Student Services Program Review-Spring 2010 - Shasta College

Current Staffing LevelsEOPS is governed by various program standards related to services and staffing.One standard that is ineligible for waiver by the Chancellor’s Office is Counselingand Advising. Students participating in EOPS are required to complete three (3)contacts sessions per semester, two (2) of which must be with qualified EOPScounselors. Until Spring 2009, EOPS/CARE students were able to count theirappointments with non-EOPS counselors as EOPS contacts. EOPS administratorswere advised by the Chancellor’s Office staff during a Technical AssistanceTraining on April 2, 2009 that this practice was not allowed. Requiring all contactsto be made with EOPS staff will increase staffing needs of the EOPS program.While the Chancellor’s Office does not have an established counselor-to-studentratio, it is helpful to establish some guidelines related to staffing levels. A generalrecommendation is that EOPS employ one (1) full-time counselor for every 350-400participants. This provides allowance for daily counseling preparation as outlined inthe Shasta College Academic Master Contract, for faculty participation in staffmeetings and college-wide committees, and for extended appointments which areoptimal for this programDuring most of the program year, this is adequate staff to run the program.However, at the beginning and end of each semester, participant demands forservices and counseling peaks. The numbers tend to overwhelm the receptionarea and the staff. Ongoing changes are made each semester to streamline theprocess of delivering ID cards and lending library materials. This includesscheduling of events, technological upgrades, and augmenting staffing levels withpart-time staff and student workers.There has been some staff turnover:- EOPS hired two staff secretaries over the past three years; each applied forand accepted higher positions within Shasta College.- The secretary position was reclassified to a Senior Staff Secretary position inFall 2009, but reduced in time to a 50/50 position sharing with DSPS.- A part-time (19.5 hours/week) instructional paraprofessional position wasadded to provide more direct services to students in place of the clericalsupport.- The Director position was filled full-time from 2007-2009, and then convertedto a shared director position with DSPS beginning July, 2009.Historically, EOPS and CARE have provided seminars each semester which weremandatory to participants. These seminars were not required by the Chancellor’sOffice, and while the topics were relevant to educational achievement, theyresulted in extra responsibilities for both students and staff. The discontinuation ofthese seminars has made the staff workload more manageable.2. Materials and EquipmentEOPS/CARE personnel routinely use PCs with Microsoft Office Suite as the mostcommon software. Outlook is used for e-mail and calendaring, Access and Excelfor data storage and tracking. Word and PowerPoint are commonly used fordocuments and presentations. In addition, most EOPS/CARE staff use the SARSappointment system to schedule and track student counseling and orientations, as- 237 -