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Seattle University
Executive Summary
Open access institutions that serve diverse student populations are, in general, much more
accessible than attending a four year university. This report provides an analysis and evaluation
undocumented students. Further, this report offers recommendations to improve and advance
educational equity for these student populations. Methods of analysis include a review of the
veteran students within Washington state, three on-site visits of Edmonds Community College,
and interviews with two stakeholders within student affairs and academic affairs. The on-site
visits will be synthesized in these three themes: student engagement, visibility of student
services, and opportunities for peer support and student led initiatives. Three themes from the in-
person interviews include: stakeholder role to increase student support, students marginalized by
their identities, and an increase to diversity initiatives. The report finds that there are unique
opportunities which exist at Edmonds Community College which can be leveraged to advance
Recommendations include:
2. Increase allies and cross collaboration between offices for improved campus structure
equity
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 2
On-Site Synthesis
In order to further understand Edmonds Community College we each designated our visit
to observe campus through the lens of a particular student type. These student types included a
prospective student, a student looking to get involved on campus, and as a student in crisis or has
an urgent need. Throughout our visits we also focused on the ways in which Edmonds
and community engagement, with a mission of, “Transforming lives through exemplary,
nationally recognized educational and career pathways” (Edmonds Community College, 2018).
It is also important to note that Edmonds Community College enrolls over 10,000 students per
quarter, a high percentage of these students pursue transfer degrees as well as workforce training,
are working towards a high school diploma or GED, and 39% are students of color (Edmonds
Community College, 2018). We also know that student services at community colleges often
serve the student population by headcount versus FTE (full time enrollment), and therefore may
be serving more students than their budget reflects. An analysis of our visits brings forward three
distinct themes that further portray the ways in which Edmonds is able to promote access, equity,
and diversity. These include, student engagement and community development, the importance
of representation and visibility of student services, and opportunities for peer support and student
led initiatives.
According to Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker (2014), the community college student affairs
profession is rooted in student development theory and focuses on developing affective traits,
facilitating student development, recognition of individual differences and a belief in the power
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 3
students are not involved, and not interested in engaging in student life, and therefore student
services are not as important on community college campuses (Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker 2014).
Through each of our on-site observations, we found this was not true. There were several spaces
on campus that were open, inviting, and had students hanging out. We also found that Edmonds,
a two year college, has many similarities to four-year institutions. In particular, the physical
For example, Edmonds is relatively unique in that there are on campus residence halls.
Rainier Place is one of four spaces dedicated to on-campus housing. Located across the street
from the campus, it is near classrooms and other support services on campus. The Residence Life
which support international and veteran engagement within the residence halls. Additionally, in
the Center for Student Engagement and Leadership located in Brier Hall, we found student
community college campuses, yet these student experiences can often go unseen. Representation
and visibility of student support services are important for emerging student populations like
ambassador and tour guide made sure to point out resources for military-connected/veteran
students as well as offices that support 1st generation, low-income, and students of color. By
acknowledging these resources during the tour, we noticed that outreach strategies were
In our on-site visits we also learned about the Edmonds Center for Student Cultural
Diversity and Inclusion. Resources available at the center included student led-activities, a
borrowing service for computers, a free textbook library, meditation and prayer space, and an
incentive program for printing. Outside of this office there was a board of information in regard
to immigration policies. The visibility of concern around this topic shows students that this is an
We also visited Lynwood Hall, which is home of the Veterans Resource Center (VRC).
Likewise, information was readily available to students and included a New Student Veteran
Checklist, a Community Veterans Resource Page, as well as academic support information. The
Edmond’s VRC addresses Ruman & Hendrick’s (2010) recommendation of “integrating services
and straying away from highly segmented arrangements such as directing students to community
offices for ‘military’ matters and campus offices for ‘student’ matters” which may,
Creating spaces where students can interact with each other and feel comfortable
spending time on campus is important, especially at a community college where a high number
of students do not live on campus. Additionally, peer learning and peer support are an important
student leaders on campus. For example, the outreach ambassador who gave the tour was a work
study student who mentioned that he enjoyed giving back to the campus community. In visiting
the Center for Student Cultural Diversity and Inclusion there was a front desk assistant who was
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 5
also a student. They noted that the Center for Student Cultural Diversity offered opportunities to
get involved on campus and they enjoyed meeting students who came into the center.
It is also important to understand that community colleges student services are often
funded through direct grants toward assisting special student groups (Cohen, Brawer, & Kisker
2014). Student employees are often more economical for department budgets, but these positions
allow for further student engagement. In understanding student development theory and research
These three themes are representative of our on-site observations and have set a
framework for our interviews and final recommendations that focus on campus organization,
Interview Synthesis
Interviews with the Dean of Pre-College, Amy, and the Assistant Director of Community
Engagement and Leadership, Kevin, provide unique windows into the current campus culture,
programs, and initiatives. The following section explores three themes of these interviews, and
discusses how they further one’s understanding of diversity, equity and support for
Stakeholder role and positional power to increase support for student populations
Literature suggests the development of faculty and staff ally ship supports marginalized
student populations like undocumented students (Chen & Rhoads 2016; Sanchez 2015). Jain
(2010) notes the importance of staff and faculty at community colleges to understand the ways
race and gender impact student leaders at community colleges. Kevin and Amy shared how they
use their roles to expand access and inclusion at Edmonds and increase support for marginalized
students.
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 6
In his role overseeing leadership on campus, Kevin saw that the same few students were
chosen for all of the key leadership positions. These students, he explained, were perhaps easier
to work with because of their past leadership experience. Kevin intentionally decided that he
would hire students who were not as readily categorized as “high-achieving,” but would hire
students who needed a bit more push to see their leadership skills. In hiring a wider range of
students and supporting their development as leaders, Kevin is doing a small part to further
equity on campus. In another example he shared using his lens of equity and diversity to shift
who Edmonds invited to campus for public events and workshops. For example, working toward
guests, and people who might not have as much mainstream popularity.
Amy shared her experience advocating for the inclusion of more courses in the Guided
Pathways initiative that would take into consideration the many pre-college level students that
were not yet taking college-level classes. “We are also working with the greater campus on
helping them understand what we do in pre-college and how central our students are to the
greater college. We’re not peripheral.” (A. Personal communication, February 28, 2018). Amy
consistently uses her role to advocate for the awareness of the needs of her pre-college students
on Edmonds campus.
Neither of the interviews discussed the ways in which they specifically support
undocumented students at Edmonds in their current roles. Kevin indicated that one person on
staff seemed to unintentionally become the go-to on resources for undocumented students. This
gap of staffing support suggests a need to increase their awareness, knowledge, and skills around
this particular population to better use their roles in supporting all student groups on campus.
Both Kevin and Amy could do more to use their positional power to directly support
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 7
undocumented students share their voice on campus or including pre-college advising support
Literature about undocumented students outlines many of the daily burdens and stresses
their immigration status imparts on their lives (Terriquez, 2015; Perez, Cortes, Ramos &
Coronado, 2010). High stress, family financial dependency, stigmatization of legal status, fear of
deportations, fear of separation of family members: these are just a few of the realities facing
undocumented student’s colleges should have well trained staff, implement peer support groups,
and have focused workshops to support mental health (Valenzuela, et al., 2015). At Edmonds,
when asked about support for undocumented students on campus, Kevin responded with the
knowledge that undocumented students did in fact exist at Edmonds, but were invisible. Looking
through publications and posters on campus and asking student staff directly at the Center for
Student Cultural Diversity did not lead to any more information about student support groups or
resources readily available. It seems that despite the knowledge of their presence, little was
happening on campus to support their success. According to on-site visits and interviews, the
college was doing little to directly support this particular student population. Undocumented
students at Edmonds are marginalized by their identity. Staff seemed to know that they existed,
The theme of students marginalized by their identities was also present in our interview
with Amy. In the interview with Amy, we learned that there is a high number of pre-college level
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 8
students enrolled at Edmonds. Despite the large number of students, the presence of these
Cultural Diversity Skills are listed as one of four General Education Outcomes at
Edmonds Community College. The outcome states that students will be able to apply and
develop outcomes through their course of study at Edmonds (Edmonds Community College,
2018). The Open-Access mission of community colleges means that diverse student populations
are increasingly able to access higher education (Shannon & Smith, 2006). At Edmonds 39% of
the enrolled students are students of color (Edmonds Community College, 2018). Edmonds,
therefore, should be offering initiatives to increase diversity, but in both interviews we learned
Kevin shared in his interview the contradictions of diversity efforts on campus. When
reflecting on diversity at Edmonds he shared, “we have diversity sure, the numbers, but what are
we really doing to support diversity? The room gets really silent.” (D. Personal communication,
February 28, 2018). Edmonds in theory is actively promoting and practicing diversity efforts on
campus, but in reality movement towards diverse practices across campus is slow. The Center of
Student Cultural Diversity and Inclusion is located in a prominent part of campus, but it’s a new
space and students are slow to access it. Signs welcoming ALL students are prominent around
campus, but the practice of inclusion is lacking. Kevin shared the story of a black women and
student at Edmonds complaining of the weight of being the only student of color asked to
represent diversity at committee and panel meetings. He mentioned that the same Native
American student is picked every single time to represent the voice of all Native American
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 9
students. Further, Kevin shared his frustrations with the diversity initiative stopping at a token
Amy shared that the barrier of furthering equity, inclusion and diversity at Edmonds is
educating staff and faculty of the meaning of equity. Furthermore, she notes the need for
Edmonds to practice equitable hiring and increase the representation of staff and faculty that
share backgrounds and identities that parallel the students in attendance. Both Kevin and Amy
allude to the slow process of implementing a stronger action to further diversity at Edmonds.
Community Colleges serve the highest numbers of students of color and high numbers of
students from different ethnic backgrounds (Jain, 2010). From these interviews it seems that
Edmonds is newer to the work of promoting diversity on campus, and could benefit from a skill-
based training that uses Multicultural Competence to go beyond knowledge and awareness.
Instead this training would move towards giving faculty and staff the skills they need to
implement a more comprehensive plan of furthering access, equity and diversity across
Edmonds. Pope et al., suggests “if we want a campus to become multiculturally sensitive, a
place where all individuals have the opportunity for success...we must be willing to make
interventions that challenge our institutions and our profession” (p. 27, 2004).
Individuals at Edmonds are doing their part to increase equity and inclusion on campus
within the roles they have. However, student groups are often still marginalized by their
direct needs. Despite a facade of diversity, Edmonds can do a lot more to both further and
support diversity on its campus, and, in doing so, stop tokenization. More awareness, knowledge,
and skills are needed to bridge campus siloes and give staff a stronger ability to support the
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 10
whole student body. Hiring practices for staff, faculty, and student workers need to be adjusted to
Recommendations
As Edmonds Community College faces changes in administration, exploring the need for
necessary for administrators to use literature to inform practices on campus. Understanding the
unique dynamics which exist on campus, Edmonds college will be able to take large
recommendations, often found at many community colleges, and tailor recommendations to fit
specific student populations and institutional goals. In the following paragraphs, three
on the altering the campus organization, focusing on community development, and using data-
driven results to advance educational equity for undocumented and military-connected students.
culture, develop student-led services, and use current data to inform decisions made on Edmonds
Campus.
reliable data that focuses on students attending community colleges (Teranishi et al, 2017)
Similarly, national level data on student veterans have been difficult to collect, analyze and
interpret due to poor collection methods and errors in identifying students (Cate et al., 2017).
Across the literature, recommendations for both populations include an increase in data
collection and streamlined process for tracking students. Although there may be many challenges
to collecting data, including cost, student participation, and limited sets of data, it is necessary
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 11
Community College, this recommendation can be narrowed to using institutional data which is
process for all college students by creating academic pathways which support students’ interests
to enter a specific career. At the state level, the Washington State Achievement Council (2017)
recognizes that, “more than three-quarters of job openings in 2023 will require at least some
education beyond high school, with two-thirds of all openings requiring at least a year of
college” (pp.13).
To meet the needs of students and improve programmatic efforts, the institution must
take into consideration how data drives the climate of the community and depicts the needs and
wants of students. Further, in order to show the need for appropriate services, assessment of
undocumented students should be continuous, utilizing multiple types of data collection methods
(Valenzuela et al., 2015). Recognizing that data may create challenges for students with certain
identities, making campus an unwelcoming and unsafe place to be, there are ways in which the
institution can create processes that capture the experiences and needs of their students while
being privy to the danger in capturing too much information. In order to advance educational
equity, and improve Guided Pathways using the information collected to inform these policies.
As Amy highlighted, one way the Pre-College office has taken the initiative to use data to drive
practices is by way of using the data from Pre-College office to advocate for additional class
within the Guided Pathways model. As it stands, many of the classes created in Guided Pathways
limits the options for students who begin their academic career at levels lower than college-
ready; consequently, this limits availability and hinders students from staying on a path that is
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 12
timely. Expanding upon the initiative by Pre-College Unit, Edmonds Community College can
use data to critically look at Guided Pathways and use the limited information they have about
military-connect students and undocumented students to improve the student experience and
academic achievement.
Increase allies and cross collaboration between offices for improved campus structure
An analysis of the interviews, paired with insight regarding campus structure and culture,
demonstrate the interplay of politics and governance structures and their consequent impact on
student experience. Edmonds Community College’s governance structure most aligns with
through top-down hierarchy with an aim to increase campus efficiency. The result of the top-
down nature of Edmonds is an environment which creates offices that work in silos. The campus
environment trickles down to students exemplified through the student-advisor model which
creates individual which creates singular relationships with one individual on campus. A result of
using this mode, as Manning (2013) states, is the institution, “fails to take into account the
literature urges institutions to trained staff on specific areas related to veterans as opposed to
individual people and offices being singular points for information. O’Herrin (2011) notes that
for military-connected students, “one of the biggest frustrations voiced is the daunting and
unfamiliar bureaucracy of higher education.” When considering the issues that plague
undocumented students, often times complex changes in policies will impact the ability to
disseminate accurate information to students and the larger campus. With multiple factors
break the silo structures of office culture. To accomplish this, the creation of committees that
recommended. With the increase in office collaboration, a continued conversation about the
occur and address the need that Terriquez (2015) highlights, as a need for programs and practices
that look at the whole student’s needs. An example which can be adapted to meet the needs and
campus environment of Edmonds Community College is the DREAMzone project. The project,
“DREAMzone, has trained over 2,000 participants, which is recognized for its innovative
approach to addressing global challenges and societal needs” (Cisneros, 2016). Through training,
cross-collaboration and working through the difficulties that are presented in the bureaucratic
When considering the plethora of experiences that students face on community college
campuses it is necessary to understand the ways in which their experiences impact their ability to
necessary to develop communities which understand unique student populations to create more
specific programming and communities while promoting these services through appropriate
undocumented students share the sentiment that minimal resources exist for students to navigate
the community college arena. Along with minimal resources exist barriers including transition
and acclimating to academic expectations in the American community college system. The
enrollment of both populations has increased. With over 660,000 veterans and 215,000 service
members enrolled in undergraduate education, it is the task of institutions to meet these needs
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 14
with adequate and appropriate resources (Radford, 2009). Military-connected students face
challenges of transition which include but are not limited to understanding the processes of
enrolling, using their veteran education benefits, and transferring course credits (Rand
Corporation, 2010). A report by the Winston Group (2008) highlighted the view of one veteran
experiencing transition sharing, “Really, the military doesn’t prepare you for the exit. You
probably have on day and that is where they sit there and say this is out there. You do something
for 20 years in the military and now you come into the civilian sector- you have to deprogram
in Washington state (Contreras, 2009) and affording school, amongst other challenges outside of
school. According to Terriquez (2015), 80% of undocumented students interviewed stopped out
due to the affordability of school, twice as many as their U.S Citizen counterparts. Both
populations highlight the need to understand Schlossberg’s Transition Theory (as cited in Evans,
2008) defined as “any event, or non-event that results in changed relationships, routines,
assumptions and roles” (pp. 110). The use of Transition Theory and the four areas of Situation,
Self, Support, and Strategies to inform the improvement of resources. When specifically
considering community colleges and the role Edmonds plays in supporting these groups of
students, institutions should take opportunity to learn from these students to advance educational
focused opportunities, students are given the opportunity to voice their opinions and make
relying too heavily on students to teach staff and faculty but should instead be given space an
opportunity for dialogue, recognizing the multiple responsibilities students have. A result of
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 15
empowering students and creating spaces for conversations that directly impact institutional
References
Cate, C.A., Lyon, J.S., Schmeling, J., & Bogue, B.Y. (2017). National Veteran Education
Success Tracker: A Report on the Academic Success of Student Veterans Using the Post-
Chen, A. C., & Rhoads, R. A. (2016b). Yan lau and harvey S. rosen. Review of Higher
Cisneros, J., & Lopez, A. (2016). DREAMzone: Educating counselors and human service
Cohen, A.M., Brawer, F.B., & Kisker, C. (2013). The American community college (6th
Contreras, F. (2009). Sin papeles y rompiendo barreras: Latino students and the challenges.
https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.79.4.02671846902gl33w
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college:
Jain, D. (2010). Critical race theory and community colleges: Through the eyes of women
student leaders of color. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 34(1),
78- 91.
O’Herring, E., (2011). Enhancing veteran success in higher education. Association of American
research/periodicals/enhancing-veteran-success-higher-education
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 17
Pérez, W., Cortés, R. D., Ramos, K., & Coronado, H. (2010). 'Cursed and blessed': Examining
the socioemotional and academic experiences of undocumented Latina and Latino college
Pope, R L., Reynolds, A.L., & Mueller, J.A. (2004). Multicultural competence in student
Radford, A. (2009). Military service members and veterans in higher education: What the new
Rand Corporation, (2010). Military Veterans’ experiences using the post-9/11 GI Bill and
content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1083.pdf
Ruman, C.B, & Hamrick, F.A. (2010). Student veterans in transition: Re-enrolling after war zone
Sanchez, R. E. C., & So, M. L. (2015). UC Berkeley’s undocumented student program: Holistic
strategies for undocumented student equitable success across higher education. Harvard
Shannon, H.D., & Smith, R.C. (2006). A case for the community college’s open access mission.
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doi:10.1080/1369183X.2014.968534
Washington Student Achievement Council. (2016). 2017-19 Strategic action plan. Washington.
EDMONDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINAL REPORT 18
Valenzuela, J., Perez, W., Perez, I., Montriel, G., & Chaparro, G. (2008). Undocumented
students at the community college: creating institutional capacity. New Directions for
Appendices
Adriana Monday, February 5th, Residence Hall, Lynwood Hall, Veteran Resource
at 11:00am Center, Cafeteria: Student Event on Recycling
Karina Monday, February 5th, Center for Student Cultural Diversity and Inclusion,
at 12:30 pm Mountlake Terrace Hall, Library,
Appendix B: Interviews
Date/time of Interviewee Interviewee Current Stakeholder
Interview Name (Actual) Name Position Group
(Pseudonym)