Student Activities & Multicultural Student Affairs
Strategic Plan
Mission Statement | Departmental Highlights | Departmental Challenges | Departmental Goals
MISSION STATEMENT
The Student Activities and Multicultural Student Affairs (SAMSA) mission is to advise students in their development through educational, cultural, and fun co-curricular experiences.
2010-11 DEPARTMENTAL HIGHLIGHTS
2010-11 was an exciting year for SAMSA. We continued our plans to improve our physical space, and launched several new initiatives designed to facilitate student involvement. Specifically, we accomplished the following goals:
- Launched new initiatives related to student organization involvement including Club Hub, a weekly tabling at the flagpole, the Lunch Bunch, a monthly organization training roundtable, the SAMSA President's Guide, the SAMSA Source newsletter, and the SAMSA President's meeting.
- Enhanced SMU compliance with Texas State Law SB1138 through addition of Sport Club focused MOM sessions.
- Annexed Relay for Life as a SAMSA advised organization giving them a departmental home and professional advisement.
- Hosted a highly successful former multicultural student leader reception in partnership with Development & External Affairs during Homecoming.
- Student Foundation and Program Council hosted traditional events including Family Weekend, Homecoming, Sing Song and Celebration of Lights.
- Produced the SMU celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Week, Latin@ Heritage, Black History and Asian Heritage Months.
- Piloted a multicultural reception on day 2 of AARO to welcome and assist in the transition of multicultural students and parents.
- Piloted a SAMSA Tent on the Boulevard as a multicultural student hub.
- Moved several processes to departments better suited to managing them: Use of Campus Grounds to Facilities Management and Coke Requests to the Hughes-Trigg Student Center.
DEPARTMENTAL CHALLENGES
- Student organizations continue to struggle with leadership selection, training and transition.
- We share a suite with Fraternity & Sorority Life. Both offices would benefit with the addition of a full-time receptionist in the outer suite.
- Continue to improve planning and production of departmental multicultural programs.
DEPARTMENTAL GOALS
Student Success
- Enhance training for student organizations and provide additional resources in the areas of event planning, leadership development and organization operations.
- Improve planning and production of departmental programs in the multicultural areas i.e. CONNECT Mentor program and SAMSA Multicultural Preview.
- Enhance outreach to incoming students to facilitate involvement in student organizations.
Student Learning
- Continue to encourage language change to Coordinators of Multicultural Student Services.
- Create opportunities for student learning in the areas of multiculturalism and differences. Consider a diversity course
Exemplary Division of Student Affairs
- Establish partnership with new staff in Enrollment Services to assist in recruitment of ethnic minority students and with the Director of Retention to retain those students.
- Improve awareness and visibility of cultural celebration months/weeks.
- Enhance departmental assessment.