November 18, 1996

Kresge College opens new resource center for transfer students

Transfer students who want to socialize with one another, access information about UCSC, or gain skills for school have a new place to go this quarter--the Transfer Student Resource Center at Kresge College.

A small room packed with sofas, student artwork, and hanging plants, the resource center is at the opposite end of the college from the Howling Cow Café.

"We've tried to address what would make the transition from community colleges easier and better, and help transfer students have more success," says Kresge administrative officer Carol Harper. "We found that it was important to these students to be able to come to one place to find information and socialize."

In addition to a place to meet and get information, the center sponsors workshops for college and career skills and social activities such as dinners with faculty, pizza nights, and barbecues. Many of the activities and workshops are being designed with the assistance of Re-Entry Services.

Kresge created the resource center as part of an effort to attract a more diverse student body and capitalize on its strengths as an apartment-only college, says Harper.

Transfer students, who may spend two or more years at community colleges and jobs before entering UCSC, are often older than the general student body. They often find apartment living, with its promise of more privacy and home-cooked meals, more appealing than residence halls.

Kresge staff sent out a number of pamphlets last year that touted the college's programs for transfer students and highlighted the new resource center.

Last fall, fewer than 100 new transfer students joined Kresge, Harper says. This fall, Kresge attracted approximately 270 transfer students-more than a quarter of the 1,000 newly enrolled at UCSC. Approximately 70 of the new Kresge transfers live at the college and 200 live off campus, she says.

The resource center is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Starting in winter quarter, the center will open for four additional hours on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call the center at ext. 5899 for more information.

--Francine Tyler