New Members Share Their Perspective

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Introduction

Every influx of new members provides an opportunity to see the strengths and limitations of LLI through fresh eyes. And this year, as in previous years, 24 newcomers had some definite opinions to share on the new member survey, with the understanding that their insightful comments will be taken to heart as we strive to improve our functioning and offerings. Here’s an overview of their reactions.

Anne Brueckner (mentor) with Cristina Ochagavia (mentee)

Mentor Program

Almost 60% of new members were contacted by a mentor. Sometimes they met their mentor during the summer, other times at orientation or during the fall. 

Pros:

  • Very informal but helpful
  • She was ready and able to answer all questions. It was good to know I could reach out if needed.
  • I enjoyed meeting with my mentor; she was friendly and helpful.
  • I called a couple of times to have my questions answered. 

Cons:

  • I may have had a mentor contact me, but it seemed that I was in contact with a variety of people within the LLI for registering, for parking, for ID pick up, etc., so I’m not sure who my mentor was.
  • Sounds like a good idea, but I didn’t have one.
  • Friendly but not helpful.

Campus Tours

Two-thirds of respondents (66.7%) attended one of the campus tours. Of those who did, 75% found it helped them prepare for their first semester at LLI. 

However, 25% offered ideas for improvement. 

  • Put signs in the parking lot and on the doors of the buildings to show where to go?
  • Provide a paper map of campus with key locations highlighted.
  • It was cut short because of problems with parking permits.
  • Tell people more about the tour and benefits before they can sign up and/or go.
  • A broader tour would be helpful and a time to explain the added benefits (i.e.) cafeteria option.

And one-third had a variety of reasons for not coming: they weren’t feeling well, they already knew the campus, they were out of town or working, and they were concerned about COVID.

Orientation

Three-quarters of respondents came to either the in-person (62.5%) or Zoom (12.5%) orientation. Of those who attended, 83.4% thought it prepared them well..

The positives:

  • Good that some people wore masks.
  • Friendly, casual, and informative.
  • Covered important overview and things to know.
  • It was great.

Room for improvement:

  • Mostly talked about things I knew from the website; wasted time.
  • The presentation with slides was too long and tedious.
  • Was hard to hear some presenters.
  • Looked like you needed more volunteers.
  • Start on time.
  • Think back about what you really wanted to know when you first started.
  • Perhaps a little video that someone could look at online at their leisure would be better.

Navigating the Campus

Of the new members who attended in-person classes, 55% stopped at the welcome table. Almost all (94.1%) found it helpful to be welcomed by LLI members who could answer questions and direct them on their way.

Everyone checked the LLI website to find out more information about Bard and LLI.

Chuck Mishaan's Landmark Literature Class

Attending Classes and Social Events

In-person classes were the most popular, with 79.2% taking at least one. Somewhat fewer members (47.8%) took at least one Zoom class.

Positives

  • Excellent class and very thoughtfully put together. 
  • I thoroughly enjoyed and was stimulated by the courses.
  • Brilliant.
  • Presenters were overall good to excellent (though mixed in a multipresenter course.)

Comments

  • I was a bit confused by the organization of materials.
  • The courses I was interested in were full when I tried to register
  • On-campus class manager was decidedly unhelpful. 
  • I was surprised by the very close contact with unmasked participants. 
  • I choose the classes to take based in most part if they’re in person or not.

Three-quarters of the respondents attended a social event, and all those who came said they enjoyed themselves.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a rewarding way to connect with other LLI members, and all are welcome to join any committee that interests them. Of the new members who considered doing so, the most common areas of interest were proofreading LLI publications, communicating with members, presenting courses, and writing articles for the newsletter. Some were interested in presenting courses on:

  • Drawing 
  • Simple book binding
  • Hudson River School of Art
  • American nature writers and poets 
  • Fundamentals of sailing
  • Furniture
  • Modern China

Many (41.2%) said they couldn’t volunteer at this time. Common reasons include:

  • Dealing with a couple of medical issues requiring doc and PT scheduling.
  • I would like to use volunteering as a way to meet the interesting people that I know populate Bard LI. But I can no longer drive and many activities, including in person classes, aren’t scheduled for convenient users of the Bard shuttle or county loop bus. 
  • Lack of time. Will consider volunteering in the future, though. 

Please know that new ideas and fresh perspectives are essential to help LLI grow and thrive. Thank you to all who took the time to share your thoughts. 


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