder St. Katharine Drexel. The dorm opened in 1969, originally accommodating 150 women. Three additional floors were added to KD as the freshmen women’s population grew • 82 live in the Learning Living Center, also called The L or LLC. The L, originally former Foltz Coffee Warehouse that was converted into a five-story hall with apartment-style dorm rooms, opened in 1998. The hall was recognized in the Contractor Magazine as the 1998 Public Architecture Project of the Year. • 70 live in the coed dorm, St. Martin de Porres, or de Porres. De Porres opened in 2003. It is named for St. Martin de Porres, who is considered the first Black saint of the Americas. The hall was designated to house Xavier’s upperclassmen, with seven floors and a capacity of 514 students. The living conditions that students detailed in the survey’s optional comments sections and interviews with residents showed they are satisfied with the friendships and bonds they create while living in the dorms, but they’re not pleased with where they have to sleep at night. Also, a majority of students feel thate residence halls are a bit too pricy for what the lacking quality
Maintence
Anonymous Student Comments About Housing “Overall I like living in the dorms; I think it’s a great way to meet people. I just don’t like how it takes a while for things in my room to get fixed after I put in a work order. I put in one for my AC about five times and it still isn’t fixed,” said an LLC resident.
Safety & Privacy
they receive. The University Responds Marion Bracy, vice president of facility planning and management, oversees all construction and maintenance on campus. In an interview with the survey project team, Bracy addressed some of the survey comments. “I walk through the residence halls and I have seen some things that I am not pleased with,” Bracy said. “We are making some improvements and internal changes with our personnel and with house keeping, and we will continue to make changes to address dormitory issues. We’re here to service our customers, who are faculty, staff, students, alumni and parents, and we have to make sure we satisfy those customers.”
“I came to college to exercise my skills that I have acquired over a time in preparation to be an adult. While I do understand that many rules are for our safety, I should not be treated as a child. There should be another system in place for visitation so we do not feel like our privacy is being invaded or that we are being judged for having company. ”
“The majority of the money we spend on campus actually comes through federal funding,” Bracy said. “The money you see spent on campus comes from external sources and not necessarily from student tuition.” “We plan to improve our service and we plan to monitor our service and make sure that we have the best that we can have. We want to make sure that the residence halls are clean and that they’re functional,” Bracy added. Bracy urges students to report problems or problems concerns by calling 504.520.7321 or sending an email to reslife@xula.edu.
“None of these buildings are fit to live in. De Porres is the most “live-able”. The Mikes and KD need to be gutted out and remodeled completely. The Living Learning Center needs to be torn down completely. Deporres just needs some major cleaning done to it. All of these building have mold in it. If health inspection people came, I’m sure they would shut these buildings down,” said anonymous De Porress resident “The maintenance is horrible, especially in places like the Living Learning Center. There is a mold issue every semester campus-wide in general, and I feel more should be done in terms of maintenance. I lived on campus for 3 years, so I have personal experience with the dormitories.” “The RAs come into your room when you are not around for no reason at times. I had 3 knock on my door one time and then when I was approaching the door they opened it. When asked the reason for them coming into my room they said, ‘I did not think anyone was here.’Very unprofessional and I feel my privacy is compromised.”
Bracy said that unlike students believe, funding for dorm maintenance and updating does not come from housing fees. Funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and money generated from operational services allowed dorms to be renovated and maintained for several years after Hurricane Katrina flooded the campus in August 2005.
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Students Rate Financial Aid Staff Relations Vital Component of College Experience by Morgan Yates Staff Writer
Students often rate their college experience by factors such as academics, dining, residence life and campus activities. According to dozens of comments on the Student Customer Service Satisfaction survey, Xavierites also view the services they receive from staff in areas such as Fiscal Services and Financial Aid as essential in creating a positive Xavier experience. The survey question, “Overall Customer Service Experience with Xavier Faculty,” created interesting feedback. Of the 502 respondents, 220, or 44.5 percent, say they are satisfied with faculty service. However, 78 optional comments refer to the offices of Fiscal Services and Financial Aid; many of those also lump together the two offices. Nevertheless, the offices do differ. Students interact with fiscal services in order to pay fees and make arrangements for payments, while students use the Financial Aid office to obtain financial assistance such as loans, work study, scholarships and grants. “Most of the staff that work in [those] offices are extremely rude and act as if they are miserable with their
jobs,” said an anonymous junior, biology pre-medicine major. “They are the most hateful people that I have ever met; it’s like they have forgotten they are here to perform a service.” According to the university website,www.xula. edu/financial-aid/documents/ PoliciesAndProcedures.pdf, the functions of Financial Aid and Fiscal services are to provide information to secure the necessary financial resources to meet students educational goals and financial obligations to the University, while providing quality customer service. However, many students feel quite the opposite. “It is very difficult to get the information that is needed from Fiscal Services and the Financial Aid office,” said Natalie Faciane, a freshman biology engineering major. “They don’t respect the fact that we are becoming adults and need to know how to handle our own money.” There have also been complaints that these services are unprofessional. “One day when I entered Fiscal Services, before I asked a question, one of the staff members rolled her eyes at me as if my presence just irritated her,” said Destini Thomas, a sophomore sales and marketing major. “On a completely separate day, I went to the same office
and a different staff member refused to service me until she completed a personal call on her cell phone.” As a paying customer, students feel as though they deserve fair treatment and proficient service. “Staff in Fiscal Services and the Financial Aid office need to realize that students are their customers and the only reason they are employed,” said a posted comment from the student survey. “As a paying student, I expect my financial information to be up to date and accurate at all times and to be assisted when I need help.” How students feel about the way staff treats them certainly affects their experience at Xavier. “This lack of support definitely affects my college experience, it gives me a negative image of the school which is unfortunate because Xavier has so much to offer academically,” writes student. “The only thing I can positively say about these offices is that it prepares you for real world challenges.” According to students, this negative perception of Xavier is affecting the school’s retention rates. “Students have left this university and transferred to other schools because of the treatment they have received from staff,” a student
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posted. “With other cheaper universities available, Xavier should improve its services and appreciate their students more.” The survey team’s request to meet with Edward Phillips, director of Fiscal Services, was not fulfilled. Financial aid was more receptive. “After conducting a town hall meeting this past October, I was able to address many of the challenges students were having in our office,” said Emily London Jones, director of the Financial Aid office. “When students complained about my staff, the staff that were reported were reprimanded.” London-Jones said he is doing everything possible to ensure that the office’s reputation is not permanently damaged. “I have been here for three years and have noticed a lot of improvement, but we are nowhere near perfect,” she said. “In order to address many student’s problems, we have implemented a Twitter account so our students can reach us directly, updated a list of frequently, and created a phone bank that opens four of our lines to immediate communications.” Whenever students are having difficulty with financial aid staff, students are encouraged to approach London-Jones with their
concerns. “I encourage all students to come to me when they face difficulty with staff and inform me who they are having the problem with so a change can be made,” she said. Ralph Johnson, senior vice president of Administration, supervises every non-academic function at Xavier University, including Financial Aid, he commented on customer service. “I was not previously aware of staff in Financial Aid being rude to students, but after hearing this I am very concerned,” said Johnson. “I have spoken with this office and they understand the importance of customer service.” Though there has not been a resolution for this apparent disconnect between Financial Aid, Fiscal Services staff and students, Johnson has hopes for the future. “This is a growing relationship and there is room for improvement,” said Johnson.
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Sodexo Dining Hall: Longer Hours, Better Food by Eric Craig Editor
Based on responses to survey questions about Sodexo dining services, students are dissatisfied with menu choices/variety and the operating schedule for the cafeteria and Jazzman’s. Respondents are split almost evenly with how they feel about maintenance and cleanliness, and food services generated the most optional comments for the entire survey, which can be found online at www.xulaherald. com/studentsurvey. Of the 502 respondents: • 129, or 23.2 percent, do not have a meal plan • 241, or 48.6 percent, are dissatisfied with menu choices/variety • 194, or 39.2 percent, are dissatisfied with operational hours of the cafeteria. • 139, or 28.1 percent, are satisfied with dining hall maintenance and cleanliness; • 105, or 21.2 percent, are dissatisfied
How Dining Services Work In an interview with the project team, Ralph Johnson,
senior vice president for administration, said choosing a dining services provider starts with the procurement process when the university sends out a request for bids. Xavier has contracted with Sodexo for a number of years, Johnson said, and the last contract was signed three years ago. “It’s an exclusive agreement, and they are the provider of first choice. We work with them so that they can understand the needs of the university, including students’ expectations,” Johnson said. Sodexo addresses hours, complaints Food service availability on campus—for students with meal plans and commuters looking for a bite to eat—is a hot topic for discussion Johnson said that there is room for change in the operation hours. However, the vicepresident and Sodexo are hoping to first tackle the conversations about meal plans. Scott Price, on-campus general manager for Sodexo Dining Services, says that hours of operation will be extended in March. Currently, the cafeteria is open on weekdays for
Menu Choices & Variety
Maintenience & Cleanliness
breakfast between 7 to 9:30 a.m; lunch is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m; and dinner is from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on weekdays. “We would like to extend breakfast meals from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.[...] and lunch will be from 2-4 p.m,” Price said. However, during the extended hours Sodexo plans to close main and international lines, and keep the additional stations open for students. Price also discussed the possibility of keeping Flambeaux’s open until midnight.
Operational Hours
Staff Courtesy & Respect
Alternative Brands on Campus Many students say they are not happy with the current choices of dining options on campus. Johnson said it is possible to have a conversation about offering alternative brands on campus. “Very often a company like Sodexo would own a franchise like Chick-Fil-A, and we can always have those conversations with Sodexo about the possibility of bringing in a franchise like that, but without the label,” Johnson said.
Price is aware of the limitations of Sodexo’s contract with Xavier and said both parties must agree upon adding alternative brands. “We have had conversations about other brands, and it’s mutually agreed upon by Sodexo and the University. Within my limited ability, we would love to be able to provide those things for the university,” Price said.
Anonymous Student Comments About Sodexo “…Please branch out. We, as students, who have “It doesn’t make sense for the cafeteria to close no other choice but to eat this every day, need to at 7 p.m. when most students stay up to at least have more variety. Sodexo is only good some of 1 a.m. studying. That’s six hours without eating a the times…Please try to branch out to other food meal. [There] should be a late-night food spot on companies so that the menu isn’t so predictable. campus for students.” I promise, this would make students so much happier.” “I wish we had more options for dining on campus. It feels so isolating for someone who lives off-campus, “We need a new or upgraded company because I know other HBCUs who have contracts with for services in the cafeteria. The food is Sodexo and still provide more dining options than we digusting, especially on the weekends, even do. Since I don’t have a meal plan, I find it hard to eat the people that work in the cafeteria know on campus because Sub Connection is the only thing this. Also, most days they usually serve the that stays open late.” same thing every week.”
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Students Rate Campus Life events are determined, 42 percent feel neutral. • 28 percent say they are College is as much an dissatisfied with on-campus recreational activities, and 37 experience as it is a place for higher learning. The Customer percent answered neutral Satisfaction Survey covers • A large number of optional a variety of “quality of life” comments suggest students issues at Xavier, including want more music, parties and special events to boost morale how students feel about on-campus activities such as and enhance their Xavier experience concerts and recreation.
On-Campus Recreational Activites
The Office of Student Services is over programs such as the Student Government Association and Xavier Activities Board. According to survey data: • While 21 percent of students feel dissatisfied about the transparency the Office of Student Services, SGA and XAB provide about how musical artists and special
have to have,” Byrd said. As a Catholic institution, Byrd said it’s important to note that vulgarity stands against its Catholic tradition and ethics, so artists must accommodate the university’s protocols.
by Kendall Lawson Staff Writer
The university encourages students to suggest musical talents for campus events. Joseph Byrd, vice president of student services, explains that students are a key part in finding artists. “We don’t tell them whom we can invite. I think it wouldn’t be fair to the student body if we selected the artists and said, “This is who you
“We are not a party school, and I respect that. I enjoy many of our events, but I wish we had more activities in the evening.”
XAB and other campus organizations want more student participation in
“Greek life here is nothing like other HBCU’s. There is nothing to do on this campus past 7 p.m. maybe 9 if we are lucky”
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Does the office of Student Services, SGA, and XAB provide transparency in how music artists and activities are selected?
making decisions about their on-campus activities. With SpringFest around the corner, there will be several opportunities for students to be active and voice their opinion. “Sometimes we have this mindset, that it won’t be fun because of this and that instead of just going and
seeing what it’s about,” Tracy Haddock, XAB’s secretary, said. She predicted that response to the student survey and others will result in a “… change for the better in due time because we can already see changes happening all around the university.”
“They aren’t fun a lot of the times. It’s mainly loud music, “here’s some food/snacks!” and most people just go on with what their doing. I feel like if things like that are going to be done, it needs to be stepped up. They aren’t exciting. Waste of money.”