By Conor Lowery, So Nishikawa, Ashley Sieloff & Vicki Herd
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) has a long history of taking in first-generation students from around the world. A significant part of the university’s student population, which totals just over ten thousand, is comprised of first-generation students. The statistics around these students, however, seem inconsistent at a glance.
The website’s claims are corroborated by the UWGB Factbook’s statements that 56.2% of undergraduate entrants are first-generation students, and information suggests that first-generation student enrollment rose by 4.4% in 2023. Indeed, the records show a consistent rise of first-generation students entering the school. The rates of their graduation, however, tell a different story. Even with several resources at their disposal, first-generation graduation rates are low and only seem to drop further as time goes on, with numbers that don’t reach a solid 100% average. Looking into this phenomenon required a deep examination of the statistics, their sources, and the methods by which the calculations were made.
In the interest of finding the truth about first-generation students’ statuses at UWGB, and the low graduation rates, the Fourth Estate took a look at the resources provided to first-generation students, how they are identified, and the Department of Institutional Strategy’s statistics and those of the Factbook.
First Gen Phoenix
First Gen Phoenix is a student organization at UWGB dedicated primarily to meeting the needs of first-generation students. A meeting on Feb. 27 saw a discussion of the organization’s fundraising programs. Unsurprisingly, First Gen Phoenix looks at many of the same issues other organizations do; while their central goal is to direct students to available resources and ensure first-generation students have a welcoming social environment, the organization also holds events like game nights and karaoke nights in hopes of increasing student engagement.
Fundraising is a tool that First Gen uses to support these goals. The organization discussed multiple potential partnerships and concluded that delivery was a significant roadblock to fundraising.
“It’s hard,” said First Gen Phoenix president Bryanna Winkler, “because I feel like First-Generation students try to keep very busy for the fact that’s kind of the way they have to get through college. They have to try to work a lot because you don’t have as much ‘free will to money’ as you should say.” Winkler went on to state that “A lot of [what First Gen Phoenix does] is just getting people used to the resources the campus offers and just teaching people the information they might not have known due to the fact of their parents not going to college.”
Winkler revealed that the organization’s membership is surprisingly small. Winkler estimated there are “probably seven general members and five exec members.” Winkler also expressed that the organization does not discriminate by age, as many first-generation students are older. “If someone is an older age and comes to us for guidance, we will give advice and anything else we have,” said Winkler.
First Gen Phoenix plays a significant role in directing students to necessary services, but its low membership may not be enough to sustain the organization in the long run. Still, First Gen Phoenix remains committed to its mission. When asked what the most important part of the organization was, Winkler said that it was making the experience of First-Generation on campus not only successful but enjoyable.
Academic Advisor Bao Sengkhammee
Bao Sengkhammee, a Professional Advisor who was once a first-generation student herself, explained that first-generation students are identified by self-disclosing. She thinks that some first-gen students seem to navigate things well on their own while others need some guidance, which means walking through processes, especially when it comes to learning terminology.
When asked if working with first-generation students is any different than traditional students, she said that advisors “generally meet with all students and how much they work with them depends on their individual needs. First-gen students do tend to need a little more help from time to time.” Sengkhammee also said that “the only difference in my advising process for first-gen students [is that it] focuses on basic terminology here just to help them get by.” Sengkhammee was not aware if professors are made aware of first-gen students in their classes. Professors also have access to see what students disclose in Navigate. Or a student may self-disclose to a particular professor.
She said only a handful of first-gen students are older or nontraditional students. “Mostly they are generally Freshmen in their early 20’s.” Sengkhammee doesn’t work any differently with older or nontraditional first-generation students, just that some may need additional help.
She feels that advisors are a crucial resource for ensuring first-generation success. Sengkhammee also identified the learning center as a resource for first-generation students where they have access to student success coaches, time management and test-taking resources as well as tutoring. Other support for student success comes from connecting with professors, and utilizing Accessibility Services and the Wellness Center.
Sengkhamee said, “first-gen students tend to be a little bit more nervous, but I hope that with all the resources and staff on campus, it makes it easier and that everyone is positive and helping those first-gen students be successful.”
UWGB’s Institutional Research Analyst
To resolve some apparent statistical anomalies, The Fourth Estate checked in with UWGB’s Institutional Research Analyst from the Institutional Strategy and Effectiveness department, Samantha Surowiec. “Graduation rates are very complicated,” Surowiec said. “The percentages you are looking at are not all the students.” Surowiec explained how the statistics are calculated: “Graduation rates are calculated using a cohort, or group, of only new first full-time students.” According to her, the factbook’s statistics do not reflect the full picture, as the cohort method of graduation is cumulative and the data submission is delayed by a year.
Surowiec also explained the reason for the apparent statistical anomalies, saying “When you break it out by a demographic, it breaks the cohort up into those parts so Fall 2017 first-generation and Fall 2017 Not first-generation,” said Surowiec. “The rate is then based on each of those cohorts, not on the Fall 2017 cohort as a whole. Because of this it will not equal 100%.”
UWGB has opened its arms to first-generation students for a long time, and today they make up 50% of its undergraduate population. However, it is unclear whether or not first-generation students are taking advantage of the resources available to them. Bao Sengkamee and advisors like her are tasked with providing guidance and resources, but students are often unaware of them. UWGB maintains that it is a great and welcoming school for first-generation students.
