The following Campus Action Projects had outstanding materials as part of their event or awareness campaign.
Empowering Moms, Empowering Minds: Single Moms and College Success by Shenandoah University, 2009
The single mother members of Shenandoah University's CAP team organized and held various community programs to inform single mothers about four year college degree programs, rewards and benefits of pursuing a degree, and how to overcome some of the barriers they face to achieving a degree. One of the events was a family fun day on campus where mothers could bring their children to campus to learn more about earning a college degree while their children participated in various events. One of their posters for the event is on the right.
Prior to each student’s involvement with the CAP team, most of the single mother students felt isolated on campus and unsupported, but through working on the project they formed a tight-knit support group and are looking out for all single mother students on their campus. The brochure to the left was distributed at their community events and is available on campus for any interested student. The team also created and maintains a website and blog (www.mindsandmoms.com) filled with information relevant to single mothers considering higher education.
Girls Personal Development Summit for 8th Graders, University of West Florida, 2009
On April 17, 2009, the University of West Florida CAP Team and over 25 volunteers hosted 200 8th grade girls from five area middle schools for “Girls Rock: A Personal Development Summit for 8th Grade Girls.”
Transportation was provided from the schools to the campus. The girls were greeted by UWF women from several student organizations and each girl received a goodie bag with UWF information, a personal development journal, and a bright green t-shirt. After the welcoming session, the girls attended three information sessions: "What do I want to be when I grow up?"; "STEM'ing your Future"; and "Taking Care of Me." These sessions were planned and presented by UWF faculty, administrators, and students. Following each session, student volunteers lead discussions and encouraged the girls to answer the questions in the Girls Rock journal. The Journal also included tips on preparing for high school and thinking about college. It was our hope that the girls will use the journals as they prepare for their futures. Extra copies of the journals were sent to the schools and provided to the teachers as resource materials. The day ended with a picnic lunch at University Park.
Women Open Doors by Scranton, 2009
The CAP team at the University of Scranton created and implemented a mentoring program titled Women Open Doors. This program paired 30 female sophomores in local high schools who face barriers to higher education with undergraduate mentors. At the start of the program, members of the CAP team visited the high schools to promote the program and distributed a brochure (see right) they created about college and the mentoring program.
May 2, 2009, the CAP team sponsored a "Day at the University" for the 30 sophomores and their undergraduate mentors. In the morning, the high school students attended sample college courses taught by female faculty. Information about college, the college application process, types of colleges, and financial aid was distributed to the students. In the afternoon, the high school and college students attended two interactive sessions designed by clubs and organizations on campus. The first session featured the University Players from the theater program and the second afternoon session featured the JUSTICE club.
Salary Negotiation Tips for Women by the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, 2008
The University of Alaska-Fairbanks CAP team worked to raise awareness about the gender pay gap, teach students practical skills in negotiation strategies, and commemorate Equal Pay Day on their campus. They ran a public service campaign featuring vignettes developed and performed by the "Now You Know" student group that highlighted issues related to the gender pay gap and demonstrated how to negotiate for salary, benefits, and other job conditions. The performances were supported by a wider media campaign designed to educate the campus and raise awareness of the pay gap.
A brochure with salary negotiation tips for women was one of the components of the wider media campaign. The brochure provides extremely useful information in a concise format and was widely distributed to students on campus. The brochure contains statistics about the pay gap, negotiation strategies, and suggested phrases to use while negotiating. An example of one of the suggested phrase is: "Your offer is a bit lower than I had expected. Nationally, the starting salary in our field is about ___. [Do the research so you know what the figure is.] Could you meet this?"
Your Passport to Leadership: You Can get there from Here! by Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, 2007
The CAP team from Edinboro University administered a Public Perceptions of the Pay Gap survey on their campus to help reveal how aware the campus community was that a pay gap still exists, as well as to determine campus perceptions about why it continues to exist. They used their findings to inform subsequent educational programming to help female students make better informed decisions when selecting academic majors and career paths.
An example of the educational programming was a professional networking opportunity for undergraduate women on Equal Pay Day called "Your Passport to Leadership: You can get there from here!" After opening remarks, students were invited to enjoy lunch and network with sixteen professionals to learn about their career path and what one should do to enter specific career fields. The professionals were introduced ahead of time and a short resume for each of them was included in the pamphlet distributed to students to help students decide who would be most useful for them to talk with regarding their own career goals and interests.
Women's Payday: Got Equity? by the University of West Florida, 2007
Members of the University of West Florida CAP team administered a modified version of the AAUW Public Perceptions of the Pay Gap survey to students, faculty, and staff on campus and to area Chamber of Commerce members and Workforce Development Boards. Then they initiated a multi-pronged media campaign to publicize their findings in an effort to help raise awareness of the issue of the pay gap in their area.
Their brochure Women's Payday: Got Equity? A working guide for students to inform, explain, and suggest ways to maintain a competitive advantage and to avoid discrimination in today's work environment was one component of their media campaign. In an effort to help people learn about the pay gap and how to combat it, the brochure contains facts about pay equity, the University of West Florida's survey results, tips for negotiating, web resources on the pay gap, and West Florida regional county data.
Campus Action Project Models
Campus Action Projects
