Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
ENG 3020
Due: 4/14/17
Problem Statement
Pablo Picasso, one of the most revolutionary painters in history, once said that Every
child is an artist. Though this quote is decades old, it still resonates with people today,
especially those that are a part of Art Road Nonprofit. The Art Road strives to provide children
living in Detroit and throughout southeastern Michigan with access to art instruction
(artroadnonproft.org). This organization gives children, who are often living in desperate home
conditions and face education in a failing school system, a chance to express themselves. Art is
an inexplicably important aspect of education. It can help impoverished children relay their
feelings and emotions in a healthy and positive manner. According to the National Assembly of
State Arts Agencies, Students who participate in arts learning experiences often improve their
achievement in other realms of learning and life (Ruppert, 8). The free art classes that Art Road
provides, both in schools and in summer camps, act as safe spaces for children to explore
themselves and their life through a creative outlet (artroadnonprofit.org). Some children may
even serendipitously find hidden talents or passions through this organization. Educators and
administration staff that the organization works with acknowledge the importance of this
organization. Patricia Wilkins, a teacher at Edison Elementary, reveals the intimately personal
effect that The Art Road has on the well-being of her students by sharing a personal experience.
She stated, "As a Detroit school teacher, I am very impressed with and grateful for the Art Road
program. In my class of 23 second-graders, many find that success comes with much difficulty in
academic areas. Through close observation in the art classes, it became obvious that some have
developmental issues that reach beyond their academics. Many of these students were able to
womans experience one can see that the Art Road can have an instant impact on the lives of
As a group we felt passionate about Art Road and believed in the organizations message.
So, we began looking into how we can best help serve this organization. A lot of thought has
gone through our minds in regards to how we can benefit Art Road Nonprofit. To fully
understand how to help this nonprofit, it is essential that we educate ourselves. All three of us
have been extensively studying the arts in education and the most efficient ways to educate these
programs. We have been relying heavily on the abundance of resources provided by the Wayne
State University library system. Additionally, we have been working directly with the
co-founders, instructors, and fellow volunteers at Art Road to formulate a project that will most
greatly benefit the organization. It is crucial for us to be in contact with program officials
because they have the greatest understanding of Art Roads needs. After talking with the
organization members previously stated, it was found that they all agreed on two basic elements
to be improved.. The first of these was a greater need for funds. When talking to Xiaochen Huo,
also known as Ms. Chen, an Art Road instructor, she stated that it is difficult to branch out and
do more exciting projects because there isnt enough money to buy different mediums like oil
paint, canvases, or clay (Huo). Additionally, it was found that there is also a greater need for
volunteer recruitment (C. Hofgartner, S. Hofgartner). Volunteers are critical in the classroom
considering classes involve a large number of children working with messy supplies under the
supervision of only one instructor. Building on that, the volunteers are great role models for the
students. According to Ms. Chen, They [the children] really feel happy when there are people
To help us focus our efforts toward effectively helping Art Road we formulated several
guiding questions and a main research question. Some guiding questions include:What makes a
student organization successful? How can a student organization at Wayne State benefit Art
Road? Also, how can we gain community support and a base of interest in the organization?
However our main overarching research question is: In what ways can a student organization
After a great deal of contemplation, we have come to a consensus for our research
proposal. Collectively, the group has decided to establish a student led chapter of Art Road at
Wayne State University. A student organization would be able to reach out specifically to WSU
students to participate in the group. This would significantly increase the number of both people
able to make an impact on Art Road during our time at the university and beyond after we
graduate. In order to not only establish this student organization, but also sustain the group, it is
critical that we as a group are educated on both how to create a successful student group and
Literature Review
"Organizations." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited by David L.
Sills, vol. 11, Macmillan, 1968, pp. 297-343. Gale Virtual Reference Library,
go.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=lom_waynesu&v=2
.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX3045000894&asid=e11bf572fdb697f5c68c1fbee5739db3.
This article provides rich information about the history of social organizations and the
theoretical meaning behind this abstract topic.It begins with an extensive explanation of Webers
theory of bureaucracy. His theory says there are specific issues that arise when social institutions
are challenged or when people begin to call for change to an established social organization.
("Organizations"). This relates to the research question because the student organization for Art
Road is working towards helping bring change to a structural issue, the lack of art classes in
DPS. This goal, Weber says, is very challenging.The article also discusses what the different
types of goals of an organization are or can be. Specifically the article discusses goals as societal
functions. This is type of goals that many non-profit student organizations have. At the most
abstract level the goal of an organization ...is expressed in terms of its function for society.
("Organizations"). Essentially this means the goal of an organization is usually defined by what
it can do for society. The function for society, in the case of Art Road Student Organization, is to
bring bring awareness to the lack of art in DPS and to bring art back to Detroit classrooms.
This article details the analysis of a number of studies conducted on the topic of
(Montelongo). This information can be useful when trying to attract new members to the new
student organization. The article also mentions additional benefits that are gained when joining a
student organization at a college or university. For example one benefit it specifies is that
participation in these kinds of student organizations creates a deeper involvement in the college
experience (Montelongo). Since it is proven in the study that by joining a student organization
students are more deeply immersed in college life and culture, there is an incentive to grow Art
Road in order to optimize on the benefits it holds for all members. However according to the
article, a student organization does not only benefit the students who become members, it also
benefits the campus and community as a whole (Montelongo). College student organizations
help raise collective campus and community participation and even improve academic
achievement. All of the benefits of joining a student organization that are highlighted in the
article are sure to be of use to the research project. Sharing the information of this data analysis
is sure to attract many eager members to the new student organization for Art Road who wish to
reap the benefits of joining a student organization and also benefiting the community around
them.
of core competencies" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 192.N.p., n.d. Web.
11 Apr. 2017.
This is a study that observes how higher education has an important effect on the
formation of critical skills that are necessary for a student academic success. Also it specifically
describes the integral the role that student organizations play in reinforcing and
improving student performance. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate students
involved in student organizations to those not involved (Ebede). The study goes into detail
surrounding the differences between university students who are involved in student
organizations, and those who are not. The impact of student organizations, on the development
of basic skills, was measured by utilizing a survey designed by Derek Bok. The skills that are
encompassed in the survey are the ability to communicate effectively, the ability to think
critically, having a strong character, being prepared to be a global citizen, embracing diversity,
discovering new interests, preparing for a career, and discovering new hobbies (Ebede). The
results were not statistically significant enough to prove being in a student organization is
directly correlated to these traits. however , being a leader rather than just a member of a student
organization did have statistically significant differences. The leaders of student organizations
often were found to have more of these characteristics than the members or non-members.
(Ebede). This provides an extra added incentive to create an organization with longevity. Since
leaders of organizations seem to have higher percentages in these basic life skills, it provides
motivation to be positive and powerful leaders in the Art Road student organization.
Johnson, Terre. Encore! Advocating for the Arts in Education. The Choral Journal, vol.
This article includes the opinions of two experts on advocating for the arts in education,
Terry Taylor and Terre Johnson. Though the article focuses on music education, the primary
purpose of it is to report on Terry Taylor, a man that started his own organization to advocate for
the arts in primary school. The source follows how Taylor gained interest in supporting the arts
in education and goes onto further discuss how he built his organization, called Encore. Some of
the most critical information that can be absorbed from this source includes how to gain a
volunteer base. Taylor discussed how he obtained volunteers for his music program through
special groups in the community. He stated that My colleagues at area churches pitched the idea
to their choirs, and we received a lot of volunteers from the church choirs in the area (Taylor,
4). This is incredibly helpful because it highlights the importance of reaching out to people that
already have potential interest in the cause you are advocating for. In regards to a student
organization for Art Road, it would be useful to take a similar approach to Taylor. For instance,
Art Road WSU could reach out to students with a major in the arts or in education. Likewise, it
would be helpful to gain attention from members involved in tutoring clubs or art clubs already
established on campus.
Northern Michigan University outlined phenomenal tips in this source for developing and
sustaining a successful student organization. This source is amazing because it lists the tips for
students in an easy to follow video. The first portion of the video focused on student organization
development. One of the most significant pieces of development advice given was to Have a
clear mission that is understood by members and those external to the organization (nmu.edu).
The key takeaway from this point is that the mission needs to be concise enough to be
understood by both members of the group and outsiders alike. This is particularly important for
Art Road at WSU because in order to build the student organization, there must be members
attracted to the group. If people are confused by the mission of Art Road, they will be far less
likely to participate in the student organization. Thus, without a clear mission statement, an Art
Road WSU organization would essentially be doomed to fail before it even started. Additionally,
the source states a student organization must Set a few meaningful goals annually that members
agree upon and, when accomplished, will move the organization forward (nmu.org). This is a
critical point to address if Art Road at WSU is to be successful. By following this tip, members
are in agreement with each other and avoid tension. Additionally, it allows members to be on the
same page. This would alleviate confusion amongst the group and in turn make the process of
accomplishing set goals much more smooth.Another aspect to focus on is making sure the goals
move the organization forward. Each event and goal set should be meditated and carefully
considered. Specifically it is critical to address how the goal will in practice benefit Art Road and
One of the most important sources obtained for this research project is an interview that
was conducted with an Art Road instructor. Her name is Xiaochen Huo, also known as Ms. Chen
by her students. The main purpose of this interview was to gauge exactly what the needs of Art
Road are by getting opinions from someone that works closely within the organization.
Similarly, this source addresses the importance of Art Road in the Detroit community and among
the students of DPS. When prompted, Chen discussed the impact of Art Road on her students.
One of the most significant impacts was on the students behavior. She mentioned that the
students have become much more encouraging towards their peers, more optimistic towards their
own work, and also more eager to learn. According to Chen, "Many of them at the beginning of
this year, aren't confident and say 'I don't know how to do this, I can't". She then went on to
discuss the attitude shift among the students due to the positive influence of the arts on their
educational experience. There are countless lessons to take away from this interview that can be
applied to starting a student organization at Wayne State for Art Road. This interview would
establish a credibility for the student Art Road group by calling upon the testimony of someone
who is experienced in the nonprofit. This interview could be referenced to in order to affirm the
Methodology
An effective way to gauge members who are interested in joining our student
organization is to conduct a survey. According to The Fiber Optic Association, online surveys
are effective because they have relatively low costs, they are convenient for respondents, their
design is flexible and they are easily accessible and sharable (foa.org). Upon taking the survey
students evaluated whether they were interested in joining our student organization. The survey
began with a few questions regarding their interest in joining a student organization and what
they expect from joining. Some of these questions may have included:
What kind of member do you see yourself being in Art Road Student Organization?
Next, we asked questions that gauge students interest in the organizations mission, which is to
bring at back to Detroit Public Schools. Some examples of the types of questions asked are:
Do you feel art is an important part of a students education?
Would you be willing to work toward raising awareness for the organization?
The questions were designed to help us get a sense of peoples interest in the student
organization and also helped inform us of which students are willing to volunteer and if so, in
what capacity. This information will help us reach out to students and gain volunteers and
Another goal of our student organization is to prove our group as credible organization in
order to our establish our cause as worthy of pursuing. One way to achieve this is to spread
awareness and bring attention to the issue of the arts in education. According to the NEA,
High-arts, low-SES (socioeconomic) students in the eighth grade were more likely to have
planned to earn a bachelor's degree ,74 percent, than were all students ,71 percent, or low-arts,
low-SES (socioeconomic) students. Yet several schools decide to eliminate art classes form
their curriculums due to lack of funding. Art Road Nonprofit's mission is to provide children
throughout southeastern Michigan access to art instruction. That is why we decided to create an
information booth and present statistics about the importance of art in classrooms. This provided
an excellent platform to raise awareness to our issue. We created an informational poster and set
up a mini-information booth where people could learn more about Art Road and can sign up for
email updates about our student organization. By bringing to light the importance of the arts in
education, we established our issue as a worthy cause to work for. This not only portrayed our
organization as credible but it also established the need for Art Road in the community. To add,
funds is a very complex matter and there are a number of factors to consider before coordinating
an event. According to the Fundraising Authority, one of the most important aspects of planning
Fundraising Event). In our case, we were reaching out to fellow students at Wayne State
University. Specifically, we wanted to try to reach out to people that would be willing to donate
either their money or time to Art Road. While the Art Road Nonprofit student organization is
getting on its feet, collectively, we felt that it was best to start small. For this very reason, we
planned on initially raising money through organizing a bake sale. We planned to hold this bake
sale in one of the State Hall. We imagined this event would be particularly beneficial to our
organization because we would be able to connect with so many people. It served two purposes,
the first being that we were able to gain some funds from the community. The second purpose,
which is equally important, is we raised awareness on Art Roads Mission. The bake sale table
also doubled as the information table. By doing this, we were able to optimize the situation and
gain support while simultaneously raising money for Art Road Nonprofit. The process of this
consisted of going to the dean of students and inquiring about the process of planning a small
The development of our project to found an Art Road student organization at Wayne
State was arguably the most influential process we underwent during this project. To begin, we
had to identify the precise needs of Art Road. In order to do this, we had to discuss the matter
with the co-founders, instructors, and fellow volunteers of Art Road Nonprofit. We
communicated through a variety of ways, including live interviews and communication, e-mail,
text, and phone call. To start off, we began asking the people in Art Road closest to us, including
fellow volunteers and the instructors, what exactly we can do to help. As previously stated, all
those we spoke with described that Art Road needs greater support in fundraising and volunteer
outreach. Once we were informed of this, we had to ask ourselves a variety of questions. How
can we take these needs and translate them into a research project? What can we do to make our
project as meaningful as possible to all people involved in Art Road? As a group, we discussed
what we can do and realized that we have a multitude resources available to us as students at
Wayne State University. It is after this epiphany that we thought of founding a student
organization at WSU. By making a chapter of Art Road at the university, we could involve
ourselves in recruitment events held on campus. In turn, these university-led events would bring
in students that want to participate in fundraising, volunteering, or both. After talking with
volunteers and instructors, we brought forth our ideas to the co-founders of Art Road, Stephen
and Carol Hofgartner. In mid-March, we discussed our proposal with the Hofgartners. They
agreed that a student organization at WSU would significantly benefit art road, specifically with
volunteer recruitment and fundraising. They were both incredibly supportive and granted us
detailed application process. To register a new student organization, there must be a minimum of
three full time WSU students that show interest in being involved in the group. That is
essentially the only requirement to apply. The application itself was very long and particularly
tedious and asked a number of questions such as How will your student org. conduct meetings
and How will you elect board members to this org?. After submitting the application, there
was a considerable wait time involved. Gaining approval for a student org is, according to the
Dean of Students Services, only supposed to take approximately 3-5 business days. However, we
On the morning of Tuesday, March 21st, 2017, we were officially dedicated by the Dean
of Student Services as a Wayne State student organization. Our group decided to stay simple at
name the student organization Art Road WSU to pay tribute to the original Art Road
Nonprofit. Since then, we have gained 2 new members and only expect that number to grow
Additionally, we have also gone forward in planning for our information and bake sale
table. This process was not quite as complicated as establishing Art Road WSU. However, it was
still undeniably tedious and involved a fair amount of paperwork and registration. To begin, the
registration forms to rent out the table where we would have our bake-sale were in the basement
of the Student Center on campus in the Campus Information and Service Center. Initially, we
had to state our intentions of renting a table for a bake-sale at a campus location. The front desk
staff was very familiar with this process so it made the whole ordeal very efficient. Due to the
fact that Art Road WSU has never requested to rent a table on campus, we had to go through a
registration process. Now that we have that completed, we will be covered to have a bake-sale or
rent a table without having to go through that same registration process again. The form was
fairly simple and involved mostly reading required protocol and signing to confirm that the
organizations members understand that they must be in compliance with set standards and
regulations. Another form that we were required to fill out is titled The Temporary Food Sale
Permit For Bake-sales. On this document, we are required to give contact information for our
organization and include where the sale will be located. Additionally, it is necessary to list all
food items that we plan on selling at the sale. After the bake-sale, we must return the form to the
front desk of the Campus Information and Service Center. This document is required at every
bake-sale or event where food will be sold so this is the first of many times we will be filling out
this form.
We were processed successfully and have the bake-sale and information table date
currently set for April 12th, 2017. The event will be held at State Hall, a building on Wayne
States Campus, from 3:30 in the afternoon until 6:30 in the afternoon.
In order to make the table double as both a bake-sale and information booth, it is
extremely important to include visual aids. To help us with this, we created a poster board
display to aid our cause and attract interest from people that passed by. The main purpose of the
visual aid was to give a background on the purpose of Art Road. We included a short summary
of what the organization does and also its tagline Bring Art Class Back to Schools
(artroadnonprofit.org). When making this board, we kept in mind the power of emotion and logic
together. Pictures of the children holding their artwork and smiling or making silly faces were
added to the board to let viewers see how Art Road positively affects the students. Adding on, it
was crucial to include statistics so that those who saw the board could see how the arts are shown
to drastically improve the performance of students in their classes. We also included a personal
statement from the organizations website that describes the benefits they have seen. As reported
on the poster board, There are benefits for all children with Art Road classes: increased interest
in school, improved test scores, better problem solving skills, a creative outlet to pressure from
family or peers, and a sense of pride and accomplishment (artroadnonprofit.org). This visual aid
allowed us to appear more credible to those that stopped by the table. Additionally, we were able
to reference the visual aid when we were talking to people who stopped by and asked questions.
Another thing we had to gain some insight into who is willing to join the student
organization. To do this, we designed a ten question online survey. The survey informs us of
who is willing to volunteer their time, and in if they are in what capacity will they be able to.
There are two types of questions on the survey. Some questions were designed let us get a sense
of how many people would even consider joining the club. Other questions were monitoring
what kind of volunteers were interested. We planned on using the results of the survey to design
our student organization and create an effective design and action plan for the future of our
Do you feel that bringing Art back to Detroit Public Schools is a worthy goal?
Organization?
Are you interested in a volunteer opportunity? If so how often are you looking to
volunteer..
The actual survey was created on a free online website called SurveyMonkey.com. The website
was relatively easy to use. We entered our questions and added possible multiple choice answers
for the first couple and had the last two be short answer responses so we could truly learn what
peoples feedback was. After we were done creating the survey we posted the link on a google
document so that it would be easily accessible during our bake sale. On the say of our bake sale
we had some small technical difficulty with using one just computer. The website did not allow
us to take the survey multiple times on the same computer. Therefore, we had to adjust the
settings to allow us to use one computer and re-take the survey multiple times on the same
server. Additionally, to provide incentive for the people to actually take the survey we offered
Our group has a substantial amount of ideas for events that can help benefit our student
organization, whether it is through raising awareness, raising funds, or attracting new members.
One new idea the group has discussed is creating a student Art gallery display at Wayne state
this fall ringing the photography exhibit here at some point in the fall semester. We got this idea
after learning about a similar project Mercedes Benz is doing this May. On May 30th the
Mercedes Benz in Farmington Hills will be unveiling an art gallery that will consist of a
photography project done by 4th grade students at Edison Elementary. The students are even
going to visit the Mercedes building to see their art in person and hopefully gain confidence and
validation in them. We feel that if we were to emulate this even at Wayne State it could be a
huge success.
The second item we discussed is possibly planning an auction for donations event. We
thought it would be an interesting idea if the students were to create some pieces for the purpose
of auctioning off for donations to Art Road. This can create a fun dynamic way of reaching, new
people, boosting the students self-esteem and promoting creativity in young minds. Not to
mention, the auction will also bring in some funds to our organization, which can help us in
future endeavors. An extension of this idea is if we were to ask the professional artists if they can
donate one or two of their Art pieces for the purpose of auctioning them off and getting even
more money. The idea behind this is with the professional artists, they will probably bring in a
bit more money. Also, the students will feel good when their work is auctioned off with the work
of real artists. It also is just a really engaging activity for the community at large.
Results/Discussion
Though we were forced to jump through many hoops in order to hold the bake sale, it
was overall a success. As previously stated, the main goals of this bake sale and information
booth event were to raise some money for Art Road, gain a base of students interested in
volunteering, and to also get some exposure for our new student organization. I am happy to say
they also agreed that the event was a success. In response to our results email, where we
discussed profits, volunteer recruitment and also included pictures from the event, Carol
Hofgartner stated, You made our day! We will be including your great efforts on the Art Road
When it comes to financial aspect of the event, we did fairly well. The final profit was
approximately $45. Clearly, there is potential to improve here and it is critical to analyze exactly
what aspects of a bake sale are important. One of the most influential factors of a bake sales
success or failure is the location. The table was in a side hallway in State Hall and while we saw
many people pass by, this location is not nearly as busy as the Student Center. It is likely that if
we relocated for the next sale, we would make a higher profit. Additionally, the fact that we
offered a free treat in exchange for completing the survey could very well have influenced our
profit. We very well could have gotten more money for the items, had we not been offering them
to people for free. Finally, it is important to acknowledge the importance of credit cards in this
day and age. Many people came up to the table in hopes of buying a treat but since we didnt
have a way to process cards, they were unable to purchase anything. A solution for this would be
Building on, another goal of the bake sale and information booth was to gain a volunteer
and member base. We created a google sheets document, similar to microsoft excel, in order to
get a signup sheet going for interested students. The document recorded the names along with the
email of people interested in joining the organization and/or volunteering with Art Road. We
community. I think that the bake sale and information booth was an excellent start for this goal.
Countless people stopped by to discuss the purpose of Art Road with us and express their support
in the groups cause. Even when people declined to be put on the email list, they still made sure
to explicitly state that they believed Art Road was an honorary cause and wished us the best.
In addition, the results of the survey were easy to access and analyze. Survey Monkey
gave us an accurate report on all of the responses gathered. There were a total of 16 respondents
Do you feel that bringing Art back to Detroit Public Schools is a worthy goal?
This question was a simple yes or no question and 81.25% responded yes
and 18.75% responded no. This shows us there is an actual interest within
the sample of Wayne students surveyed that might be willing to join our
Organization?
This question allowed for multiple responses. The responses were:
Other - 6.25%
Most people responded twice a month for this question. The second most
popular answer was surprisingly once a week. This shows, people are
100% of respondents said yes. This is great news because they could all be
Are you interested in a volunteer opportunity? If so how often are you looking to
volunteer..
were the highest two so these are the two we will consider when planning
future schedules.
Some of these answers included being involved with more people, helping
and perspectives. This helps us get an idea of what people want to get out
Conclusion
To conclude, even though Art Road WSU is not yet a flourishing student organization, it
is well on its way. It has been a long journey thus far and we are inexplicably thankful that we
have had such an amazing support along the way from the phenomenal founders and staff at Art
Road. In the short time since the student organizations founding, there has already been a lot
accomplished through the bake sale, survey, and information booth. We plan to continue to move
forward and already have a multitude of ideas in mind to help out the organization and children
of DPS. There is no doubt that this group is off to a great start and we have every intention to
"About Art Road." Art Road Nonprofit. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2017.
Building an Organization That Lasts. Building an Organization That Lasts. Northern Michigan
Ebede, Stanley Somtochukwu, "The impact of student organizations on the development of core
competencies" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 192.N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
Hofgartner, Carol. E-mail message to founder. Personal Communication. 13, April 2017.
Johnson, Terre. Encore! Advocating for the Arts in Education. The Choral Journal, vol. 50, no. 11,
Montelongo, Ricardo. "Indiana University." Journal of the Student Personnel Association at Indiana
"National Endowment for the Arts." Benefits of Arts Education for At-Risk Youth | NEA.
"Organizations." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, edited by David L. Sills, vol. 11,
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&id=GALE%7CCX3045000894&asid=e11bf572fdb697f5c68c1fbee5739db3. Accessed 10 Apr.
2017.
Ruppert, Sandra S. Crtical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement (n.d.): 8. NASAA.
"The 10 Steps to a Successful Fundraising Event." The Fundraising Authority RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26