`Queenie: Introduction/Background

Percentages of students from small towns, that arent exposed to diversity

Percentage of retention rate: 69%, partially blamed due to rapid growth of
campus
Bible belt influence
Background of students

Background (Why is this topic important?)

UTC Demographics as of 2016:

-Male: 4,554
-Female: 5,896
-White: 7,846
-African American: 1,126
-Asian: 220
-Hispanic: 362
-American Indian: 23

Incoming Freshman 2016:

2016: 5,970 students admitted; 2,077 enrolled

One year retention rates:

Fall 2016: 74% of freshman students were returning

UTC is a university that recognizes diversity. No matter what gender, race, or identity one
presumes, they are accepted. We would like to express the importance of this idea during the
honors college orientation. The demographics above show the basic differences between UTC
students as a whole. With these findings, my group and I have decided to think a little deeper. It
is important that we, as a community, recognize not only the big differences but the small ones
as well. Why is all this important? With the rise of incoming freshman, it is essential for them to
know how diversity can make you successful from just simply having an open mind. Getting
involved into whatever you love/desire makes you different, so wed like to shed light on some of
the campus resources; such as, the Multicultural Center, Womens Center, Advocacy initiative,
SPECTRUM, etc. that can give one a unique perspective of life on campus. We believe
students should feel safe with who they are, and finding the right campus resource to confide in
can help create a safe-haven for new and current students. We want our community to know
that being different is okay.

Sources: https://www.utc.edu/planning-evaluation-institutional-research/pdfs/factbook/spring-
demographics-2016.pdf
https://www.utc.edu/planning-evaluation-institutional-research/pdfs/factbook/freshmen-app-adm-
enrol-07-16.pdf
https://www.utc.edu/planning-evaluation-institutional-research/pdfs/factbook/retention-freshmen-
07-16.pdf
TriDereka: Icebreaker
https://youtu.be/jD8tjhVO1Tc

The Icebreaker:
During the orientation, our section of the project will begin with a short video and a
icebreaker that will be based off of the video that was watched. In the video, the people are
forced to see how similar they may be, even though they appear to be completely different
people on the surface. The goal of the icebreaker is to make students realize that although they
look different, they share similarities in their lives.
In the icebreaker, we will divide the students up by gender and have them stand on
opposite sides of the room or space. They will be questions ranging from, Have you ever been
to a baseball game before. to Have you ever believed you have been discriminated against
because of your gender, race, beliefs, etc? If the students from either side agree with the
statement they will step in the middle. There will be approximately 13 questions asked for the
icebreaker, and be given follow up questions about how they felt about the icebreaker.

Sara: Resources summary

Office of Multicultural Affairs, Room 352 University Center

Aim: to enhance the academic, social, personal, and professional development of all students
through programming, support and activities

Hours of Operation:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 8:00am- 5:00pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 8:00 am-10:00pm

Counseling and Personal Development Center, Room 338 University Center

Aim: Offers counseling to better help students during their time at the university. Among the
services provided is individual and group counseling and referrals for future treatments that are
not available at the university.

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday: 9:00am-5:00pm
Counselor on-call 24/7 (423-425-4357)

Spectrum, Student Organization

Aim: Spectrum is UTC's LGBTQQIA organization and is both an activist and social group. They
meet every Wednesday throughout the semester at 8PM in the Ocoee Room, which is located on
the third floor of the University Center.
Womens Center

Aim: committed to creating a community of diverse and empowered students through the
following core values: awareness, activism/advocacy, collaboration, leadership, and community

Hours of Operation:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 8:00am-5:00pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 8:00am-10:00pm

Disability Resource Center, Room 108 University Center

Aim: The DRC staff will establish an opportunity for the student and DRC staff to engage in an
interactive process to determine eligibility for services and reasonable accommodations, as
needed.

Mallory: Orientation goal

Our goal for orientation is to teach students how to respect each others differences.
Most of the incoming freshmen are from small towns in Tennessee, and have not been exposed
to a lot of diversity. Therefore, when they come to college it is a whole new world to them. UTC
is a diverse campus, therefore it is important to teach incoming freshman about diversity.
Another goal of ours for orientation is to teach the freshmen about the many resources our
campus offers, such as SPECTRUM, the Multicultural center, the Womens center, and
Counseling services. We will be handing out brochures detailing each of these centers and the
services they provide.