They Don’t Know What They Don’t Know

Del

They Don’t Know What They Don’t Know

Students and new staff members will frequently ask me about surveying their students. They often seem very matter-of-fact and self assured that they’ve found an answer to one of their pressing programming issues: what to present on campus.

It makes sense at first glance. Wondering what to program on campus? Ask your students! Brilliant. And wrong.

Here’s the problem with surveying your students in order to plan your programs: They don’t know what they don’t know.

The vast majority of the students on any campus are blissfully unaware of the universe of student activities programs that are available. They don’t attend APCA and NACA conferences. They don’t read Student Activities Journal, Programming or Campus Activities magazines. They don’t even read this blog.

They essentially have no idea of what’s available in the marketplace. They don’t know what they don’t know.

Ask them what bands to book, they’ll tell you "My Morning Jacket" or "Fall Out Boy." If you ask about comedy, they’ll tell you Chris Rock or Dane Cook. Odds are, your campus can’t afford those acts. Or at least not all of them. So you haven’t gained much from your survey.

But more importantly, my original premise: They don’t know what they don’t know.

Ask your students: would you like to stick your hands in different colors of hot, molten wax? Really?

Yet we’ve all seen students at conferences line up for hours, waiting to produce their very own "Wax Hands."

Ask your students: would you like to see a ventriloquist? Really?

Many students may not even know what the word means. Yet we’ve all seen students rolling in laughter over Dan Horn, Jeff Dunham, or Taylor Mason.

I often liken entertainment surveys to asking children about dinner. If you ask the average child what he or she wants for dinner, they’ll tell you what they know: they want a Happy Meal. And if that’s what you always give them, they never learn to appreciate more exotic food like broccoli or sushi. Don’t we all know college students whose diet consists of burgers and chicken strips– because it’s the only food they learned to like?

Take your co-curricular duties to heart. Remember that you serve an important teaching function on your campus. Avoid a regular diet of "Happy Meals" for your students. Book some unusual programs, events that aren’t even on the students’ radar. Your students– and your campus– will be better for it.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 12:34 pm and is filed under Assessment, Campus Issues, Community College, Commuter Schools, Event Ideas, Low Cost Programming, University. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

Del Suggs

Thanks for your comments, Amy. And of course, now you can get a lot of compiled data from your Facebook network:
http://www.thesablog.org/2007/10/facebook-tips-...
Just saves you a step!
Amy Garrison

All great points! I have learned surveying is relative to what school you work for and what their expectations are for programming. At a former university I was graded on the dreaded head count even though I would argue my best programs were the most educational and usually drew fewer numbers but left a meaningful impact. I was expected to survey almost every program so I developed the surveys based on my goals and made sure my report included my goals at the top. When it comes to mass entertainment I learned to ask what radio stations they listeded to most, what were the last 3 great movies they saw, and what types of comedy made them laugh. Then, I worked w/ my programming board to match the entertainment that was available in our price range to what we learned from our surveys.
Del Suggs

Kevin-- thanks for your always insightful comments. You are right, I would never suggest that we discount student input, only offer some guidance. As Sarah said, "having a good student affairs professional as an advisor is key."
What concerns me most (and I've written about before) is the missed learning opportunities in Student Activities. I'm a committed believer in the power of co-curricular programs that contribute to the mission of the institution.
For example, I have a pretty good knowledge of the history of the cinema-- but I never took a class in Film. My undergraduate school had a phenomenal film series presented by the Student Activities office, and I saw "Citizen Kane," "Casablanca," films by Luis Buñuel, and so much more. I'm really trying to encourage all of us to contribute to the intellectual development of these students, and not just entertain them. They're pretty good at entertaining themselves.
Kevin R. Guidry

Good post and followup discussion. Periodically, it's important to remind ourselves and our colleagues that we are not here to make students happy, particularly in the short term. We're here to help educate and guide them. I think that's sometimes a hard message to sell, particularly to those who work in auxiliary units like housing where funding is directly linked to student satisfaction. And I can imagine this is also a challenge for student activities since so much of what is done is seen as pure entertainment.
However, it also seems that there is some danger in the messages of this post. Whenever we adopt an attitude of "I know what's best for you even when you don't" we veer dangerously close to and often directly into hubris and outright arrogance. I understand the point being made and I am not accusing anyone of making that mistake but it's an easy trap into which we can fall if we're not respectful of our students' experiences and opinions. It's a delicate balance.
Del Suggs

Sarah-- you are exactly right! That's why I always cringe when I hear a Director of Student Activities say "it's their money, so I let them book whatever they want." Students really do need guidance encouraging them to try new things-- whether it's sushi or jazz.
Sarah

Del - I agree - that's why I think having a good student affairs professional as an advisor is key. Student programming groups are great, but guidance is also important.
Del Suggs

Sarah-- I agree that surveys can be the starting point. Unfortunately I've heard students say they don't offer a particular genre of program because nobody asked for it. Students need to have new experiences. They might really enjoy a classical string quartet that you booked for them, but they might not list that on a survey.
Todd-- if you're just "graded" on attendance, then you're right-- give them whatever they want. Don't worry if they achieve the "Learning Reconsidered" objectives like Humanitarianism or Cognitive Complexity, or the 16 student learning outcomes for Student Activities that CAS lists. But if you want to see some intellectual growth as a result of your programs, if you want to contribute fully to the mission of your school, you've got to give them new experiences. If you only give them what they know they want, they'll never expand their horizons. They don't know what they don't know.
Todd

If you're evaluating your programming every year, and you are "graded" on numbers/attendance at events, how can you not serve them what they want to eat?
Sarah

I would argue, though, that surveys can provide a good basis for starting. If people are consistently asking for comedians, bring in a comedian that has a message. Or, a ventriloquist. If students are wanting Fall Out Boy, look for acts that have similar styles with a different twist. If you're just looking at results to book those specific artists, well, then yes, you may fail. But, if you can look at the results in context, it can be incredibly helpful.

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