Results of the annual freshmen survey conducted by the Higher
Education Research Institute at UCLA found that interest and
involvement in community service have reached their highest levels
in 40 years among students across the nation.
Two out of three entering college freshmen reported that they
believe it is essential or very important to help others who are in
difficulty ““ the highest fraction recorded in the last 25
years.
John Pryor, the director of the institute, attributed the almost
4 percent increase of interest in community service since last year
to recent events such as Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in
Southeast Asia in 2004.
“There have been several unprecedented national and
natural disasters in the last couple of years, and we are seeing
the impacts of those events on students now,” said Jennifer
Lindholm, associate director of the Cooperative Institutional
Research Program at HERI.
Approximately one in four students reports that it is essential
or very important for them to personally participate in a community
action program.
“Because of what’s going on in the world, students
are more aware of people in need and ways they can help, even if
that’s just by giving some of their time,” Lindholm
said.
The 2005 survey contains responses of 263,710 students from 385
four-year universities and community colleges throughout the
nation. The survey has been conducted annually since 1966.
Survey question topics range from academics to alcohol. Most
questions stay consistent from year to year in order for the
institute to observe changes in freshmen’s opinions over both
short- and long-term periods, Pryor said.
“The (institute) makes changes to the survey when there
are critical issues to address or when we receive significant input
from other researchers and other universities,” Lindholm
said.
The survey is often administered during orientation programs and
is not mandatory for students, Pryor said.
Universities are asked to administer the freshmen survey as
early as possible so that students take the survey when they first
come to campus and have not yet experienced college life, Lindholm
said.
UCLA undergraduate students participate in the survey each
summer during freshmen orientation prior to the start of the school
year. UCLA freshmen have participated in the survey for all but
four years since 1966.
Survey results also report that drinking is at a record low
among entering college students. This figure continues to drop from
its all-time high of 73.7 percent reported in 1982. More men than
women report drinking beer frequently or occasionally during their
senior year of high school: 49.1 percent of men to 38.8 percent of
women.
While there is still a difference between male and female
alcohol intake, the institute has found that over the past few
decades the difference between drinking patterns of men and women
has become smaller.
UCLA student group involvement mirrors the findings of the
freshmen survey. Many UCLA undergraduate student groups report an
increase in student participation this year not just among
freshman, but across the board.
Project Literacy, a tutoring and mentoring program designed to
teach literacy skills to underprivileged individuals, has seen an
increase in applicants over the past two quarters compared to
previous years, said Project Literacy Director Megan McNaught.
The number of people applying has increased to over 50 new
applications a quarter, she said.
Dance Marathon has also seen a record amount of participation
this year. Student participation in Dance Marathon is as its
highest since its creation four years ago, said Heather Hemingway,
a third-year classical civilizations student and university
outreach committee chairwoman for the event.
Last year, 400 students signed up to be dancers at the event.
This year, Dance Marathon is expecting 800 students to participate,
Hemingway said.
“It’s insane how quickly we’ve grown,”
Hemingway said.
After 40 years, the freshmen survey remains relevant and
beneficial to today’s students because “it is a large
student assessment that provides information about first-year
classes and the differences and similarities between men and
women,” Pryor said.
“What we’re looking at is the impact of college on
students.”