As the first day of the 2010–2011 Sinclair Community College academic year started, many students were greeted with snacks, information, pens, student newspapers, coupons, and friendly faces to help them with any of their questions, according to Scott Markland, senior director of Student and Academic Support Services.
“We planned and hosted the event (Welcome Back Week) because we want students to be successful. And we are demonstrating that Sinclair is made up of helpful and caring professionals who are serious about learning and support, but do so with a good dose of fun,” Markland said. “Studies show that students who feel welcome at college and/ or get engaged or involved in campus from early on are more satisfied with college and persist toward their educational goals.”
More than 185 volunteers came out from almost every division from the campus to pass out 14,560 packages of Oreos, 4,500 scroll pens and 500 “Word to Your Mother” reusable shopping bags, according to an email from Allison Rhea, project director of Semester Transition.
The Skunk Squad and Student Leadership Association hosted the three day event which included a “Welcome Carnival,” that featured a inflatable obstacle course, basketball, free pictures and much more, according to Rhea.
It was started to help students with the stress of the first couple days of school, navigate their way around campus and deal with the parking problems, Rhea said.
“We put those things together and said ‘we need to get information out to students, we need them to feel good here and this is going to be a chaotic day or days, but we can’t expect them to come to an event. So how do we do this?’ And that’s how the whole concept was born of going to the student,” Rhea said. “If we meet them where they are, then it’s kind of having an event. Every time you talk to a student it’s like a mini event, but it’s on their time not on our time.”
Both years the event has went well, but it’s not the only thing the Skunk Squad has been successful at putting together, Rhea said.
Who is the Skunk Squad?
The idea to start the group came about in 2007 when the college was trying to come up with an idea to inform students in the many changes in the admissions department. Among the changes were an earlier registration date, payment deadlines and modification to financial aid, according to Rhea.
“We created strategic plans to really just identify a group of people that we could take away from their regular jobs, take them out of the race for two hours every two weeks or something like that, and tell them that the sky was the limit,” Rhea said. “Nothing couldn’t be done, there were no limits whatsoever and just see what they could come up with. Part of any college, but particularly any community college, is the constant desire to improve and do things not just better but in a different way.”
The product was an event called “The Revolution,” that got students attention by putting graffiti stickers and spray painted bed sheets up around campus that said “The Revolution is Coming,” along with a website for them to seek out. They also got permission from PepsiCo to use their Mountain Dew “Revolution” soda as their official drink, which was passed out to students, among other things.
The precedence for the group came from Lockheed Martin, a global security company that designs airplanes, which took a group of different engineers, threw them in a building and asked them to be as creative as possible with developing a jet fighter, in secrecy. There the name and trademark, Skunk Works was born. You can read more information about the group at www.lockheedmartin.com.
“A lot of times in an organization, even this big, you go to meetings and it’s all the same people,” Rhea said. “So we wanted a completely different group of people in hopes that we might get something different.”
Rhea believes that taking people who don’t have a natural voice in decision making helps bring out creative and innovative ideas that might not have been thought of before.
“Some of the best people we have had on the skunk squad have been in the facilities department,” Rhea said. “They interact with students all the time and see things all the time but nobody thinks to go and ask them ‘what do you think we could do to improve a students experience at Sinclair.’”
All members of the squad were asked by Rhea to remain anonymous, but she said they are working hard for new and exciting ideas this year including a “No fridge left begind” campaign.
“(The squad) is supposed to be a secret,” Rhea said. “Honestly people know who some of the people are because they are the ones that put together the events and things like that, but it’s more just for the mystique than anything else.”
SERVICE BOX
What did you think of “Welcome Back Week?”
The Skunk Squad would like your suggestions, ideas and experience so they can continue to evolve and influence the campus environment with events like this one. To share any feedback please email Allison Rhea at allison.rhea@sinclair.edu.