Student Service Needs of non-Caucasian Students at a Four Year College

Abstract

This study was developed as a needs assessment to determine if non-Caucasian students have unmet needs at a predominantly Caucasian four year university. Caucasians and non- Caucasians were both surveyed in order to determine if there was a difference in the needs of Caucasians and non-Caucasians, or if the students shared the same basic needs regardless of ethnicity. A survey was developed and distributed in various highly populated buildings on campus. Once these surveys were collected, each question was analyzed and all results were placed in a comprehensive table. After reviewing and analyzing all data, it was determined that there are specific unmet needs reported by non-Caucasian students, as well as common needs of all students regardless of ethnicity. The volume of participants was not as high for each ethnicity as originally hoped. There were only four international students and nine Asian respondents, making it difficult to get a true sense of their overall needs. Though 36 surveys were collected from Hispanics, the hope was to get at least 50, as Hispanic enrollment is increasing each year. Based on the results, recommendations were made for programming and ways in which to address the reported needs of the students.