Bronco Welcome The New Table Rock Cafe EBI Customer Satisfaction Survey Advisor Profile: Dr. Peter Lutze Advisor Profile: Dr. Jim Smith

When it comes to getting off on a good start, students at Boise State University can have it all by participating in Bronco Welcome. This year's event officially begins August 16. The "gear-up-and-get-going" campaign is sponsored by everyone from Health, Wellness and Counseling and The Bookstore to Student Housing and of course, the Student Union.

The purpose behind Bronco Welcome is to provide information, programs and opportunities to assist students in making a smooth and friendly transition into college life, to help foster a sense of belonging in their new surroundings and support them academically.

According to Autumn Haynes, Student Activities Program Coordinator, this year's celebration for kicking off the fall semester is better than ever before. "Research tells us that the first six weeks are critical to the success of the new college student," she says. "This year the Welcome Week committee has extended the traditional weeklong program into a celebration that extends into six weeks and beyond, offering a truly unique Bronco experience, hence the name change to Bronco Welcome."

Haynes says Welcome Week has always proved successful for transitioning new students, but that after the first week of classes, the welcome runs out. "This year our aim is to keep the momentum going throughout the entire transition stage, so all students are Bronco oriented by the time Homecoming Week arrives."

There's plenty happening just in the first week: free BBQ, games and karaoke at Ann Morrison Park, Move-In Madness with a free concert, movie and ice-cream social. Even the weekends are loaded - bicycle tours, tubing the Boise River, Frisbee golf, and "getting to know ya" meetings in the Residence Halls.

The second week keeps the energy going during classes with Information Tables spread from one end of campus to the other, a magic show at the Special Events Center Wednesday evening, and a concert on the Student Union patio. But it doesn't stop there. A multi-cultural student reception and the Up-All-Night party at the SUB offers more opportunities to meet people, enjoy more food, listen to music and play games (bowling for just one dollar).

A highlight of all the festivities will be the Welcome Back BBQ and Faculty Meet-and-Greet sponsored by Orientation and Academic Support. On Monday, August 30, between 11am and 1pm, everyone is invited to the Quad for the free lunch.

Study and test-taking skills, eating healthy, drinking responsibly, and time management are some of the workshops available to help students in their pursuit of social and academic success. There are more barbecues, student organization fairs, entertainment, rallies, games . . . it's enough to take your breath away, enough to make you settle in and focus on studying because you can't take it anymore. And isn't that what it's all about?

What a great beginning.

For more information call 426-1679 or visit orientation.boisestate.edu.

It seems like things are always changing at the Student Union. They just keep getting better — a new Student Organizational Complex and Cultural Center, for example, and a complete facelift last year in the downstairs dining area. For this fall, the campus community will be able to enjoy the newly remodeled Table Rock Café, a full-service restaurant on the second floor. It has a "brighter, fresher look," and a more efficient design.

The student-driven renovation materialized because of the collaboration between the Student Union, Aramark Food Service, and Student Housing. Final decisions were based on feedback by a student housing committee and Resident Assistants, and the inspiration for the design came from the need to increase seating capacity upon completion of the new Residence Halls.

"We expect a higher number of students participating in our board plan," explains Jack Rahmann, Associate Director of the Student Union. "We've also noticed a trend in a higher number of visitors. A row of booths down the middle of the dining room will provide 32 additional seats, while a café counter along the windows will provide an additional 24 seats for singles."

The new look at Table Rock means more than just rearranging furniture—it's an economically-minded project. No need to start from scratch. "What's worn out will be replaced," says Rahmann, "but there’s nothing wrong with the tables, and the carpet is only four years old . . . they're contemporary and in good condition."

In the new-meets-old style, light maple wood chairs contrast sharply with dark blue tables, and a soft palette of terra cotta, yellow, and off white, complement the multi-colored carpet, for an overall, well-coordinated scheme. Live plants help add a finishing touch throughout, and in the kitchen-serving area, new tray rails and counter panels have been replaced.

But it's not all about appearances either. A new "market concept" is also in store for diners. You'll find the ice cream center and the salad bar in separate locations from the plates and silverware. "The idea is to disperse the crowd," says Rahmann. "We can get people through more quickly and more efficiently. It'll reduce the lines... improve customer service."

So, when you finally take a break in your busy schedule, take a look at the new Table Rock Café. No waiting in line and plenty of room with a view.

[ Back to top ]

For the second year in a row, the Student Union administered a customer satisfaction survey that is produced by the Association of College Unions International and Educational Benchmarking, Inc. (ACUI/EBI). After the web-based survey was distributed to 2,255 randomly selected students, 644 students completed it, a response of 29%. Altogether, 53 College Unions throughout the country participated.

Compared to the 2003 survey, students' perceptions of the programs, services and facilities of the Student Union have improved (3.79 in 2003 to 4.41 in 2004 on a 1-7 scale). The remodel of the dining room, the increased variety and price reductions at the Fresh Express Convenience Store, and the inclusion of Southern Tsunami Sushi and Tortilla Fresca have resulted in greater satisfaction with food, quality, price, dining atmosphere and cleanliness.

According to Leah Barrett, Director of Student Union and Student Involvement, the overall perception of dining services revealed by the survey, which also included questions about seating availability and customer service, shows improvement, but only slightly (5.03 in 2003 to 5.15 in 2004). Barrett says, "Comparing these ratings to the mean for other institutions participating in the survey, our institution's mean was higher. These improvements were found to be statistically significant and the staff is very pleased that the improvements created the intended results. The survey also provided important data about marketing programs, services and facilities. Although our scores in this area remained constant, when compared to the other participating institutions, our means are statistically lower than theirs."

The development of a new "visual identity" for the Student Union is one initiative to improve the students' perceptions. At a glance, the ubiquitous new logo immediately identifies the Student Union, the place recognized as the center for campus life. "The phrase 'SUB' is used by students to refer to the Student Union Building," explains Barrett. "The acronym was transformed into a more contemporary design that can now be found on all services and publications of the department." Other strategies to increase positive perceptions and achieve satisfaction with activities and services include an improvement of the University Events Calendar, formerly known as the Guide to Entertainment, and the installation of more display cases and bulletin boards across campus. "These changes will hopefully improve our ability to successfully promote and market the programs of the department," she says.

The survey demonstrated reasons to celebrate, but as Barrett points out, there is still need for improvement. "Students' perceptions of facility cleanliness are excellent, nearing a rating of 6.0. Students feel strongly that the SUB is a safe place . . . student-oriented, and an enjoyable place to spend time . . . and the survey reinforced satisfaction with the laptop checkout program and the services provided by the Information Desk, but the survey also emphasized some areas that we know from previous surveys and customer feedback that need attention, specifically dissatisfaction with bookstore and food service prices. These are challenging perceptions to overcome and are experienced by all institutions . . . increased attention to variety and market comparisons are important tools to ensure our pricing is at market."

The ACUI/EBI survey results give the Student Union leadership team important information so they can develop initiatives and improve programs and services for everyone. A summary of the survey results can be found at union.boisestate.edu/about/index.html and the complete data can be reviewed in the Student Union Director's Office on the 2nd floor of the SUB.

[ Back to top ]

Sunlight falls through the window and spills over Peter Lutze as he previews a video in preparation for his summer class. Books about editing film, directing documentaries, video production, cinema studies, and cultural criticism fill the shelves of his office over at the Department of Communication.

When he arrived at Boise State in 1990, with a background in teaching filmmaking, he wasted no time in getting involved with "a group of kids interested in making television" and became their advisor. After helping the club, now known as Dead Eight Productions, acquire equipment like a 16mm camera and a flatbed editor, students have gone on to produce award-winning projects.

Lutze takes his role as advisor seriously. "Clubs are ways for students to develop friendships and relationships with the university," he says. "You get to know the kids better in informal ways . . . they're figuring out who they are and what they want to do with their lives. It's important to support them . . . for them to have one foot in the classroom and one foot in the real world." He explains that for students heading to film school, Dead Eight Productions can help pave the way. "They get to go to events like the Sundance Film Festival and meet directors. It gets them fired up. It lets them know they can do it, too."

According to Lutze, clubs offer more than real-world experience. They help "humanize the institution." "We don't talk to people anymore. It's the new rule . . . we register for class on computers, we talk by phone . .. we don't see anyone's face. That's what I like about the Student Union and Student Affairs. They're advocates for students."

Troy Shreve, a 2003 graduate now on staff with University Television Production, says Lutze is always there for his students. "Outside the university as well, Pete makes himself available to attend BBQ's and special gatherings. He's thought of more as a friend than a professor."

Lutze was also instrumental in getting Treasure Valley Public Access Television (TVTV) up and running, another opportunity to give students hands-on experience. From 1997 to 2003, he served as Chairman of the Board and has continued to pursue the quest of "turning couch potatoes into video makers" ever since.

He earned his bachelors in German from Valparaiso University, his M. F. A. in Filmmaking from Brandeis University, and a Juris Doctorate and Ph.D in Cinema Studies from the University of Wisconsin.

[ Back to top ]

If you walk into Dr. Jim Smith's lab over at the Science-Nursing building, you might hear discussions about DNA, notice the beakers and centrifuges, and the bio-hazard warnings. As a professor of biology at Boise State, he teaches botany, organic evolution, population genetics, species and speciation, and something called "bioinformatics."

But his job sometimes reaches far beyond classrooms and laboratories. He roams deserts and hikes rocky terrain in search of plants he can press between newspapers for mounting and storage. As director of the Snake River Plains Herbarium at Boise State, he maintains an enormous collection of dead plants.

Since Smith's arrival at Boise State in 1991, the Herbarium, or "museum" of native plants has grown from 6,000 specimens to almost 26,000 specimens, and through collections of faculty and students, as well as university exchange programs, it's still growing. Focusing primarily on plants of southwest Idaho, inventory also includes specimens from throughout Idaho and the surrounding states. Such a collection is valuable, according to Smith, for research and reference purposes. It's a library of information.

When he's not in the classroom, the lab, or in the fields, Smith is also faculty advisor for the organization BGLAD (Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian Alliance for Diversity). After learning the organization was without an advisor, he took on the position. "I was volunteering for another group . . . saw them and walked over and started helping . . . and offered to be their advisor because no one was doing it at the time."

As advisor he gives moral support and guidance. "The students organize themselves," he says. "They make their own decisions and help spread the message of diversity." BGLAD reaches out to the community in many ways. They meet one night a month at the Community Center, for example, and raise funds to help protect wild lands. Smith says, "Bisexual, Gay, and Lesbian students need a place on campus where they can feel safe . . . and their presence is an awareness to all other students who don't fit into that category."

Smith is also a board member of Your Friends, Family, and Neighbors (YFFN), an organization that promotes human rights and encourages understanding and respect for differences in sexual orientation and gender identity. He earned his bachelors at Cornell University and his Ph.D at the University of Wisconsin. His many articles have appeared in publications such as the American Journal of Botany, The Edinburgh Journal of Botany, and The Gloxinian.

[ Back to top ] [ Back to Newsletters ]