Talking Stick - March/April 2015 - 54

First Steps
students' confidence by helping them feel like
they have a home prior to starting college. This
purpose can be accomplished in the form of
break-out sessions during orientation to address
specific concerns that the students may have,
such as what to bring to college or how parents
can get involved; these sessions can also give
students the opportunity to reflect upon their
first-generation college identity, to familiarize
themselves with the campus physical space, and
to begin the often tricky process of negotiating
relationships with family members.
Because many first-generation college
students come from backgrounds that value
family or community interdependence,
leaving home to live with strangers may be
an unfamiliar concept. Yet many orientation
programs separate students from their parents
and families. Accordingly, there may be a clash
between the student's and the institution's
values.

As the first-generation college student population grows, a greater
number of campuses are implementing programs specifically aimed at
serving that demographic group. The following are just some examples
of purposeful programming that is making a difference in these
students' lives.
Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, offers the FirstGeneration Host Family Program, in which first-generation college
students are matched with local host families to assist their transition
to college. According to the program's website, the goals of this
program are "to provide students with new opportunities that they
may otherwise miss . . . create interaction between the students and
their host families on special occasions and in everyday activities . . .
[and] increase participants' cultural awareness through involvement in
campus and community activities."
At Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, about 10
percent of students are first-generation college students. Through a
national program that the university partners with called I'm First,
these students and staff are connected to one another to create a
sustainable network. The university also highlights the stories of firstgeneration faculty, staff, and students on their website. Serving as an
exemplary role model, Bucknell President John Bravman was the first
person in his family to go to college.
At the University of California, Los Angeles, the Academic
Advancement Program offers two academic summer programs, the
Freshman Summer Program and the Transfer Summer Program, which
prepare primarily first-generation college students for a successful
transition to the university. Over the course of six weeks, participants
(most of whom are residential) are exposed to the rigor and demands
of academic life and to undergraduate programs, services, and
learning resources. This early arrival helps to ease students' transition
into the regular academic year.
Through the Gen-1 Theme House, the University of Cincinnati in
Ohio supports the transition of first-generation college students. A
living and learning community, Gen-1 provides academic resources
such as tutoring, professional counseling, mentoring, study sessions,
and monitoring of academic performance. Participating residents are
required to sign a contract to commit to all mandatory study and
tutoring sessions, to maintain a certain GPA, and to work a limited
number of hours per week.

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At Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, 16 percent of
enrolled students are first-generation college students. The school
offers First Gen Pre-Orientation, a three-day program that includes
break-out sessions for families and parents. Other first-generation
college initiatives throughout the year include a fall meet and greet, a
Rites of Passage graduation celebration, lunch-and-learn sessions, and
the First Gen Student Advisory Board.
Editor's Note: The information in this piece is drawn from an
unpublished study about first-generation college student identity. All but
one of the individuals cited in the stories are now college graduates who
reported that they first realized they were first-generation students when
they moved in to their college residence hall during freshman year.

TALkIng STICk

Talking Stick - March/April 2015

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