AN www.cranmsumxssrjugmm ' commm 00mg mums ELECTION To v_ . -- {mama How 3mm mmumcmon {ECHNEQUES AND’ DEMOGRAPHY ENTERAOTED. V ' m iflFLUENCEVI’GTER EECISEON Thesis m the Dame afi’ Pix & . mum SFAE‘E' {INNERSZTY {30961153 E. W 1931 ' ‘ *‘wvfl 1-: ._ P , LIBRARY V .’ Michigan State University 1H5», This is to certify that the thesis entitled AN ANALYSIS OF AN UNSUCCESSFUL RURAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE MILLAGE ELECTION TO DETERMINE HOW SELECTED COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES I AND DEMOGRAPHY INTERACTED TO INFLUENCE VOTER DECISION ‘ presented by Donald E. Krischak has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Ph .D degree in meat ion Date July 14, 1971 0-7839 ABSTRACT AN ANALYSIS OF AN UNSUCCESSFUL RURAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE MILLAGE ELECTION TO DETERMINE HOW SELECTED COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES AND DEMOGRAPHY INTERACTED TO INFLUENCE VOTER DECISION BY Donald E. Krischak Overview This study, an analysis of an unsuccessful rural community college millage election, was conducted to deter- mine how selected communication techniques and demography interacted to influence voter decision. As a means of accomplishing this purpose, the plan for administering the study included the conducting of 410 interviews from a representative sample of the 4,322 persons who voted in the February 23, 1971, millage election called by Montcalm Community College in the County of Montcalm, Michigan. The interview-questionnaire conducted by college students permitted the collection of the necessary responses to five (5) research questions. The research questions were as follows: 1. What relationship is there between a person's occupation and: Donald E. Krischak A. His sources of information about a college millage election? B. The sources of information he considers most influential in deciding how to vote in a millage election? 2. Is there a relationship between how a person said he voted and: A. His sources of information? B. What he considers to be his most influential sources of information in deciding how to vote? 3. Is there a relationship between sources of information, most influential sources of information and demographics: age, proximity to campus; prOperty ownership status; sex; parental status; voter status in the 1965 election to form the college district; and most recent visit to the campus? 4. What are the characteristics and feelings of student interviewers who volunteer to conduct community- centered interviews as contrasted and compared with those students who are required to conduct interviews as a part of a regular class assignment? 5. What is the efficacy of using college-age students to conduct community-centered interviews? Summary of Major Findings 1. More voters rely on the newspaper than upon any other source of information for millage information. Donald E. Krischak 2. The executive/professional is more likely to get information from the speakers bureau than any other accupa- tional group. 3. Almost all voter are exposed to information during the election campaign. 4. Almost one-half of all the voters were not influenced by any of the communications techniques used during the campaign. 5. The farmer and the retiree reported being less influenced by the communication attempts than persons in other occupational categories. 6. A majority of the housewives, executive/pro— fessional and the skilled/semi-skilled/unskilled/service are apparently Open to some communication channels. 7. Persons exposed to the speakers bureau were more likely to vote yes. Whether they were already pre- disposed toward the college by virtue of their professional status is unclear. 8. The radio does not appear to affect voter deci- sion one way or the other. 9. There is an indication that people who get their millage informatidn from a secondary source (i.e., spouse, neighbor/friend), are more inclined to vote against the millage request. Donald E. Krischak 10. The farther from campus a voter lives, the less likely he is to be exposed to information through the brochure. 11. The farther from campus a person lives, the less likely he is to be influenced by any sources of millage information. The Efficacy_of Using Students to Conduct Community3Centered Interviews 1. Students who volunteer to conduct interviews find it easier to talk with persons they are meeting for the first time than do those students who are required to conduct interviews as part of a class assignment. 2. A majority of the student interviewers found helpful the printed material provided to assist them with probing during the interview. 3. Students who volunteer to conduct interviews are more willing to conduct additional interviews than those who do not volunteer. 4. The fact that student conducts the interview does not appear to affect the respondent. General Conclusion The findings of the study weigh heavily in support of the idea that an "anti-tax" climate existed in the county prior to and during the millage campaign. Donald E. Krischak Recommendations l. A major emphasis of time and money should be spent in identifying the clerical/sales person, the execu- tive/professional, the housewife, and the skilled/semi- skilled/unskilled/service, who are more likely to vote yes. Little effort should be expended to convert the no voter. 2. More information concerning the college's programs, students and faculty should be included in the millage presentation and released on a continuous basis by the college. 3. Since limited student involvement evinced an impact, their participation should be expanded in future campaigns. 4. More citizens should be encouraged to visit the campus since there exists a high significance between a person's recency on campus and his attitude toward how effective a job the college is doing. 5. Since most voters feel that taxes are too high, more information should be disseminated about the dollar value to the taxpayer from the college's presence in the community. 6. Some of the news releases to radio stations should be designed to affect the retiree since he receives more information from this medium than from any other source. Donald E. Krischak 7. Efforts should be made to insure that members of the clerical/sales and executive/professional groups get out to vote, since they vote yes more frequently than persons in other occupational groups. 8. Since there exists a definite relationship between how a person votes and his proximity to the campus, the college should seek ways of narrowing the distance between the college and its services and the voters it serves. (Through extension and similar services.) 9. Since nearly 90% of all voters are parents, efforts should be made to reach this segment of the voting public through PTA's, neighborhood coffee meetings and other places where parents tend to assemble. 10. The person who refused to tell how he voted should be considered, for matters of communications planning, as a no voter. 11. Students chosen to conduct interviews should be given the Opportunity to volunteer for the assignment, rather than be required to participate by the instructor. Recommendations for Further Study Further study is suggested that would: 1. determine the extent to which citizens desire to be involved in assessing college goals and objectives relative to planning for a millage election. Donald E. Krischak determine how far in advance of an election date voters wish to receive millage information. ascertain the extent and kinds of involvement that would best utilize the talents of students during a campaign. better assess the extent to which an anti-tax climate negates the positive impact of the communications used during a millage election. determine why some voters feel they are getting their money's worth and that taxes are not too high, and others feel taxes are too high. This kind of study would attempt to identify just how much factual data a voter actually has about his school taxes. analyze the kinds of messages voters feel present apprOpriate information for them to better decide how to vote. determine if persons who visit the campus are predisposed favorably toward the institution, or if their visit results in a more favorable attitude. determine how knowledgeable voters are about the jargon educators use in millage campaigns. As an example, does a voter know what a mill represents, or does he under- stand the principles underlying debt retirement? determine the subtleties of using students to conduct community-centered interviews. This could include a more thorough investigation of the training required and 10. Donald E. Krischak the deSirability of paying the students who conduct the interviews. determine why those voters who interact with a secondary source (i.e., Spouse, enighbor/friend) are more inclined to vote negatively. AN ANALYSIS OF AN UNSUCCESSFUL RURAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE MILLAGE ELECTION TO DETERMINE HOW SELECTED COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES AND DEMOGRAPHY INTERACTED TO INFLUENCE VOTER DECISION By I J Donald EC Krischak A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Administration and Higher Education 1971 C7/J/Q ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this thesis is the result of the cooperative efforts and empathetic understanding of many persons. Included among these are the citizens of Montcalm County who, by participating in the interviews, provided the data around which this study has been conducted; and the forty—one students who volunteered their time to conduct the interviews. In addition, there are individuals to whom I would like to give a special thanks for having given freely of their time and counsel to assist in the completion of this project. My sincere thanks are extended to the following: Dr. Max Raines, a truly unique person and Chairman; Dr. Donald Fink; Dr. James Nelson; Dr. Louis Romano; and Dr. Lawrence Sarbaugh--an outstanding doctoral committee. Dr. Ed Simonsen and Dr. Orlin Shires, whose efforts and interest made possible a leave of absence from the Kern Community College District, California, to complete the doctoral program. Howard Bernson, and Nancy Trygstad, whose c00pera- tion at Montcalm College went far beyond the level required of them, and to Les Morford, Dennis Nelson, Harold Springsteen and Bob Tupper, also of the Montcalm Community College staff. ii And a very special mention of those persons who made the greatest sacrifice of all during the entire doctoral program--my wife, Sue, and children Scott and Jennifer. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . LIST OF APPENDICES . . . . . . . Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . Introduction to the Problem. Statement of the Problem. . Significance of the Problem. Statement of Purpose . . Questions to be Studied . Definition of Terms. Limitation of the Study Design of the Study . Summary . . . . . II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . . Introduction. . . . . . Reasons for Initiating Campaigns Bond Issues and Millage Elections Campaign Strategy . . . Planning and Running a Campaign. The Timing of the Election Demographic Variables. . . Community Involvement. . . Citizen Committees . . . Social, Religious, Civic and Economic Organizations . . . . Teacher--Student. . . . Mass Communications Media . The Role of the News Media Posters, Bulletins and Brochures Person- to-Person Communication for The Role of Factual Data in the Campaign Get-Out- The-Vote Schemes . Conclusion . . . . . . iv Page ii vii ix oxoooxlmwle—I |—' H F1 |._: Chapter Page III. PLANNING AND CONDUCTING THE STUDY . . . . 41 The Setting--Montcalm County, Michigan . . 41 The College . . . . . . . . . . 45 Planning for Millage Election . . . . . 49 Brochure . . . . . . . . . . 51 Television. . . . . . . . . . . 52 Newspapers. . . . . . . . . . . 52 Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Speaker's Bureau. . . . . . . . . 53 Montcalm College Student . . . . . . 54 Telephone Campaign . . Citizens Committee . . . . . . . . 55 Student Involvement in Conducting Interviews . . . . . . . . . . 56 Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Assessment of the Student's Role . . . 58 Analysis of the Interviewer Question- naire. . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Descriptive Aspects of the Study . . . . 64 Research Design. . . . . . . . . . 65 Population. . . . . . . . . . . 65 Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Data Collection . . . . . . . . . 66 The Interview. . . . . . . . . . 66 Data Analysis. . . . . . . . . . 66 Pre-Interview Contact with Voter . . . 66 Pre-Test of the Questionnaire . . . . 67 Post Interview Followup . . . . . . . 67 IV. PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA . . . 69 PART I Method of Presentation and Analysis of the Data . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Questionnaire Response . . . . . . . 7l Demographic Characteristics of Respondents. 72 PART II Findings Related to the Questions Studied . 74 Research Question l-A . . . . . . . 74 Research Question l-B . . . . . . . 75 Research Question 2-A . . . . . . . 80 Research Question 2-B . . . . . . . 84 Research Question 3. . . . . . . . 86 Sources of Information and Demographics . 86 Most Influential Sources of Information and Demographics . . . . . . . . 97 Summary of Subjective Responses . . . . 99 V Chapter V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS. EPILOGUE BIBLIOGRAP APPENDICES. Summary . . . . . . . . . . . Summary of Major Findings . . . . Conclusion Concerning the Efficacy of Using Students to Conduct Community- Centered Interviews . . . . . . General Conclusion. . . . . . . . Recommendations. . . . . . . Recommendations for Further Study. . . HY O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 vi Page 101 101 102 104 104 105 108 110 117 122 Table 4- 1. 4- 2. 4- 3. 4- 4. 4- 5. 4- 6. 4- 7. 4- 8. 4- 9. 4-10. 4-11. 4-12. 4-13. LIST OF TABLES Occupation and Sources of Information (Multiple Responses Possible) . . . . Most Influential Source of Information Named First 0 O O O O O O I O C O . Most Influential Source of Information Named Second . . . . . . . . . . . . Frequency and Percentage of Voting Categories Receiving Information from Each of Ten Sources (Multiple Responses Possible) . . Most Influential Sources of Information and How Voted in Election . . . . . . . Source of Information and Demographic Varia- bles: Age, Distance from Campus, Property Ownership . . . . . . . . . . . Source of Information and Variables: Sex, Parental Status, Voter Status '65 Election Source of Information and Variable Last Time on campus 0 O O O O O O O O O 0 Most Influential Sources of Information and Variable, Age . . . . . . . . . . Most Influential Sources of Information and Variable Distance From Campus . . . . Most Influential Sources of Information and Demographic Variables, Property Ownership Status, and Sex . . . . . . . . . Most Influential Sources of Information and Demographic Variables, Parental Status, and Voter Status in '65 Election . . . Most Influential Sources of Information and Demographic Variable, Last Time on Campus vii Page 73 77 78 81 82 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 Table 4-14. 4-15. 4-16. 4-20. Occupation and How Voted in the Election . . Attitudes and How Voted in the Election . . . How Voted in Election and Demographic Varia- bles, Age, Distance from Campus, and Sex . . How Voted in Election and Demographic Varia- bles, Parental Status, Voter Status in 1965 Election, Last Time on Campus . . . . Occupation and Demographic Variables: Age, and Distance from Campus . . . . . . . Occupation and Demographic Variables: Parental Status, Voter Status in 1965 Election, Last Time on Campus . . . . . . . . . . Occupation and Attitudes . . . . . . . . viii Page 165 167 170 171 175 176 177 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page A. Survey Instrument Used to Collect Data . . . . 123 B. College Taxes Levied Since March 2, 1965, and Comparison of Sources of Operating Income . . 128 C. Brochure Used to Diseminate Millage Information . 131 D. Letter Mailed to Organization After Slide Presentations Were Made . . . . . . . . 133 E. Open Letter to Students Regarding Impact of Millage Election Vote . . . . . . . . . 135 F. Editorial From the Student Newspaper, The Post . 137 G. Paid Advertisement of the Central Montcalm High School Chapter of the National Honor Society . 139 H. Printed Material Distributed to Interviewers on Stimulating Discussion--Probing . . . . . 141 I. Letter to Interviewers and Student Interviewer Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . 147 J. Subjective Responses to the Question: Is There Anything you Would Like to Mention About the College's Programs, Courses, Personnel, or any Other Phase of its Operation? . . . . . . 151 K. Election Results by High School District of the 1965 Election to form the College District and of the February 23, 1971 Election . . . . . 160 L. Research Questions 1, 2, 3, 4, not Presented in Chapter IV . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Introduction to the Problem New community junior colleges are being created at a rate of nearly 50 a year, and community college enrollment is increasing at a rate exceeding 200,000 students annually. To cope with this sort of growth, the community colleges must have more revenue for capital outlay purposes within the next few years than they have spent throughout their previous history. However, of the bond elections being called to provide these capital outlay funds, more than half are now failing.l As Community College administrators face ever increasing financial pressures, few would deny that sustaining public support for millage elections and bond issues is taxing the educator's pool of knowledge about how to conduct a successful tax request campaign. This problem is especially apparent during this period of spiraling demands on limited financial resources. 1"Big Tax Increase Faced by Junior College 'Have- Nots,'" Los Angeles Times, August 22, 1969. Roe2 cites the following causes for increasing costs of education: inflation; extension of programs and services to meet community demands; higher minimum standards for instructional personnel; increase in population; and emphasis on specialized programs to serve the disadvantaged which necessitates reduced teacher loads, and support services. With a taXpayer revolt becoming widespread, the days appear to be gone when an administrator can rely solely on assumed community good-will toward education and the merits of his request combining to assure a suc- cessful election. Concurrently, the fact that increasingly more effective skills are needed to communicate with all segments of the college's constituency is becoming all too apparent. Statement of the Problem The primary problem studied was the development of strategies for the effective use of selected communication techniques to influence voters in future rural community college millage elections. A secondary problem was an investigation of the efficacy of using college students to conduct follow-up interviews with voters. The strategy will include recommendations of communication procedures, 2Roe, Giddis, and Nielsen, "Financing Michigan's Schools," Michigan State University: Bureau of Education Research, 1963. and techniques which can best encourage a favorable vote in such elections. Significance of the Problem Continued local financial support and citizen aware- ness are central to the system of public community college education. Harrington amplifies the position of most educa— tors with his following comment: Let there be no misunderstanding as to the vested interest of educators in the outcome of a bond or tax election. Certainly its failure will probably complicate their jobs and jeopardize efforts to maintain the kind of professional standards essential for an adequate education. . . . This may be an old story to teachers and administrators, but time and again the majority of voters have failed to demonstrate their understanding. Later in the same text he states: .The effectiveness with which a school bond or tax increase information program is organized may well be the key to the educational destiny of the com- munity.4 Statement of Purpose The first purpose of the study is to investigate all aspects of the planning for the Montcalm Community College millage campaign for the February 23, 1971, elec— tion, with particular emphasis on the communications planning and execution. Also included is a description of the college and it's community. *— 3Dr. John H. Harrington, How to Administer a School Bond or Tax Election Information Program (New Jersey: PrentICe-Hall, Inc., 1967), P. 9. 41bid. The second purpose of the study is to determine the efficacy of using college students to conduct community- centered interviews. The third purpose of the study is to investigate how the communication techniques employed interacted with certain demographic data to influence voter decision. Specifically, the study seeks to answer to what extent the following communication techniques influenced voter decision: (1) Brochure, (2) Television, (3) News- papers, (4) Radio, (5) Spouse, (6) Speaker's Bureau, (7) Montcalm College student, (8) Telephone call, (9) Neighbor or friend, (10) None, or (11) Other. Respondents were asked to mark the sources from which they remembered receiving information about the millage election, and to name the two they felt were most influential in their deciding how they voted. The demographic information secured for the study include: (1) Occupation--farmer, retiree, housewife, executive/professional, skilled-unskilled-semi-skilled- service, clerical/sales, or unemployed, (2) Age--35 years of age and under, over 35 years of age, (3) Proximity to campus--0-5 miles, 6-15 miles, 16-25 miles, or over 25 miles, (4) Parental status--children, no children, (5) Property owner in Montcalm County--yes or no, (6) Voter status in the 1965 election to create the college district, (7) The last time the voter visited the campus--within the past six months, between six months and a year, over a year, or never been on the campus. The study also attempts to assess voter attitudes toward: (1) How effective a jOb the college is presently doing, (2) The level of taxation in Montcalm County, (3) Should the State pay 100% of financing community colleges, and (4) The desirability of a college education being available for every high school graduate. Respondents were asked to reflect on the amount and quality of the information they received. Included as a part of this question was an opportunity for the respondent to state the kinds of information he would liked to have received if he felt he had not received enough. Another important aspect of the study was to get the respondent to say how he voted in the election. Respondents were also asked to express their feelings on the college's programs, courses, personnel, or on any other phase of the college's operation (see Appendix A for a copy of the questionnaire). Questions to be Studied 1. What relationship is there between a person's occupation and: A. His sources of information about college millage elections? B. The sources of information he considers most influential in deciding how to vote in a millage election? 2. Is there a relationship between how a person said he voted and: A. His sources of information? B. What he considers to be his most influential sources of information in deciding how to vote? 3. Is there a relationship between sources of information, most influential sources of information and demographics: age, proximity to campus; property ownership status; sex; parental status; voter status in the 1965 election to form the college district; and most recent visit to the campus? 4. What are the characteristics and feelings of student interviewers who volunteer to conduct community- centered interviews as contrasted and compared with those students who are required to conduct interviews as a part of a regular class assignment? 5. What is the efficacy of using college—age stu- dents to conduct community-centered interviews? Although not central to this study, data were collected pertaining to the following questions and the results are presented in the appendix: 1. Is there a relationship between a person's occupation and whether he voted yes, voted no, or refused to say how he voted? 2. Does the way a person says he voted have any relationship with his attitudes toward: state level of financing community colleges; how effective a job he feels the college is doing; whether every high school graduate in Montcalm County should have the opportunity to attend a community college; and whether he feels school taxes are too high in Montcalm County? 3. What relationships are there between how a person voted and such demographics as: age, proximity to campus, pr0perty ownership status, sex, parental status, voter status in the 1965 election to form the college district, and most recent visit to campus? 4. What relationship exists between a person's occupation and the demographic variables listed in three above? Definition of Terms l. Ragigf-There were three radio stations utilized during the millage campaign. This study will be concerned with public service announcements and newscasts aired over stations located in Alma, Ionia, and Greenville, Michigan. 2. College Students--Refers to those students enrolled in Montcalm Community College during the campaign, including, but not limited to those who actively participated in disseminating information. 3. Brochure--Refers to the brochure as shown in the appendix. 4. Newspapers--Refers to only those papers distrib- uted in Montcalm County, excluding the Grand Rapids daily to wnich no releases were mailed. 5. Telephone Campaigne-Refers to the approximately 2,000 phone calls made the week of the election by volunteers to "get out the voters." 6. Speaker's Bureau--Refers to the 145 slide presen- tations presented to civic, social, and fraternal organiza- tions. 7. Farmer--Refers to those persons who either own farms or work on farms. 8. Unemployed-—Refers to those persons who not only are unemployed, but have no prospects of starting to work in the immediate future. 9. Property Owner--Refers to those persons who own real prOperty in the County of Montcalm, Michigan. Limitation of the Study Because the study was conducted entirely within Montcalm Community College District, the applicability of the conclusions and recommendations to other districts would have to be assessed carefully by persons wishing to generalize from the findings. Only those 4,322 persons who actually cast a vote in the election were included in the population of this study. It is recognized that both the geographic boundaries within the college district and demographic composition of neighborhoods are in the process of change. Consequently, as the voting public's within a given geographic area change, the voting patterns may also change. Design of the Study This study is a descriptive survey. It provides information, facts and opinions of four hundred and ten (410) voters in the February 23, 1971, Montcalm Community College millage election held in Montcalm County, Michigan. Best and Good have defined and identified the characteristics of descriptive research. Best's definition is as follows: Descriptive research describes and interprets what is. It is concerned with conditions or relationships that exist; practices that prevail; beliefs, points of view, or attitudes that are being felt, or trends that are developing. The process of descriptive research goes beyond mere gathering of data. It involves an element of interpretation of the meaning or significance of what is described.5 Good describes the uses and purposes of survey investigation as: The more analytical school surveys of the past two decades tell us not only where we are in a particular school system, but also recommend next steps by way of progress, and suggest the methods of reaching goals. This view is one answer to critics of the 5John W. Best, Research in Education (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1959), pp. 102- 103. 10 descriptive survey method who sometimes say that it is not a forward-looking approach to the solution of educational problems. The universe for this study in the Montcalm Community College district, Michigan. The population from which the respondents were selected are the voters in the February 23, 1971, millage election. A random sampling of those eligible voters who actually cast ballots was made in the selection of respondents. Data were obtained by a student-conducted interview questionnaire designed by the writer. The research questions served as the basis for the grouping and reporting of the data. Recommendations and conclusions are drawn from the information obtained and the interpretations made from the data as related to the purposes of the study. Summary In this chapter the writer has attempted to identify the problem to be studied, the significance of this problem, the related questions to be studied, limitations and assump- tions in making this study. Also included is a brief review of the design of the study. A definition of terms has also been included. 6Carter V. Good, Essentials of Educational Research (New York: Appleton-Centurn-Crofts, 1966), p. 192. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Introduction A great deal has been written about school bond elections, but there seems to be substantial disagreement about almost every variable that might affect the outcome of a bond election. In fact, there are irreconcilable contradictions among various researchers on such key issues as voter turnout, the role of lay citizens committees, and the role of the news media. Some researchers have concluded that a citizen's advisory committee is virtually useless, a waste of the school administration's time and negatively correlated with success at the polls. But others have reached the opposite conclusion, reporting that such groups are indispensable. Similarly, one scholar reported that the higher the turnout, the better the chances for a bond election to pass. But other studies have concluded that a high turnout is a sign of impending disaster. Meanwhile, some students of bond elections contend that the mass media are extremely influential in persuading voters to support bond elections; others contend that the “best press" in the world is of little advantage. 11 12 One gets the feeling that the related literature on bond elections is indeed something of an academic wasteland--a wasteland begrudgingly approached by doctoral candidates who quickly retreat to add their own contributions to its vastness. Moreover, the periodical literature is of little help to the school administrator who wants to find his way through the underbrush of conflicting conclusions and locate some meaningful advice for an upcoming bond election. Hundreds of articles have been written about bond elections in the education journals, but almost all of them are of the "here's-how-we-did-it—in-Jonesville" variety--they are interesting, but there is no reason to suspect that what worked in Jonesville will work in Smithville. In an effort to meaningfully compile the results of previous research that could be relevant to the student of junior college bond elections, the data in this thesis were organized by major issues. By summarizing all available findings about voter turnout, for instance, in one place, the author hOped to produce an eclectic summary from.which a useful synthesis could be achieved. Topics to be dis- cussed include: findings about voter turnout, reasons for initiating campaigns for bond issues and millage elections, demographic variables, the role of lay citizens groups, the role of personal contact between school personnel and the 13 public, the role of the news media, the effects of vocal opposition, timing of the campaign and placement on the calendar, general campaign strategies, general community attitudes toward education, the significance of having cogent arguments in favor of the bond issue, and other factors. Reasons for Initiating Campaigns for Bond Issues and Millage Elections The absence of enthusiastic support for an issue appears to encourage increasing neutrality or apathy and gives organized opposition a better chance for success.7 By the same token, voter apathy for school elections is a proven fact, with the result being the failure of many people who are interested in education to go to the polls to vote. Resultantly, many issues have been defeated by a very narrow margin when possibly they could have passed.8 A second reason for initiating a formal campaign is to design the extent and scope of the coverage that can be obtained through the use of the communications media. Many experts will agree that the mass media does not stimulate change but rather reinforces the beliefs already held by the individual. However, it has been found that 7L. C. Olson, "Two Approaches Help Schools Get The Finances They Need," Nations Schools, September, 1966, pp. 62-64. 8D. K. Osborn, "Anatomy of a Millage Vote," Grade Teacher, March, 1964, p. 128. 14 in issues that are really "new," mass communications are unlikely to run afoul of unsympathetic opinion leaders. In short, many of the mediating forces which usually hinder conversion seem likely to be inoperative.9 The third reason has to do with voter turnout and this is one of the most important, yet inconclusive, issues. One group of researchers found that when voter turnout is low the issue will generally pass by a large margin; when voter turnout is medium those issues which fail greatly outnumber those that pass; and when voter turnout is high there is no definite pattern but consensus of opinion seems to favor passage of the issue.10'll'12 Other research shows that when voter turnout is high (over 60%) or when it is low (under 40%) the school bond is most likely to fail.13 9Joseph T. Klapper, The Effects of Mass Communica— tion (Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1960). 10Richard F. Carter and John Sutthoff, Voters and Their Schools (Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1960), p. 40. 11R. F. Carter and W. G. Savard, "Study of Voter Turn—out," Education Digest, January, 1962, pp. 16-18. 12J. H. Harrington, "Blueprint of a Successful Bond or Tax Election," Education Digest, February, 1960, pp. 10-13. 13George M. Beal, et al., Vocational School Bond Issues in Iowa, Rural Sociological Report No. 59 of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University, 1967), p. 82. 15 However, there is one area where most experts will agree. And that is where voters who feel that they under- stand an issue are more likely to vote. Most taxpayers are convinced that education is worthwhile, but, at the same time, are rebelling against higher taxation. Therefore, it is the educators duty to reinforce the view that the education program is beneficial to overpower the desire to vote against higher taxation in general. Campaign Strategy The goal of every campaign should be to reach all households in the district on a door-to-door basis. News- papers and speakers bureaus, when used exclusively, tend to bring out the minority that is Opposed to the issue.14 This means that the support of the various groups influ- encing public opinion must be gained before the issue is submitted to the voter, with concentration on an intensive grass-roots campaign, to insure the success of the elec- 15 tion. The support or endorsement of community leaders and civic groups is important, but final success depends upon reaching the mass of the ordinary voters.16 l4Harrington, pp. cit., pp. 10—13. 15L. G. Conlan and H. J. Miller, "You Can Win that Bond Issue With a Grass Roots Campaign," Nations Schools, June, 1957’ pp. 43-46. 16John A. Smith, An Appraisal of School Bond Campaign Techniques (Los Angeles: The University of' Southérn California Press, 1953). 16 The strategy should include developing all literature and material around an emotional appeal with an emphasis on children and learning and not upon buildings and dollars.17'18 Building a campaign around the theme of what is being done for a child is a great deal more effective than dry sta- tistics about five hundred children.12’20 An important tactic that can pay dividends, and is often neglected, is to slant the campaign toward the women. Crosby, while reviewing research on the subject, found that two-thirds of the attempts of the wife to influence the husband are successful.21 Planning and Running a Campaign Kindred and Reeder seem to agree that the planning phase for an election campaign should begin at least one 17B. Carter and T. Devries, "Tem Commandments of Successful School Tax Campaigns," Clearing House, December, 1967, pp. 210—212. 18J. F. Hinchley and J. Somni, "How to Win a Lost Bond Vote," School Management, November, 1964, pp. 72—74. 19Otis A. Crosby, "Guesses Don't Pay off in School Elections," Michigan Education Journal, March, 1961, 20Otis A. Crosby, "How to Make Bonds a Winning Issue," Nations Schools, July, 1963, pp. 27-28. 21Ibid. 17 22,23 year before the date of the vote. During this period the strategy is planned and the public is made aware of school needs and practices.24 It is an important considera- tion to condition the public to the needs and programs of the schools before the mention is made of a bond issue or tax referendum. The duration, during which the active portion of the campaign is intensified, should last from one week to six months depending upon which authority you follow.25'26 The general consensus is that this phase should be long enough to reach all segments of the community, but short enough so that people will not forget about the election. This period can vary from three months to three weeks de— pending upon the size of the community and the population centers that you wish to contact. 22Leslie W. Kindred, School Public Relations (Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1960), p. 87. 23Ward G. Reeder, Campaigns for School Taxes (New York, N. Y.: The Macmillan Co., 1946). 24Leslie W. Kindred, How to Tell the School Story (Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1960), p. 120. 25Kindred, 2p. cit., p. 87. 26Reeder, pp. cit. 18 TheLTiming of the Election Certain months of the calendar year are considered to be less desirable than others for submitting school issues to the populace. These months have been found to be March, April and May because of the income tax period, December because of the holiday period, and the summer months of June, July and August due to vacations.27 According to the research, the most favorable months for school elections are September, October and early November when an awareness of school needs and pro- grams is most prominent.28 Opinion is not so solidified when it comes to determining whether or not the issue should be placed before the voters during a special school election, or whether it should be placed on the ballot during the regularly scheduled primary or general elections.29’3o Smith, who has probably attempted the most intensive research on the subject, concludes that "school elections 27Otis A. Crosby, "To Get a Yes Vote Let's Take Know For an Answer," Michigan Education Journal, March, 1966, pp. 20-22. 28Otis A. Crosby, "How to Prepare Winning Bond Issues," Nations Schools, April, 1968, pp. 81-82. 29J. W. Edmiston and J. R. Holcomb, "Some Factors Favoring Passage of the School Bond Issue," American School Board Journal, January, 1942, p. 54. 30 Harrington, pp. cit., pp. 10-13. 19 should be held with general elections in districts where the voters who are primarily craftmen, operatives and laborers are in the majority, and as special elections where the majority of voters are of the clerical, proprietor, or pro- fessional class."31 This is because the former group will get out and vote in the general or primary election and this group is the most favorable to school issues, whereas the special election will not attract a majority of the voters and the clerical, professional and proprietor class tend to be the most unfavorable toward school elections. Regardless of when the election is held, no school issue should be brought before the public during the time 32 It is not when another public bond is being presented. difficult to make the association between a new sewerage disposal plant and a defeated public school bond or tax issue. Demographic Variables Like voter turnout, the group of characteristics that together comprise demography have been extensively studied as variables affecting the outcome of bond elec— tions. As in the case of voter turnout, there is substantial disagreement on the role of demography, but there also seems to be some area of agreement. 31Smith, pp, cit. 32Edmiston, pp. cit., p. 54. 20 In Voters and their Schools,33 Carter reported a series of findings about the demographic correlates of public school support and non-support. Among other things, he found that the most pro-school voters are those who are young, have children in the public schools, are relatively new in the area, and work in skilled or clerical/sales occupations. On the other hand, Carter reported that the most hostile voters are young adults without children, longtime residents of the area (who attended school there), and professional or technical workers. Older persons, those with no children, those with children in private schools, and the most highly educated groups were also found to be hostile to the schools. In a study of park bond election results, Jamieson34 reached some conclusions that SUpport Carter's findings. Jamieson concluded that young voters tended to be more pro-bonds than older voters. 33Richard F. Carter, Voters and Their Schools, Stanford University: A Technical Report from the Institute for Communications Research, Stanford, California, June 30, 1960. 34James B. Jamieson, Park-Bond Voting in Municipal Elections (Los Angeles: Institute of Government and Puinb Affairs, 1965). 21 35 King and Freeman found that older, less educated persons, blue collar workers, and those over 50 tended to vote no on bonds. Somewhat to the contrary, Turner36 found that "below average" communities were far ahead of other kinds of com— munities in their percentages supporting a school bond election, but that low voter turnout in these areas tended to offset this factor. Turner's "average" communities were most hostile to the school bonds, while "above average" communities approached the proportion of yes votes coming from the "below average" communities, but with much higher voter turnouts. 37 found that In his San Mateo opinion poll, Witt persons over 50 years of age with no children under 21 were the most negative in regard to a proposed college bond election. Additionally, he found that professional and white collar workers were much more favorably inclined toward the bond proposal than blue collar workers, house- wives, and retired persons. It is interesting to note 35Gary W. King and Walter E. Freeman, Conflict over Schools, Michigan State University, 1963. 36Pat Edmarine Turner, "An Analysis of School Bond Campaign Techniques and Their Voting Patterns" (Unpublished Ed.D. dissertation, University of California, 1968). 37Irving M. Witt and Frank C. Pearce, A Study of Voter Reaction to a Combination Bond-Tax Election on March 26L 1968 (San Mateo: College of San Mateo, 1968). 22 that we have here a conclusion directly contradicting the findings of both Carter and King in regard to the stance of professional people toward school bonds. Panas and Stabile38 reported that persons without any children or with children in private schools voiced the most doubts about the public schools of an Ohio city. However, Dykstra39 studied the relationship between nonpublic school enrollment and the percentage of yes votes in school bond elections for his doctoral disserta- tion. One of his primary conclusions was that nonpublic school enrollment had no significant effect on the success of public school bond elections. Nelson4O found that there was an extremely high correlation between persons having children in school and supporting bond elections. Two other writers of doctoral 41 dissertations concurred. Crider found that communities which were growing rapidly and had exceptionally high ratios 38J. Panas and R. Stabile, "Districts Win Bond Issues the Hard Way," Nation's Schools, 79:75-78, May 1967. 39Sidney Dykstra, "A Study of the Relationships of Nonpublic School Enrollment to the Approval of School Millage and Bond Elections" (Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, 40Carl Merrell Nelson, Jr., "A Prediction Model for Determining the Outcome of School Bond Elections" (Unpub- lished Ed.D. dissertation, University of Arkansas, 1968). 41Russell Joy Crider, "Identification of Factors Which Influence the Passage or Failure of School Bond Issues in Selected Counties of Mississippi" (Unpublished Ed.D. dissertation, University of Southern Mississippi, 1967). 23 of children to adults were most likely to support school bond elections. Tebbutt42 reported that the age of a voter's children is an extremely important determinant of that person's voting habits in school bond elections. He also concurred in Carter's findings that new residents are more sympathetic to school bond issues than older persons and longtime residents. 43 found that Another dissertation writer, Gott, areas experiencing rapid growth were very likely to pass school bond issues, while areas Of declining population were very unlikely to pass a bond issue. In his study of voting patterns in Cincinnati, Maughn44 concluded that both the relatively wealthy and those with no children in public schools had a "great tendency" to vote against school finance measures. Home- owners, Roman Catholics, native caucasions, and even voters with unusually large numbers of children were reported to be somewhat Opposed to school finance measures. But 42Arthur Van Bergen Tebbutt, "Voting BEhavior and Selected Communications in a Bond and Rate Referendum for a Suburban School District" (Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Northwestern University, 1968). 43Prentice Lay Cott, "Selected Factors Associated with the Success or Failure of School Bond Issue Campaigns in Kentucky" (Unpublished Ed.D. dissertation, George Peabody College for Teachers, 1962). 44Reese P. Maughn, "The Public Vote on Issues of School Finance in Cincinnati, 1929-39" (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 1944). 24 Maughn said renters, the relatively poor, and groups par- ticularly dependent on public schools tended to support school finance elections. In still another dissertation, Smith45 reported that census tracts with less than 200 professional, semi- professional and managerial persons per 1,000 persons over 25 supported school bonds more strongly than tracts with higher proportions of professional people. Concluding, Smith urged school administrators to focus their campaigns in lower socio-economic neighborhoods where there is substantial latent support for school bonds but few registered voters. He said the key to a bond victory would lie in getting more lowerclass voters registered and out to the polls. A radically different point of view on the role of demographic characteristics in influencing bond elections comes from Beal's large study of Iowa school districts. 46 concluded that there is no significant relationship Beal between the percentage of yes votes in a bond election and the demographic character of the district. Beal also said his study revealed no significant relationship between the 45John Allan Smith, "An Appraisal of School Bond Campaign Techniques" (Unpublished Ed.D. dissertation, University Of Southern California, 1948). 46George M. Beal, Iowa School Bond Issues, Summary Report (Ames: Iowa State University, 1966). 25 size of the district and bond success rates, a conclusion 47 and Crider.48 supported by both Dykstra In concluding that demographic factors have no significant effect on bond elections, Beal stands alone among all of the studies cited. But Beal's methodology and approach are unimpeachable, so his conclusions must be accepted at face value, at least for the state of Iowa. Thus, we have again encountered such a divergence Of views that a broad synthesis is difficult. Nevertheless, several areas of agreement do appear to exist. Virtually all researchers have concurred that the strongest support for school bonds comes from the parents of children in the public schools and from newcomers to the community, and that the strongest Opposition comes from persons with no children in the public schools and from Older persons. But we cannot reach a definitive conclusion about the relationship between socio-economic status and support for school bonds. Nor can we even say with certainty that demographic characteristics actually affect the outcome of school elections. Many researchers have said that socio- economic status Of the community does affect the outcome Of a bond election--although there is great disagreement about precisely which socio-economic classes are most 47Dykstra, pp. cit. 48Crider, pp. cit. 26 supportive of school bonds. However, one of the most exhaustive studies of bond elections reported in the literature-—Beal's-—found no such relationship between class and bond success. Once again, we find ourselves in the position of concluding that demographic factors are insufficient to explain the outcome of bond elections. It remains apparent that a bond election outcome is a product of a complex combination of variables. One which may or may not be demographic variables. Community Involvement Citizen Committees Most authorities agree that the active use of citizen committees is necessary for the successful passage of bond or tax referendums, however, these same authorities tend to disagree as to the degree of participation. Herman's study of 64 Michigan school districts in 1955 concluded that the "do's" of a successful campaign include the use Of citizen committees to plan and promote the campaign, support of the PTA, civic clubs and church groups, and teaching staff.49 Bennett's study of school districts in Massachusetts in 1965 agreed with Herman and went on to say that "lay citizens should head the campaign 49J. J. Herman, "Do's and Dont's of Bonding Campaigns," Michigan Education Journal, January, 1959, p. 212. 27 since half of the unsuccessful campaigns had only "fair" or "bad" civic support."50 Much of the other literature reflects a similar attitude that citizen involvement is a necessity for campaign success. The only difference of Opinion con- cerning their use is whether or not they should be respon- sible for the total campaign. Some educators feel that the citizen's committee should assume the responsibility for the whole program with the administrative staff and other school related organizations, remaining behind the scenes.51'52 Others seem to favor involving a lot of people on citizen's-committee activities with their efforts supplemented by face-to-face contacts by school board members, and school administrators.53 The fact that citizen involvement is imperative is not disputed. An article in School Management magazine sums it up nicely by concluding that "citizens must be involved and not sold the school and its program because of the increased cost of education, literacy of the public, SOCrosby, pp, cit., pp. 81—82. 51Carter, pp. cit., pp. 210-212. 52W. R. Manning and L. R. Olson, "Winning A Bond Election," Education Executive Overview, October, 1962, pp. 27-29. 53 Crosby, pp. cit., pp. 457-459. 28 resistance to higher taxes and a desire on the part of the people to participate in the school and its programs."54 Social, Religious, Civic and Economic Organizations It is necessary to gain the support of various groups that influence public opinion even before an issue 55 The rationale behind this is submitted to the voters. effort is that people belong to groups "whose Opinions are congenial to their own . . . and that both psychological and social effect of continued membership in good standing are likely to act as a deterrent to individual opinion change."56 Teacher--Student Although failure to receive the unanimous support of the board of education and teachers can spell defeat for a particular issue, it is generally agreed that they should remain in the background during the campaign.57 Kindred, Reeder and Smith are especially vocal against the active use of teachers or school employees during a campaign 54"How Not to Lose A School Bond Issue," School Management, April, 1962, pp. 104-105. 55 Conlan, pp, cit., pp. 43-46. 56Klapper, pp. cit. 57Crosby, pp. cit., PP. 20-22. 29 because the people will interpret their motives as being selfish.58’59'60 The use Of school children is completely discouraged since this move can be interpreted by critics as a "needless exploitation of the child."61 However, student involvement at the community college appears to be more readily accepted. As the 18-year-old becomes a qualified voter, the future should see more extensive use of students in campaigns at the college level. Mass Communications Media The Role of the News Media One more area where there is some disagreement is the role Of the mass media in a bond election campaign. Carter62 referred to the news media as a "prime contact" between schools and their communities, and Crider63 found that preplanned use of the mass media was associated with victory in bond elections. Turner64 urged school bond 58 Kindred, pp. p. 87. 59 cit., Reeder, pp. cit. 60Smith, pp. cit. 61C. Wood, "Bond Elections Can Be Carried," American School Board Journal, March, 1953, pp. 36-37. 62Carter, pp. cit. 63Crider, pp, cit. 64Turner, pp, cit. 30 advocates to appreciate the importance of the mass media, and Mitchell65 reported that the news media were highly influential in the outcome Of bond elections. Roper66 reported that a metropolitan daily news- paper was Eppoost important potential influence on voters in any future West Valley Junior College District bond election. Panas67 said the newspapers were the best medium for a Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) bond election. In the Iowa studies, Beal68 found that significantly more superintendents who had won bond elections than super- intendents who had lost reported a "favorable press." Further, he found that winning superintendents rated the newspapers more important in the campaigns than losing superintendents. However, he also found that letter—to- the-editor campaigns were negatively correlated with success in a bond election. Lieber69 reported that newspaper editorial endorse- ments of bond elections were indicators of higher affirmative percentages at the polls. 65Mitchell, pp, cit. 66Elmo Roper and Associates, A Study of Community Attitudes Toward Education and West Valley Junior College (New York: Roper and Associates, 1968). 67 Panas, Op. cit. 68Beal, pp. cit. 69Ralph H. Lieber, "An Analysis and the Relationship of Weekly Community Suburban Papers to the Outcome of School Voting Issues" (Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Northwestern University, 1967). 31 However, Maughn's dissertation70 concluded that the news media were of little value to school bond elections, because their circulation was primarily among persons who had already made up their minds. Schools cannot reach the undecided persons in the lower socio—economic strata through the news media, Maughn said. Although the newspaper is the most common and best utilized mass media device for publicizing bond or tax referendums, certain writers tend to discount their positive influence.7l’72 This VieWpoint is probably held because the research shows that mass communications does not change personal views to the degree that it reinforces currently held Opinions.73 Mass media coverage not only gets out the vote, it also solidifies preferences, and crystallizes and reinforces currently held beliefs more than it converts.74 However, Klapper tends to ignore other research that concludes that the mass communications media are extremely effective in creating opinions on matters about which the 7OMaughn, pp, cit. 71Carter, pp. cit., pp. 210-212. 72Crosby, pp. cit., pp. 27-28. 73Klapper, pp. cit. 74Bernard R. Berelson, Paul F. Lazarfeld, and William N. McPhee, Voting (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1954), p. 86. 32 reader or listener is unlikely to hold pre-existing opin- 75 It is safe to assume that in a college election ions. involving a widespread geographic area, many people are likely to have little or no attitudes toward the issue. The majority of the literature supports the view that newspapers, radio and television coverage is an important ingredient in a campaign. Studies, such as conducted by Edmiston and Holcomb, have shown that the more favorable publicity a campaign receives, the more 76 likely that it will pass. This is probably because the majority of newspapers look with favor upon the educational system in the community. However, this favor must be nurtured since the editorial is the voice of the newspaper and some research indicates that the editorial is the most effective type of newspaper publicity. Therefore, it is easily concluded that editorial support is a necessity 77 for passing a bond issue or tax referendum. Smith values the aspect Of newspaper publicity so highly that he contends . . . it is more important to avoid adverse publicity than it is to Obtain favorable news coverage."78 75Klapper, pp, cit. 76Edmiston, pp, cit., p. 54. 77Edmiston, pp, cit., p. 54. 78Smith, pp, cit. 33 In regard to campaign communications of other types than the neWs media, Opinion is divided. A number of prac- titioners advocate the massive use Of bumper stickers, pamphlets, direct mail, students, billboards, etc. However, Beal79 reported that no communications technique except newspaper publicity correlated significantly with success at the polls. In fact, Beal found that some of the other media correlated significantly with bond election defeats. It is important to remember that the mass com- munications media is especially valuable in reaching the grass roots segment of the community. This cannot be attributed so much to direct contact since the normal com- munications flow is from the press or radio/television to the Opinion leaders of the community and from them to the less active segments of the community.80 Posters, Bulletins and Brochures Posters, bulletins and brochures can play an impor- tant role in reaching segments of the population that cannot be contacted through other methods. However, these devices must be carefully planned by keeping in mind the nature of the appeal, the audience to be reached, timing and the mode of delivery.81 It is especially important to keep this 79Beal, pp. cit. 8OKlapper, pp, cit. 81Herman, pp, cit., p. 212. 34 literature attractive, but not pretentious, and to use simple language thereby avoiding the use of professional jargon and complicated graphs and charts.82 A New York school district felt that the literature mailed to their citizens was more effective in winning sup- port for a tax issue than was newspaper publicity.83 It would be interesting to know just how effective the campaign would have been in the absence of newspaper publicity, but most would agree that all media must be employed in order to get the message to all segments of the community. Person-to-Person Communication As with other techniques, the use of person-to- person communications in a tax campaign solicits conflicting views from the experts in the field. Those who advocate this approach conclude that it is essential because the endorsements and involvement of only community leaders is not enough since the rank and 84 This file do not always follow through in a secret vote. view is supported in research by Klapper who contends that personal influences are generally more persuasive than is 82Crosby, pp. cit., pp. 457-459. 83LaVerne H. Bowman and Michael Thomas, "Bond Issue Survey: Mail Campaigns Pay Off," Nations Schools, April, 1968, p. 82. 84N. C. Kearney and J. H. Harrington, "Bring Out the Vote," School Executive, February, 1957, pp. 72-76. 35 mass communication.85 Other arguments for this approach contend that voters want more personal contact with school men, that face—to-face contacts by board members and school personnel is a preferred approach, and that personal con- tacts by blockworkers should be emphasized and are most successful in areas of potential votes.86’87 It is interesting to note the findings of a 1967 survey by Beal in Iowa that showed that the percentage of voters active in school affairs at the time of the election was higher in the unsuccessful districts.88 It could be because Of this finding that Crosby feels personal contacts are most unsuccessful in eliciting voter approval of a 89 It is therefOre obvious that this par- bonding issue. ticular approach needs considerable more study before definite conclusions can be reached. The Role of Factual Data in the Campaign Another of the major questions school administrators have long asked relates to the place of cogent arguments and factual information in a campaign. Should the voters 85Klapper, pp, cit. 86Crosby, pp, cit., pp. 81—82. 87Olson, pp, cit., pp. 62-64. 88Beal, pp, cit. 89Crosby, pp, cit., pp. 81-82. 36 be told specifically what the money is to be used for? Should the need be demonstrated to the voters? Beal90 found no correlation between telling the voters specifically what a bond issue would be used for and winning the bond election. But McDaniel91 found that many voters wanted to know the detailed facts about pro- posed bond issues. Bennett,92 in contrast, urged school bond campaigners not to confuse the voters with many details, and Maughn93 concluded that cogent reasoning does not move the voters-- but emotions do. C. B. Hanson,94 meanwhile, has urged school bond campaigners to get all details of a bond issue out to the people, and Haring95 blamed the failure of bond elections largely on the lack of clear information given to the public about school finance. 90Beal, pp, cit. 91Charles Pope McDaniel, "A Study of Factors Affecting the Outcome of School Bond Issues in Selected Georgia School Districts" (Unpublished Ed.D. dissertation, University of Georgia, 1967). 92Crosby, (cited in) pp, cit., pp. 81—82. 93Maughn, pp, cit. 94C. B. Hanson, "How to Pass a School Bond Issue," School Management, 13:67—69, July, 1969. 95Haring, "School Bond Rejections Attributed to Confusion," Los Angeles Times, August 25, 1967. 37 However, several periodical authors have urged bond campaigners to avoid discussing finances, buildings, and physical details in favor of an emphasis on children and learning. Get-Out-The-Vote Schemes This campaign strategy can be divided into two parts: voter registration, and getting the voter to the polls. Those who have written on the subject of voter registration seem to feel that they are of considerable value especially if conducted in areas Of probable favorable support, but of weak voter turnout and voter registration.96 This is especially applicable where there are new voters in the community, particularly if they have children of school age.97 A get-out-the-vote campaign on election day seems to have its greatest appeal among new residents of the community, women who are timid about going to the polls, those with little or no schooling, and among those who 98 It is interesting to note that have never voted before. this group also tends to be the most supportive of school issues. 96Smith, pp, cit. 97Kindred, pp. cit., p. 120. 98Smith, pp. cit. 38 The methods used in getting-out-the-vote varied from district to district and in some areas included such deV1ces as having checkers at the polls, furnishing trans- portation to help people get to the place of balloting, planned telephone campaigns, and household reminders dis- tributed on election ciay.99"100 Conclusion A 1966 study made by the New York Times concluded that the reason many suburban school district bond and tax issues fail isn't because voters did not approve of spending money, it is because it is the only chance taxpayers have for voting against other forms of increased government 101 Other factors included population stabiliza- spending. tion in many areas with fewer couples moving in with school age children, and voter apathy indicated by a small voter 102 And finally it is the turnout for school elections. way the taXpayer can tell the educators that they have been ineffective in presenting educational issues to the . 103 commun1ty. 99 . Herman, pp. c1t., p. 212. 100Wood, pp, cit., pp. 36-37. 101Olson, pp. cit., pp. 62-64. 102Osborn, pp. cit., p. 128. 103 Olson, pp. cit., pp. 62-64. 39 If we can accept this last reason as being valid, then we can only urge educators to carry on a continued public relations campaign at all times. It is little wonder the taxpayer becomes disenchanted with the school administra- tion if they only hear about their school during times of financial crisis. Accepting the tenet that the schools belong to the public, dictates a concomitant responsibility for keeping the public informed at all times. The failure for providing an ongoing public rela- tions program and a well-planned and well-managed campaign for financial support has resulted in many districts having unsuccessful elections. To compensate for their inadequacy some educators recommend that a "do nothing" approach he l04 They believe that you ShOU1d proceed quietly adopted. and honestly without fanfare because to present all the details leads to confusion and gives rise to unjust criti- cism, delay and defeat. Perhaps this approach can be successful but one wonders for how long the public will accept this procedure. If facts and details are confusing it is probably because the educator did not properly convey his message to the public in the terms that it understands. The best response to the "do nothing" approach was made by Harrington who stated that "few educators will 104C. F. Holler, "Successful School Bond Elections," American School Board Journal, April, 1965, p. 32. 4O disagree that all media should be used to reach a maximum audience prior to an election, but few educators put such excellent theory into practice."105 105Harrington, pp, cit., pp. 10—13. CHAPTER III PLANNING AND CONDUCTING THE STUDY In this chapter the writer will describe the setting for the study-~Montcalm Community College and the County of Montcalm, Michigan. Also included is a brief description of the planning for the millage election, and the descriptive aspects of the study. The role of the college students who conducted the community-centered interviews is described in this chapter along with an analysis of the results of a sixteen-item questionnaire the student interviewers completed subsequent to completing the interviews. The student role is included in this chapter, since it is considered a part of the meth- odology. The Setting-—Montcalm County, Michigan Montcalm County lies northeast of Grand Rapids and consists Of twenty townships. The only city of any size is Greenville which has a population of over 7,000 persons. The larger villages in the county are Carson City, Stanton, Edmore, Lakeview, and Howard City. The present population is about 41,000. This is an increase of over fourteen per cent in seven years. 41 42 Unemployment in Montcalm County tends to run either at the state average or slightly higher. The employment trend is quite stable with new jobs about keeping up with the increase in population. Most of the work force consists of people who were born and grew up in Montcalm County. There are practically no non-whites in the area and only a few people of Spanish speaking descent. There is one large employer in Montcalm County, The Gibson Division of the Hupp Corporation, which is located in Greenville. This plant employs about 2,000 people. The next largest employer is the General Electric Plant at Edmore which employs about 725 people. This is followed by the Ore-Ida Plant at Greenville which employs 575 people. The other employers all employ less than 100 persons each and tend to be concentrated in the non— manufacturing line. The soil and topography of Montcalm County varies greatly. Some of the land in the County is suited only for pasture or reforestation. Other land, with proper use, is suited to growing specialty crops. The major crops in the County are corn of which about 35,000 acres per year are grown, wheat with 21,000 acres, oats with 12,000 acres, field beans with 23,000 acres, potatoes with 7,000 acres and pickles with 1,500. Potatoes, field beans, and pickles, being high value crops are important to the agriculture 43 economy of Montcalm County. Dairy farming is the leading livestock enterprise followed by raising beef cattle and swine. At present, two hundred farmers in Montcalm County sell Grade A milk. The average size of a farm is becoming larger and more farms are requiring year-round labor. The County was once one of the larger users of seasonal farm labor. Mechanization, particularly of the potato harvest, has greatly reduced the number of seasonal workers required. In 1969 the Health Department licensed 26 camps with a capacity Of 1,706 persons. The district is obviously "out of the main stream" of economic development, as reflected by the fact that the median family income reported for 1968 by the Michigan Economic Development Council in the county is $4,815 as compared with the Statewide figure Of $6,256. Twenty-seven per cent of Montcalm's families earn less than $3,000 annu- ally, with the state average of 15.7%. Only 7.2% of her families enjoy incomes exceeding $10,000, while the state- wide figure is 17.4%. Adding to, or resulting from, these conditions is the outward migration of young persons who have traditionally used college attendance elsewhere as a means of relocation. Farm sizes also vary greatly. There are a number of large commercial farms, particularly in the eastern part 44 of Montcalm County. Over two hundred of these farms are more than one-half section in size. These farms raise potatoes and field beans, in addition to, corn and small grains. In much of this area field fences are disappearing as the farmers raise no livestock. Most farmers of this size hire one or two year-round men in addition to their family labor. They do not have too much difficulty hiring labor because during much of the year the hours of work on these farms are not long. There are many marginal farms in Montcalm County. While there are some throughout the County, there is a heavy concentration of them in the western portion of the County. Most of these farmers now supplement their earnings by working off the farm, mostly on a full time basis. A recent survey, by the Ionia office of the Michigan State Employment Security Commission, showed that between sixty and seventy per cent Of the farms in Montcalm County are either not being farmed or the Operator works full time Off the farm. The people from Montcalm County, in addition to working in the area, also work in Grand Rapids, Alma, Mt. Pleasant and Belding. Many of these jobs are not high paying; and when the cost of commuting is figured, these workers do not have a large income. Poverty is not wide- spread in Montcalm County, but there are many families 45 living just above the poverty level. This group includes Older people living on marginal farms who cannot find off— farm employment, and people who for some reason cannot find a job in industry and tend to take lower paying jobs in the smaller communities of Montcalm County. The Office of Economic Opportunity considers about seventeen per cent of the families to be disadvantaged. A 1967 study showed forty per cent of the households in Montcalm County had a cash income of less than $5,000. The Social Service Department reports that in June, 1969, they were servicing 171 Aid to Dependent Children case families, 329 Old Age Assistance cases and 90 cases of Direct Relief. The College Montcalm Community College was established on March 2, 1965, by the citizens of the Montcalm Area Inter— mediate School District, which includes seven high school districts. The college began its teaching program in August, 1966 and is, therefore, in its fifth year of instruction during the current academic year (1970-71). From the standpoint of the people, the establishment Of Montcalm Community College was a positive step forward. Educationally, the 1960 Census of Population reveals that the average male in Montcalm Of 25 years of age had com- pleted a full year less of formal schooling (11.0 years) 46 than his counterpart in neighboring Kent County, which enjoys the advantages of two private four-year colleges, a public junior college, and a long-established college of business. In addition, a new four-year state-supported college (Grand Valley) is also available to the Kent citizens on a commuting basis. Montcalm County never had an institution of higher education until the community college was established, this is reflected in the fact that only 4% of her 20 and 21-year Olds were pursuing continued education in 1960. Kent County, on the other hand, had 19% doing so. Montcalm Community College's local tax base of $179 million is one Of the eight smallest of the state's 29 community colleges. Based upon present criteria, it pro- bably would not have been authorized for establishment in 1970. Since its inception, the college has required state support (in addition to local taxes) beyond that normally provided for community colleges, in fact, the college became the first to ever receive a full 50% of its operating costs during the 1968 fiscal year by direct legislative action. During the present (1970-71) fiscal year, the college has dealt with a $125,000 budget deficit which has resulted in a number of severe curtailments including the closing of the Physical Education teaching program and tight restric- tions upon travel and conference attendance by all staff 47 members for any purpose. Further, more vital cuts are being studied for the next fiscal year in anticipation of a probable reduction in state support for education in general and also the continued rising costs of doing business. There has also been a downward trend of enrollments in the area due to financial hardship. The college has had to rely rather heavily upon state and federal assistance for the construction of its present physical facilities. The geography of Montcalm Community College best illustrates its being "isolated from the Main Currents Of Academic Life." The campus is a minimum of 50 miles from the nearest four-year public college in any direction. Only one small liberal arts college (Alma) falls within that radius but does not appear to exercise noticeable influence upon post-high school education in the Montcalm area. The Montcalm campus is 30 miles North of I 96, the Detroit-Grand Rapids-Muskegon freeway. The territory south of I 96 (extended due east and west from Lansing) represents about one fourth of the total area of the Lower Peninsula, yet it contains the five largest universities in the state as well as other public and private four-year colleges. Seventeen of the state's 29 public community/junior colleges are in the same area, including all of those large enough to be comprehensive. The exception is Genesee Community College in Flint. Most of the 12 located above this line 48 are small or very small, existing on limited funds, and geographically isolated from other institutions by great distances. Only two public four-year institutions--Central Michigan University and Ferris State College-~are in the northern area of the Lower Peninsula. One of the strengths of the institution is its strong emphasis upon Vocational education, with about 50% of the enrolled students attending classes for occupational training. Through the avenue of limited staffing in each area, Montcalm Community College has developed all functions (instruction, business, student personnel, etc.) concurrently. The last important division--Community Services--was added early in 1969 and has been considerably strengthened by a three-year grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to become a national development center for Community Services in a rural college. Another strength is the effective teaching staff--though small—-which has been assembled to date, and the participation of non-resident students from neighboring counties (about 37% this year) is a source of encouragement. Notable among the weaknesses, of course, is the very limited local financial basis upon which the college has been established, so small that the State Legislature and Department of Education are strongly urging adjacent counties to merge with the college district. The student body (800 headcount and 404 full time) is too small to make possible 49 a well-rounded program of studies. There are several facili- ties which are badly needed and financial resources for providing them are limited. The faculty (25 full time) is so limited that depth in most disciplines is restricted. The general Objectives of Montcalm Community College are: 1. To provide higher education to Montcalm County and surrounding areas at the most reasonable cost possible. 2. To produce, by sharpening social and creative in- sight, better citizens who will be productive members of their communities. 3. To recognize the regional and local economic needs of Montcalm County and environs: agricultural, business, and industrial, and to fulfill these needs through appropriate educational and training programs. 4. To provide Opportunity for the fullest development of the personal and vocational ability of the indus- trial student (i.e., "to take each student as far as he can go"). 5. To offer higher educational opportunities to those who, for whatever reason, wish to avail themselves of such opportunities. 6. To provide the facilities, instruction, and atmos- phere which will fulfill these Objectives, and thereby stimulate the acquisition and integration of knowledge. Planning for Millage Election On Tuesday, December 15, 1970, the college's Board of Trustees by a vote of six to one decided to hold a special election on Tuesday, February 23, 1971, for the purpose of increasing the Montcalm Community College charter millage from 1.0 to 2.5 mills (to include .525 mills for bond pay— ments), effective for three years. 50 Mr. Robert Tupper, the college's Dean of Students was selected to Coordinate the various aspects of the campaign. Mose of his regular duties were temporarily reassigned to the two counselors in his office and he was moved to the college's board room to establish a special office from which to direct the myriad of activities associated with the planning and execution of the campaign. The rationale for requesting the voters to increase the millage was built around the following state Of Michigan legislative provisions having a major effect upon the col- lege's income: 1. Equating Students. Beginning in 1969-70, 31 EEmester credit hours are now required for one full time equated student. Previously, only 24 semester credit hours were required. Important because the State pays on the basis of full time equated students. High School Shared Time Students. Beginning this year (1970-71), State Aid is no longer paid to community colleges for high school students taking part of their work at the local colleges. This denied Montcalm Community College approximately $49,000 in State Aid for 1970-71. Tuition Rates. If a community college increases tuitiOn rates after April 15 of any year for the following academic year, the increased income will be deducted from the State Aid. Also, the State Legislature has established standard statewide tuition for community colleges in 1971072. This results in $10.00 per credit hour for resident students at Montcalm (up from $9.50). It raises non-resident (out of district) tuition from $15.00 to $20.00 per credit hour. It is predicted that the non-resident portion of the student body will reduce from 47% in 1970-71 to 10% in 1971-72 as a direct result of this policy. 51 4. Social Security and Retirement. By law, the Legis- lature has always paid the employer's share into the State Retirement Plan and also the employer's contribution to Social Security--for both the public schools and the community colleges. Beginning in 1969-70, the community colleges were required to make these payments. This increased the cost of operation by 11% of the total annual payroll--over $8,000 in 1969-70 and about $9,000 in 1971-72. Of the 11%, 1.17% must be paid in to help wipe out a deficit created by insufficient legislative appro— priations to the retirement plan prior pp 1964! 5. Enrollment Penalpy. In the 1970-71 State Aid Bill, each community college was assigned a full-time- equated enrollment which was estimated by the college a full 11 months in advance of passage of the Bill. For each full-time-equated student under that figure, a college will be penalized on the average of $700 per student. This will cost Montcalm $70,000 for 1970-7l--in addition to the loss in tuition and student fees in excess of $35,000. A comparison of sources of the college's operating income from 1965-66 through 1971-72 is shown in the Appendix B along with an overview of local taxes levied from 1964-65 through 1971-72. This information is presented to Offer the reader a more complete financial picture comparable to the one presented to the potential voter in Montcalm county prior to the election. Brochure The brochure used in the campaign (see Appendix C) was designed by this writer for the college when he served as a Kellogg Intern at the college. It was designed to 52 incorporate the best thinking of the college's administra- tive staff relative to what they thought an average taxpayer would wish to know about the millage request. Forty thousand (40,000) brochures were printed. They were mailed to over two thousand (2,000) prominent citizens and former students. They were distributed by the members of the Speakers Bureau when they spoke to one hundred and forty-five (145) different organizations through- out the county. Copies of the brochure were made readily available to all faculty, staff, and students, and were thoughtfully placed at strategic traffic points throughout the college's service area. Television There is no television station that originates broadcasts from within Montcalm County. Consequently, stations in surrounding metropolitan areas do not consider events in Montcalm County to generally be of interest to their viewers. There was no attempt to utilize the medium of television to communicate with voters prior to the election. Newspapers Greenville is the only city within Montcalm County that is served by a daily newspaper. A number Of small weekly newspapers serve the persons in other sectors of the county as their only source for local news. During 53 the millage campaign the college had a professional jour— nalist who served the college one day a week to write and distribute news releases. The lack of a single newspaper that reaches a majority of the potential voters appeared to have a detrimental effect on the college's efforts to communicate millage information to constituents on a con- tinuous day-to-day basis. Four radio stations serve the county of Montcalm. However, only the station in Greenville is actually licensed to broadcast from.within the county. The others are situated at Alma,Mount Pleasant and Ionia. These stations were most cooperative in broadcasting public service announcements pertaining to the millage election. News releases were mailed to the stations at least once a week. At the time the Board of Trustees decided to seek a millage increase the president of the college was being heard on a regular basis in one-minute public service spots. These broadcasts continued during the millage and continued to emphasize students, programs and instructors. Speaker's Bureau Early in the campaign a slide program was designed to present general information about the college and the millage request. 54 Eleven persons served as members of the Speaker's Bureau. Included were: three citizens; two faculty members; four administrators; and two board members. Presentations were made before one hundred and forty-five (145) organizations and groups in all sectors Of the college district. Speaking engagements were scheduled by the secretary to the coordinator beginning the first week of January. A letter to the organization's president where a program was made was mailed the day following the presentation (see Appendix D for sample letter). Montcalm College Student In addition to distribution Of brochures, a letter was read to each student by his instructor on February 15 (see Appendix E). The student government association officially endorsed the millage proposal. The college student newspaper, Tpp Pppp, supported the millage request editorially and through feature news stories on the issues of the request (see Appendix F). At a college Open house, two Sundays prior to the election date, students performed, served as hosts and tour guides for community guests. Students were also active in the telephone campaign discussed in the next section of this chapter. 55 Future Montcalm Community College students from Central Montcalm High School's Chapter of the National Honor Society were interested enough in the outcome of the elec- tion to pay for a two column, seven-inch advertisement that appeared in all area papers strongly supportive of the millage request (see Appendix G). Telephone Campaigp All persons involved and interested in the success of the proposal were asked to call friends and neighbors the evening prior to and the day of the election, urging them to vote. Members of the citizens committee, college employees and selected students were given names from a list of former students and presumed friends of the college, and asked to call them to urge them to vote. NO follow Up was done to determine the actual number Of calls made. The coordinator estimates over two thousand calls were actually made. Citizens Committee Even though the decision to hold the election was made only approximately two months prior to the actual date, an effort was made to involve citizens in helping to con— vince voters they should approve the issue. Ninety-eight (98) persons were asked via a postcard mailing to serve as members of the committee. Forty-nine 56 responded positively to the request. However, only a total of twenty-nine (29) persons attended three (3) meetings held on the evenings of January 9, 28, and February 18. In assessing the lack of citizen involvement in the campaign, it was the opinion of the Coordinator based on his impressions that participation would have been greater if citizen involvement had been sought prior to the setting of a millage amount and the election date. This description of the planning for the millage election is presented so that the reader can more fully assess and evaluate the findings as presented in Chapter IV. Student Involvement in Conducting Interviews Early in the planning for this study a decision was made to utilize students to conduct personal interviews. Three factors were responsible for choosing this means of data collection. It was felt that a higher rate of com- pleted questionnaires could be achieved. Since students would be volunteering their time, there would be no costs involved. This writer had previously used sixty students to conduct community-centered interviews in Porterville, California, in May of 1970, and was pleased with the results of the student involvement. Procedure Forty-one (41) students were involved in conducting interviews for this study. All except four of the students 57 were enrolled in four sections of a course called Man's Social World. Two instructors were involved in teaching the four sections. One instructor made conducting the interviews a regular class assignment for all eighteen (18) students enrolled. The other instructor of three sections permitted students to volunteer and substitute the interviewing for another class assignment. The other four students who volunteered included the editor of the college newspaper and three student government Officers. This writer met with the two instructors two weeks prior to the start of the interviews and briefed them on all aspects of the project. They in turn explained the purposes of the project to their students when either asking for volunteers or making the class assignment. On the day interview assignments were made, the writer met each class for fifty minutes. The time was allocated as follows: 1. Explaining the purpose of the study and the role that the questionnaire played in the total project, 15 minutes, 2. Discussing, probing and interviewing techniques (see Appendix H for material distributed on probing), 15 minutes, 3. Role playing the interview assignments that were conducted simultaneously, 20 minutes, 4. Students were given choices of areas where they wished to conduct interviews. 58 Each student was assigned nine interviews. Ten (10) students volunteered to conduct more than the required nine inter- views. For assistance in locating interviewees, many of whom lived on rural roads, students were told to check the county maps provided for their aid, ask at service stations, post offices and to check the plat book at the county recorder's office. Students were instructed to make four (4) calls on the residence before designating the respondent as unavailable. Each student was given a folder, the prescribed number of questionnaires, a copy of the material on probing, and a copy of the post card mailed to all respondents the previous week. All students were told that the interviews should be completed one (1) week from that day. When each student had completed his interviews he was asked to complete a sixteen (16) item questionnaire (see Appendix I). Assessment of the Student's Role Students who volunteered were much more prompt in completing the interviews. Fewer than fifty interviews were completed at the end of the first week. Students gave lack of sufficient time as the reason. At the end of the third week of interviewing, 320 interviews had been completed. It became necessary for the writer to pay one 59 of the student interviewers to conduct the remaining inter— views. Few students were able to find all nine persons on their lists. Many of the uncontacted respondents were interviewed by the paid interviewer. Analysis of the Interviewer Questionnaire Forty-one persons completed the student question- naire. The students responded to the questions in the manner shown on pages 60 and 61. In reviewing the responses to the student ques— tionnaire, there appears to be significant differences between those students who volunteered and those students who were required by their instructor to conduct inter- views as a part of their class assignment. Forty-six per cent of the volunteers felt their interviews went very well as opposed to thirty-three per cent of the "mandatory" interviewers. Thirty-one per cent of the volunteers viewed meeting people for the first time as very easy, as contrasted with twenty per cent of the mandatory interviewers. Fifty per cent of the volunteers were confident that their interviews would go well when they accepted the assignment. Only thirteen per cent of the other inter— viewers expressed confidence prior to conducting the inter— views. 60 Overall, how well do you think your interviews went? Very well Well Not too well Volunteers* 46% 50% 4% Mandatory** 33% 60% 6% All Students 41% 54% 5% How easy is it for you to talk with persons you're meeting for the first time? Very easy Easy Not too easy Volunteers 31% 57% 12% Mandatory 20% 67% 13% All Students 27% 61% 12% In general, how do you think people feel about being interviewed? Enjoy it Don't mind it Dislike it Volunteers 19% 69% 12% Mandatory 7% 73% 20% All Students 15% 70% 15% Which of the following categories best indicates your age? 18 19 20 21-25 Over 25 Volunteers 12% 35% 15% 19% 19% Mandatory 7% 40% 27% 13% 13% All Students 10% 37% 19% 17% 17% Were you brought up mostly: On a farm In a town In a city Volunteers 38% 50% 12% Mandatory 67% 13% 20% All Students 48% 37% 15% Which of the following is closest to your Grade Point Average? 2.0 or below 2.0 to 3.0 Over 3.0 Volunteers 8% 69% 23% Mandatory 0% 87% 13% All Students 5% 76% 19% N = 23 ** N = 18 10. ll. 12. 61 You were asked to role play the interview situation. Do you think the time spent was: Unnecessary Helpful Not long enough Volunteers 4% 96% 0% Mandatory 7% 93% 0% All Students 5% 95% 0% You were given printed material to assist you with probing and dealing with specific situations. DO you think the material was: Helpful Not enough Unnecessary Volunteers 73% 12% 15% Mandatory 60% 20% 20% All Students 68% 15% 17% Before you accepted the assignment to conduct the interviews, were you: Very Somewhat Apprehensive Apprehensive Confident Volunteers 12% 38% 50% Mandatory 13% 74% 13% All Students 12% 51% 37% If you were given the chance to conduct additional interviews, would you: Do them but Enjoy them not enjoy Dislike Volunteers 80% 12% 8% Mandatory 33% 53% 13% All Students 63% 27% 10% Are you: Male Female Volunteers 62% 38% Mandatory 60% 40% All Students 63% 37% If respondents knew you were a college student, do you think: It didn't They didn't They were matter know less open Volunteers 65% 19% 15% Mandatory 100% 0% 0% All Students 78% 12% 10% 62 When asked for their reaction to conducting addi- tional interviews if given the opportunity, eighty per cent of the volunteers said they would enjoy doing them. Signifi- cantly only thirty-three per cent of the mandatory inter- viewers stated they would enjoy doing more interviews. Sixty-two per cent of the volunteers were raised in a town or city, as contrasted with thirty-three per cent of those required to conduct interviews. It would appear that those students raised in closer proximity to other people could possibly be more gregarious and find it easier to meet and talk with strangers. In response to the question, "What is your college major?" twenty—six different majors were given. Undecided about the major was mentioned six times, and Home Economics was named by four persons. None of the other twenty-four majors was named by more than two persons. It would appear that a student's major is unrelated to his willingness or desire to participate in conducting interviews. When asked what they liked most about conducting the interviews, eighteen persons cited meeting and listening to people. Other reasons for liking the interviewing were: hearing wide variance of opinions; discovering how older peOple care about the welfare of the young; the chance to meet people with different backgrounds; helping the college; doing something for the community; studying personality 63 characteristics of people; and learning how people feel toward education. Students cited the following things they liked least about conducting the interviews: time lost locating people in a rural area; anticipation when walking up to a house; listening to rude people; having to fight with farmers' dogs; difficulty in terminating the interview; having a person use vulgar language; being the target of people's gripes about taxes; insufficient time; having to do inter- views as an assignment; uncooperative people; Older people going on and on about nothing; being asked questions that couldn't be answered; driving at Own expense; feeling uncomfortable about probing; starting the interview; and peOple not wanting to take the time to talk. When asked to give impressions not covered in other portions of the questionnaire, students made such Observa- tions and statements as: people were very cooperative-—had difficulty in getting them to stop talking; surprised that those who said they voted for the millage were above fifty years of age; long hair, if well groomed, didn't seem to affect respondents; how do you handle rude people?; peOple seemed eager to eXpress themselves; needed more information about the millage itself; needed more information about the college; most thought it was nice that students were willing to help; people kept trying to get student's opinion; people 64 expressed anti feeling toward long haired students; expected people to be more enthusiastic than they were; people were nice even though student had long hair and beard; moustache bothered some initially, but a few minutes of casual con- versation opened the relationship; people were nice and cooperative, truly enjoyed talking to them; prepare inter- viewers so they won't worry when someone refuses to be interviewed; respondents wanted to know more about survey and its use; and a female interviewer said a woman commented on her neat appearance, was interested in campus riots, hippies and was relieved to know that the educational system was not as bad as she had thought. Descriptive Aspects of the Study The discriptive portion of the study was designed to assess such things as: l. A review of the voting patterns in the 1964 election to form the college district and establish its initial funding. 2. A demographic analysis of Montcalm County to include such information as: a. Occupational Composition b. Average income c. Average educational level d. Type of industry e. Distribution Of population centers 3. An overview of the campaign planning with particular emphasis on rationale for com— munication techniques employed. 65 4. A historical look at the college's five and one-half years of operation. 5. The college's curricular offerings. 6. The college's continuing program to com- municate with its constituents. 7. A breakdown of voting by precinct. Research Design Data were secured by interviews conducted by student members of the college's sociology classes. A. Population The population consists of 4,322 persons who cast votes on February 23, 1971 in the Montcalm Community College millage election. This information is public information and is on record at the office of the school superintendent in the area covered by the precinct. The seven superin- tendents were contacted to arrange for access to the names and addresses. B. Sample Four hundred and seventy (470) persons were randomly selected from the population by the following procedure: 1. Placing 10 balls in a container. The balls were numbered 0 through 9. 2. A ball was drawn four times for each number chosen. After each draw the ball was returned to the container to insure each number had equal chance to be drawn. 3. A total of 470 numbers were drawn in case certain voters were either unavailable or chose not to be interviewed. 66 The voter lists were arranged from 1 to 4,322. The voter whose name corresponded with the number selected was chosen for the sample. Data Collection 1. Interviewing of the 470 selected voters was begun during the week of April 19, 1971. 2. Data cards were punched from the questionnaires. The Interview 1. The interviewee was handed the instrument and asked to complete it. The student interviewer only Offered assistance or interpretation as instructed. 2. The student interviewer then checked the ques- tionnaire to make sure all sections were com- pleted. He then sought the interviewee's response to his attitudes and feelings toward Montcalm Community College, its programs and other phases of its Operation. Data Analysis A Chi Square Test of independence was chosen as the most appropriate statistical tool to analyze the data. Pre-Interview Contact With Voter The following postcard was mailed to those selected for the interview to help insure cooperation and to serve as an entree for the interviewer. 67 April 15, 1971 Dear As Montcalm Community College nears the end of it's sixth year of operation, we wish to ask you how you feel about certain aspects of the College's operation. You have been selected at random from a list of voters, to participate in a survey being conducted under the direction of Don Krischak of Michigan State University. Within the near future you will be contacted by an interviewer who will ask you a few questions. YOUR ANSWERS WILL, OF COURSE, REMAIN ANONYMOUS AND YOUR NAME WILL IN NO WAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY. We greatly appreciate your COOperation. Cordially, Dr. Donald Fink, President Montcalm Community College Pre-Test of the Questionnaire The instrument was pretested during the early part of the week of April 12. Fifteen interviews were conducted. The interview was timed and clarity Of the questions was checked carefully. NO additions or deletions were made to the instrument as a result of the pre-test. Post Interview Followup The writer randomly selected thirty—five of those 'persons who were interviewed and attempted to contact them by telephone to confirm that the interview had been conducted and to ask for any additional comments concerning the inter- viewer and attitudes toward the college. After repeated 68 calls, 29 of the 35 persons were contacted. All of those contacted had been interviewed and no negative feelings were uncovered concerning the interviewers. All respondents were friendly and gave the impression of having enjoyed participating in the study. No significantly new attitudes were eXpressed relative to the college. CHAPTER IV PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA PART I Method of Presentation and Analysis of the Data The analysis of the data presented in this chapter centers around three of the five questions to be studied identified in Chapter I. The questions studied are as follows: 1. What relationship is there between a person's occupation and: A. His sources of information about college millage elections? B. The sources of information he considers most influential in deciding how to vote in a millage election? 2. Is there a relationship between how a person said he voted and: A. His sources of information? B. What he considers to be his most influ- ential sources of information in deciding how to vote? 3. Is there a relationship between sources of information, most influential sources of information and demographics: age, proximity to campus; property ownership 69 70 status; sex; parental status; voter status in the 1965 election to form the college district; and most recent visit to the campus? Although not central to this study, data were col— lected pertaining to the following questions and the results are presented in the Appendix L: 1. Is there a relationship between a person's occupation and whether he voted yes, voted no, or refused to say how he voted? 2. Does the way a person say he voted have any relationship with his attitudes toward: state level of financing community colleges; how effective a job he feels the college is doing; whether every high school graduate in Montcalm County should have the opportunity to attend a community college; and whether he feels school taxes are too high in Montcalm County? 3. What relationships are there between how a person voted and such demographics as: age, proximity to campus, property ownership status, sex, parental status, voter status in the 1965 election to form the college district, and most recent visit to campus? 4. What relationship exists between a person's occupation and the demographic variables listed in three above? Prior to the reporting of the data relating to these questions, a description of the respondents who 71 replied to the questionnaire is included. This description includes the number and percentages of interviews conducted, as well as the demographic information sought from the respondents. The findings centered around each of the research questions are presented separately. The discussion of each question concludes with a short summary statement of the findings. In general, the findings are presented in tabular form showing the frequency, percentages where significant Chi Squares are indicated, and degrees Of freedom. The nearest whole per cent is used in all tabular presentations. Questionnaire Response A total of 470 of the 4,322 persons who voted in the millage election were randomly selected to be inter- viewed. Of this number, 410 interviews were conducted and the data from these are used in the presentation of the findings. This figure represents a 91% overall completion Of the interviews. Sixty of those persons randomly selected were not interviewed because of the following reasons: moved; deceased; and unavailable after the prescribed four (4) call backs. One woman returned her post card that told of her selection, with the comment, "I don't choose to become another statistic." 72 Demographic Characteristics of Respondents Demographic characteristics included in this study are category of occupation, age group, proximity to campus, whether or not the respondent owns property in Montcalm County, sex, parental status, voter status in the 1965 election to form the college district, and the respondent's last time on campus. In Table 4-1, relating to occupation, it is shown that occupations included in the sample are as follows: farmer, 39; retired, 30; housewife, 155; executive/ professional, 69; skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled and service, 95; unemployed, 7; and clerical/sales, 15. Ninety- six per cent of the respondents are 35 years Of age or under, and 214 are over 35 years of age. In response to the ques- tion of distance from the campus, 25 live within 5 miles, 209 from 6—15 miles, 133 report living 16-25 miles, and 43 persons in the study live over 25 miles from the college campus. Three hundred and seventy-one Of the respondents stated they own property in Montcalm County, and 39 indi- cated they did not. Males and females in the study are almost evenly divided with 201 males and 209 females included. Three hundred and fifty-eight of those interviewed indicated they were parents as contrasted with 52 who stated they did not have any children. Three hundred and twenty-three of the interviewees said they had voted in the 1965 election 73 .OOCMOHHHGmHm wouMOHOCH msHm> mHmswm Hco mum£3 maso szonm w Hm>mH moo. um pamoHHHsmHm .1 w .1 .Hm>mH mo. um unmoHuHsmHm .1 m m m o m o m o m m Eoowmnm mo monmmo m.oa 0.0H m.m H.m *«Nm o.v we h.n H.m v.v mumzvm H30 OHv 5H omH mm on on on mmH oom «N mNN mHMDOB mH H m H m HH N v as H OH o m mmHmm\.umHo n o N N N o o H mm m m o m UO%OHQEOGD mm N mm m vN .MH NH mH we we on m Hm OOH>Hom .meD .xlm .pmaaflxm as N mH m eH as am e em Hm mm m me .moua\.omxm mmH m mm ea mm mm mm 0N vm mm moa m em mma3mmdom om v v H m MH v m mm RH mH N vH ownflpmm mm o m m e 0H v m mm HH nm e wH -Hoaumm m m m m am e m s» m a m m coHumdsooo nOI N JHN so o 19 m. m MON e w w m m 3 1 u .T.T. O D 1 a o P M I o n e e are u a e n I. s e o d I u H re 8 e X is o d A H e s o.q 1 n e a e r. n 1 o n 1 d s 1 mum. .N. W Hm a I. a u w 1 m AQOHHMEHOMCH mo OOHDOm some HOw 05Hm> wnoswm HBUV .AOHmemom mmmcommmm OHQHDHDEV COHuoEHOmcH mo mmomsom paw COHDMQSOOOII.HIv mqmde 74 to create the college district. Eighty-seven said they had not. Those interviewed responded to the question regarding their last time on campus in the following manner: during the past 6 months, 108; six months to a year, 65; over 1 year, 74; and 163 persons said they had never been on the campus. PART I I Findings Related to the Questions Studied Research Question l-A What relationship is there between a person's occupation and his sources Of information about college millage election? The findings relative to research question one are presented in Table 4-1. Respondents were asked to check each of the communication sources from which they recalled getting information about the millage election. The per cent of the communication sources recalled most frequently are as follows: newspapers, 73%; brochure, 54%; radio, 38%; and neighbor/friend, 32%. Over two-thirds Of each occupational group listed the newspaper as a source of information. A look at the percentages in this category reveals that 80% of the persons in both the executive/ professional and skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled, and service categories recalled receiving information from the newspaper as contrasted with 60% for those who are retired. 75 Significant at the .005 level is the communications source speakers bureau. Over 40% of the executive/profes- sionals reported receiving millage information from this source. This is significantly contrasted with the next highest percentage of 16% as reported by the housewife. A chi square significant at the .05 level is reported for the category radio. Percentages by occupa- tional grOUps indicate that 57% of the retired persons and 44% of the skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled, service workers got their millage information from the radio with the farmer reporting a low of 28%. Twenty-four persons reported receiving information from television, even though no information pertaining to the election was broadcast over regional television stations. Summary of Research Question l-A. The data in Table 4-1 reveals that more persons received information about the millage election from the newspaper than from any other source. A significant chi square is reported for both the radio and speakers bureau sources of informa- tion. Six per cent of the respondents reported receiving information from the television in spite of the fact no information was released to the regional television sta- tions. Research Question l-B Is there a relationship between a person's occupation and the sources of information he considers most influential in deciding how to vote in a millage election? 76 Respondents were asked to name the two information sources they considered most influential in affecting how they voted. They were also given the Opportunity to indicate that none of the sources of information influenced their decision how to vote. Presented in Table 4-2 are those sources of information named first as the most influential source. Table 4-3, reports the source of information named second. Responses are not ranked in order of importance. Presented in Table 4-2, are frequencies of response by occupational categories and percentages. A chi square significant at the .01 level is revealed in Table 4-2. Percentages are utilized to pinpoint significant differ- ences. The most significant aspect of Table 4-2, appears to be the fact that 164 or 40% of the respondents stated that none of the sources of information influenced how they voted. This could possibly indicate that prior atti- tude formation may have precluded influence of communication techniques in general. This possibility is partially con- firmed in the reporting of the attitudes and feelings toward taxes being too high in the county (see Appendix J). Further substantiation of this possibility is reported in Table 4-26, where it is shown that the majority of all occupational categories except one, felt that taxes were too high in Montcalm County. 77 .coHpmmsooo mo wmmucmoumm .coflummsooo an Hmuoe II ll 2 do .Ho>mH Ho. um psmonHcmHm i om Eocemum mo momnomo «mum.om mumswm HBO woe oe emH m HN m NN m mm a mH ON «N 0N Nm N. a mm mHmuoe ma «H mm m o o o o «H N e H N H «H N o NH N mmHmm\xumHO mm s eH. H «H H eH H o o o o «H H HH H o mN N pmHoHdsmcs mm mm mm mm o m HH 0H m m e e m o sN mN o N a ooH>umm .xmz: .xum .ooHHme HOH as mm «N m N e e mN mH H H m o NH m o m s .uon\.omxm HOH emH mm oo 5 HH m m A OH e HH m .e HN Nm H OH mH mmHsmmsom mm om he ON 0 o m H m H o H o o mN s o N H omuHumm HOH mm em HN m H m H m H m H m m mH s o oH 4 Meshes N z N m N m N s N e N m N m N s N N m :oHumdsooo L N . JEN W . m o 1 a m. a we a. N a. N m u T... T? O 3 I a O p M I O E a 85 U 3 9 U I S 8 D W W.W a S e X H» o d A H 1. n a a P I. n m m. 1.. d S 1 / a s m m. a u S u 1 S . li1114~ .uwHHm ooEmz coHchHOmcH wo OOHDOm HmflucmsawcH umOZIl.NIv mqmée .coHquDOOO an ommucmoumm N z .Hm>oH NO. as» NO NOOOHNHOOHN .4. .sOHummoooo an Hmuoe 78 um EOUmmum Mo mmmummo *vmm.mN mumswm New OOO HO OON O OH O O O NH O NH H O N ON NH OO O. N O ON mHmuoe OOH NH OO O N H O O NH N O O O O O O NH N O O N H mmHmm\xHOHo OOH N ON N O O OH H OH. H O O O O ON N OH H O O O O pmNoHOEOOO OOH NO mm Om O O N N O O O O N N NH NH NH HH H H m m OOH>Hom . .Nmz: .xum .poHHme NO NO Hm mm N N O O O O N N O O H H OH NH O O NH O .Nonm\.omxm HOH OOH NO OO O m H H O O m N H H N HH HH NH O O O O oNHsmmsom NO ON ON ON m H O O N H O O O O m H N N m H O O omnHuom ON OH H ON HO O O O O N H N H N H N m m N O O O O umsnme N z N N N m N m N m N N N N N N N N N m N m coHummsooo I N JON d W HS 8 H N I 8 O O 18 H 3 nd .0 E O a I 1. u I.I. O 3 18 O D. M TL 0 9 a 85 U 89 n .L S a 3 I u H a S e H s 0 d A H S 0.0. 1. n8 8 p. T. n O n I d S I I P .. a T. a / 8 S I O S U S U a S I? III: 41'... 1 I 1.611‘- [1‘11 1. Illl..liu|l‘l iyl 1'1 1|,.ll|1 .pcooom UoEoz CONHOEHOMCH mo OOHOOm HOHDCOOHMCH umOZII.mIv mqmde 79 The occupational categories of farmer and retiree reported the highest percentages of none with 54% and 67% respectively. Of the communication sources the newspaper was named most frequently by a fifth of the total respondents. The only other noteworthy source is the speakers bureau named as most influential by just over a quarter of those in the executive/professional category. This could possibly be explained by the fact that the executive/professional type would appear more likely to be a member of an organized club or organization than persons in other occupational areas. The most influential source of information named second and reported in Table 4—3, reveals a chi square significant at the .05 level. An even higher percentage (61%) Of the respondents in Table 4-3, indicated that either none of the sources of information influenced their decision or that they had no second most influential source. The only other source with percentages consistently above 10% is that of newspaper, where 5 of the 7 occupational groups reported percentages up to 19% for the executive/ professional category. Summary of Research Question l-B. Two-thirds of the retirees and more than half of the farmers do not see any communication technique as affecting their vote. Approximately two-thirds of the housewives, the executive/ 80 professional and the skilled/unskilled/semi-skilled/service employees are apparently open to some communication channels. These seem to be the most significant findings in Tables 4-2 and 4—3. Chi squares revealed a significance in both tables between job categories and most influential sources Of information. These findings would appear to confirm the possibility of a negative attitude toward higher taxes that prevailed prior to and during the dissemination of information about the millage election. Research Question 2-A Is there a relationship between how a person said he voted and his source of information? The findings relative to research question four are presented in Table 4—5. In addition to frequency of responses, .percentages are included to more easily discern where signifi- cant differences lie. The possible responses in the communication cate- gories brochure, newspaper, speakers bureau, Montcalm Com— munity College student, phone, and none all have Chi squares significant at the .005 level. Twenty-eight per cent of those voters who received information from the speakers bureau voted yes in the elec- tion. This is contrasted with 9% of those who voted no, and 5% Of those who refused to say how they voted. Assuming that those who refused to say voted no, it would still seem to indicate that the speakers bureau had a positive affect 81 .Hm>mH mNO. NO NOOOHNHOOHN i i .Hm>oa moo. um assuamwsmwm a. N N N N N N N N N N Eopwmum mo mmoumoa. O.N O.NN ON. N.OH N.wH N.ON o.H mN. 0.0N m.m m.NN mumsvm ago .2. O. . t t t t N O N O mN OH N H OH O m N N Om HH m OO ON om New on ommsmom N O O NO ON OO O O OH OH O NH ON mm m HH NO NO mmH oz omuo> H N N N mN mm NH ON NN NO ON NO mm mm O O NO ONN OHN mo» oouo> w h .w. m w m w h w m N h w w m w h coflummsooo O . N JON d w was as H N I 8 .1 4 o Hie H NO ngu d e e e 1 O H u IL! 0 Ha I a O P M I o 3 a a e,p u a e n I. s a O 2 1 u H a NO 9 X s o d A u. I 0.0.. 1. n 8 a . E T. n S o n 1 d s 1 I P .. e I. a // a s 1 o u u 3. HGOHuOEHOch m0 OOHDOm some How msam> Ohmswm Neuv .Hmanflmmom mmmcommmm OHQHUHDZV mmonsom COB mo 30mm EOHm soflumEHOMCH msfi>wwowm mmHHomwme osfluo> m0 mmmucmommm one wocwsvaMIl.OIO mqmde 82 .HO>OH NOO. NO OOOOHOHOOHN i OH Eoommum mo moonmoo m.om mHmsvm N30 a. NO ON HO N O O N H O O O O O m m m N H New OD ommommm ONH ON NOH O m H H. N N m H H O NH O O O O oz Omuo> OHN om OOH m N H o NH N OH H m O NH mH Om N ON mow oouo> OOHDOm OOEOZ pcoovmllHH whom ON EOOOOHm wo mmmummo N.om mumowm HQU i mm Om om N H o o m m o o O N N O HN NH N O New . Op pomswmm NMH mm mN N O o o H N N m N c o m ON NN O m 02 pmpo> OHN ON Hm m HH N O O NH mH mm m N o NH ON mO NH mN mew pmuo> mouoom mOEcz umuHLIIH uHom N m N m N h N m w M N L N m N m w m L N. JON L . . . o o S N. N E ,. N N N N 3 u 1.? o D 1 e o P M I o e e 8.0 u a e .n I s a a I u H e S e H s 0 d A H D.q 1 n e a O T. n O n I d S I 1 P u a T. a /. a S I O u u 1 S .COHOOOHM CH pouo> 30: new QQHquEHOHEH MO mmUMSOm HMHUCOSHWCH #m02l|.m|¢ mqmdfi 83 by a ratio of 2 to 1. Since over two—thirds of the yes voters said they received information from the brochure as opposed to nearly one-half of those who voted no, it would appear that the brochure was more positive than negative in its affect on voter decision. The MCC student appears to have exerted a positive influence since one quarter of the yes voters versus 10% of the no's received information from him. The most significant source of information was the news- paper with 83% of the yes voters, 67% of the no voters and 54% of those who refused to say how they voted, indicating it as a source of information. The newspaper impact as evidenced in Table 4—5, was positive. Those who recalled getting information from the telephone voted yes by a ratio of 4 to 1. Communication sources where there does not appear to be any differences in impact between the yes and no voters are those of radio, spouse, and neighbor/friend. Summary of Research Question 2-A. Data presented in Table 4-5 would indicate that the communication sources from which a voter recalls receiving information does bear a relationship to how he voted. Of the yes voters, 83% re- ceived information from the newspaper. The second most significant source was the brochure with 63% of those voting yes reporting they got millage information from this source. No discernible relationships appear to exist between sources of information and how a person voted in the areas of radio and neighbor/friend. 84 Research Question 2-B Is there a relationship between how a person said he voted and what he considers to be his most influential sources of information? Interviewees were asked to name the two information sources they deemed most influential in affecting their decision how to vote. They were also given the opportunity to indicate that none of the sources of information influ— enced their decision how to vote. Presented in Table 4-6 are those sources of information named first and those named second as the most influential sources. Respondents were not asked to rank order the influential sources. Percentages are presented in addition to the fre- quency of response to better determine where the differences in relationships lie. A chi square value of only 40 is needed for significance at the .005 level with 20 degrees of freedom. The chi square value for each section of the table is significant at the .005 level. The three highest percentages of communications sources named as the first source were newspaper (20%), speakers bureau (15%), and the brochure with 12%. Most significant is that nearly one—third of those who voted yes said that none of the sources influenced how they voted. Over one—half of those who voted no and of those who refused to say how they voted indicated that none of the sources influenced their vote. Of all the sources of communication, 85 brochure with 12% of the yes's and 4% of the no's, and speakers bureau with 15% of the yes's and 2% of the no's, appear to have been most influential in affecting voter decision. Suggesting a negative influence are the categories spouse and neighbor/friend. Seven per cent of those who voted no and 2% of those who refused to say, named neighbor/ friend as most influential, compared to 5% of those who voted yes. Only 3% of the yes voters named spouse as most influential source as contrasted with 7% of the no voters and 4% of those who refused to say. A look at the second part of Table 4-5, that deals with the second named source reveals that the newspaper, brochure, and speakers bureau were again named most fre- quently. However, as in the first named source, the state- ment that none of the communication sources influenced the voter's decision was again mentioned most frequently by half of the yes voters. Three-fourths of the voters in both the no and refused to say categories stated none as the most influential source. This higher percentage in these two categories is also borne out in the first section of Table 4—5. Summary of Research Question 2—B. Table 4-5 indi- cated a high level of significance between how a person said he voted and what he considers to be his most influ- ential sources of information. The brochure, newspaper, 86 and speakers bureau were named most frequently as most influential sources of information. Even more significant is that nearly one-third of the yes voters when naming the first source stated that none of the communications sources influenced their decision, and one-half of the yes voters said none of the sources influenced their decision when asked to name the second source of influential information. Also worth noting is the possibility of a negative affect on the voter through spouse and neighbor/friend communica- tion sources. Research Question 3 Is there a relationship between sources of informa- tion, most influential sources and demographics: age, proximity to campus; property ownership status, sex; parental status; voter status in the 1965 election to from the college district; and most recent visit to the campus? The findings relative to research question number eight and presented in Tables 4-6, 4-7, 4-8, 4-9, 4-10, 4—11, 4—12, and 4—13. The data were presented by frequency of response and percentages are also shown where the chi square indicates a level of significance. Sources of Information and Demographics Age. There appears to be no significance between a person's age and his sources of information. Voters were grouped as 35 years of age and under, and over 35 years of age. 87 .Ho>OH moo. Om ucmoHMHcmHm .1 k. .HO>OH OO. um pamoHOHcmHO 8.. H H H H H H H H H H H Eoommhm mo .mmo H.H NN. OO. O.H OO. O. O. O. OO. m.H H.m mumsvm Ono O H OH O N O O NH NN O OH Hocso .monmnsoz OH OH OOH ON NN ON mO OOH ONN ON NON Hmcso munomoum m O O m m. m O O O O O Eoowmnm mo .mmo m. v.m H4. m. H.O OONH m.N «*HN t0.0 mv. «m.m meDmvm HSU H O OH O O NO O NON OOO N ONO O HH NN OH mmHflz ON Hm>o m v Om NH NN NOH. ON oONN. oONO m .OOOO I OH ON OO ON moHHz ON OH O m mm H.H mO NON. ov NOO NON NH Ommm I HO NOH OOH OHH OOHHE OH O ONO NON NON OON moHHz Ono O H m H O O N N ON H OH ODQEOO Op wocmpmflo NO. m.H O.H m.m O.N O.N mO. N.H H.m O. O. H n .O No .moo ohmsqm Hnu O OH NO HN mm mm mm ONH ONN ON OOH mm Mm>o N N Hm NH ON ON NH NO NN O OO Hooca\mmlom¢ O N JON d N a o x a u m OO O O O O m U. u TI. 0 D I a O P M T. O a a 3.0 u a e n I s a o 1 u q a S e X s o .o A q PHH 1 n a a e T. n m m J m m. m moHanHm> /, m s 1 w UHcQOHOOEoo 1. 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S 0 d A U. “gm. m nun a w m. m mmHanum> I P - a I. e 0H£QOHOOEoQ / a S x O . u u q .COHuome mO. msgmym pro> .msumgm Hmucwhmm .xwm "OOHQOHHO> Ucm COHpOEHOmcH Oo monsoO--.NuO mque 89 .mnmsvm Ono an cmpwowwcw mH mocmowwflcmwm mHm£3 cho G30£m w O .Hm>mH OOO. Om OOOOHOHcmHO .1 m m m m O O m m O m m Eocmwum mo .mmo O.N O.O N.H 0.0 O.OH .O.NN O.O O. H. H. .0.0N OHOOOO Hnu O HH NO O HN OO ON OO OH OH OOO Hm>mz OH mm O N ON N OH OO OH NN O O OHO uOmO H Hm>o m . mm H N NH O ON OON OH ON O O ONO Ham» Humnucoe O OH vm OOO ONN mnucos O H N OO NH ON OO OH OO O O ON msmemo co OOOH O N JON d W HS S H N L 8 .4 O 18 U. 3 nd d 9 a a I U. U I.T. O 3 la 0 p M T. O 8 a 35 U 89 n T. S a 3 I UU. a S 9X. 3 0 d A U. 0.0. 1. n3 8 E T. n O O O. O O O O /, a s 1 o HDMHum> M. 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NNIHhmH OOH.HNNO ONO.H OON OOO.NNHO OO.H OO0.000 ONO. HN-ONOH mmn.mmmm mmm.H Oom mmO.mOHm OO.H omo.mmm mmm. onImOmH OON.ONNO O.H OON h>~.Ome om. ooo.omw OO. mOnwOmH Hmm.OOHm OO.H OON Hmm.Om O OO. ooo.OOw 0O. mOIwOmH Ommsmvam OO.H Omm vmm.~m w mm. ooo.OOm NO. NOIOOmH Ammmomusm HHOV Amwmomnsm HHOV Omo.mmaw OO.H OOmH Omo.mmHm OO.H OOOQ Ono: OOIOOmH macs Ono: mcoc macs Osos mcoc Ono: mOIvOmH mHmHHOQ Ommaaflz mmmsuflpcmmxm mHOHHOQ mmmaaflz mHmHHOQ OOOHHHS Hmmw lllll .Hmmo HO O HOOOB OOOOOHmmm pcmEmHOpOm pawn mOmH .m SOHO: mosflm OOO>OA mmxma Hmooq APPENDIX C BROCHURE USED TO DISEMINATE MILLAGE INFORMATION 131 Facts About The February 23, I97I, Millage Election r1. P M MONTCALM COMMUNITY COLLEGE The college has been forced to reduce this year’s budget by $115,000 which included using the entire reserve funds of $50000 2. The college presently uses the entire voted 1 mill. 3. The college faces a loss of student tuition, fees and gifts and grants for 1971-72 (see below, a re eview 01 recent legislative provisions effecting income). 4. The college now levies .525 01 a mill for debt retirement and 1 mill for operation However. the college still needs $201,000 to sustain the present quality of operation during 1971-1972. Review of Recent Legislation Having An Adverse Effect Upon The College Income Equating Students — The State pays an average of $700 per tull- time equated student. Since 1969- 70 31 semester credit hours are requ uired for one full-time equated student instead or the previous- ly required 24 semesterh ours. This has rmulted in reduced state aid. 2. High School Shared Time Students— The college lost $49,000 in state aid this year because the state is no longer paying community colleges for high school students taking part of their course work at the colic 3. Tuition Bates — The elegislature has set a statewide tuition for community colleges in 1971- 1972. This raises from $9.50 to $10.00 per rtcredi ho our the tuition charged in- district residents. Signifi- cantly, it raises non- -resident or outcf-distrlct tuition from $15.00 to $20.00 per credit hour. Initially it would appear that more income would be generated; however, because the increase no longer makes MOO competitive with state colleges and universities there is a predicted decrease in out- of-district students. This decrease will result in less tuition and state aid income for the college in the 1971-1972 school year. 4. Social Security and Retirement — An 11% increase in payroll has resulted since last year when the college had to begin paying the employers slmre of the State Retirement Plan and the Social Security contribution. Through no fault of the college, this legislative ruling has cost the college $72,530 this year alone. 5. Enrollment Penalty — Each community college is required by law to estimate its expected full time equated enrollment a year in advance or the start of an academic year. This enrollment esti- mate then becomes a fixed figure and each college must enroll that number to receive the full state aid. For each fulltime-equated student under that estimate, a college is penalized on the average or $700 per Iull-timeequated student. It is estimated that this law will cost the college $70, this year in loss of state aid What Will The Increase In Millage Cost? what is the increase In millage sought? Less than a 1 mill (.975) increase over the present total taxes for the college (1.525 to 2.5 mills). What will it cost me e? [ The millage increase amounts to 97% cents per $1,000 State Equalized Valuation. (A person whose home and roperty has a State Equalized Valuation of $6,000 paid d$9. 15 in community college taxes this year; or 1971- 72 the total would be $15. 00 if the millage increase passes -— a difference of $5.85 The Budget EXPENSE 1970-1971 1971-1972 Instruction 1547027 Instruction $ 614,651 Public Service .................................................... 67,026 Public Service ................................................ 69,241 Library 49,459 Library 55.105 Student Services ................................................ 34,803 Student Servica ............................................ 41,310 General Support .............................................. 96,628 General Support ............................................ 109,365 Gross Total $892 914 Gross Total =1 M7 197 Increase $114,213 Increase in Expenses 71-72 .................. Decrease in Available71 Funds 71-72 DEFICIT FOR 71- 72 ................................ $201,147 ;:;s.-;.;;;_.j~;.{331-};j Voting Information :3. filliegulettionz‘. I" i ' hm ole: ‘ i ‘ 'I more - - unity: I{fired lncmueAut-honfimnnhnfln: -dollye' Wfllmufihmw ' Iuinteotnotvtaexoedd ‘13th W? i .’ . 1.; ”:5” T11mm. W W . -"At"fie- cumin-huh rush-I IO. (3 qlions-d h“ Wfinflm-wmmg’e “infuse d..~’ of (5:18 agilnlll‘ v VOte Your Convictlon on mar-Feb 23, I971 ' 393110) :‘anWWOD gg‘jIVDINOW I 7 :‘t‘.':; '3'?” ',:' 2‘“l:I....1:"::.:::.;: :4; is: 9 ‘ :{I-II Isl i‘M'E'O'M‘M‘UfllJY some}? 1' SK SIDNEY MItHIeAN 33835 '{."_ _ - . - NON-PROFIT one. U. S. POSTAGE P A I D Sidney, Michigan Permit No. 2 "OIPSIE afinulw l£6l ’cz Mnmqal atIl 1'1qu '93; 4er ‘I l IZ'BZE (“5) 'Jeddnl 449qu “so 'alnqomq sgql JIo serdoo leuomppe eAIaoel 0+ lo 'uorlezgueblo .Inoli JO} uorloele 969mm at“. uo leqeeds e elnpeqas °.L 'suonorAuoo srq 940A Krasrm Ines uosaad paumogur us firm :quI saAegaq AIaJaouIs saaianJ, JO [3.11208 53331103 em nonoare 981mm 93 Kmmqag am Inoqe uogeumolur [Hmong Eunuasald J0 BSOdJIld 9105 sq; .10; 101.11qu 383110;) All -unuuuo;) wreoluom equ, unripe SJaIOA 91p, 03, painqmsrp Bureq st amqoosq sum, ‘1. .m. H‘A APPENDIX D LETTER MAILED TO ORGANIZATION AFTER SLIDE PRESENTATIONS WERE MADE 133 February 18, 1971 Mrs. Alton Paris Blue Star Mothers 464 Mills Park Greenville, Michigan 48838 Dear Mrs. Paris: Thank you for making it possible to present the Montcalm Community College millage story to your organiza— tion, and for the friendly atmosphere in which Mrs. Dee Cook was received. It has been the cooperation of people such as yourself that has helped to open doors and bring your college's appeal to as many citizens as possible. Again, my sincere appreciation for arranging for the speaking engagement, and for your hospitality. If we, at Montcalm Community College can be of service to you in any way, please feel free to call. Sincerely yours, Robert F. Tupper Millage Coordinator RFths 134 APPENDIX E OPEN LETTER TO STUDENTS REGARDING IMPACT OF MILLAGE ELECTION VOTE 135 February 15, 1971 Dear Students: Your instructors have been requested to read this message in each of their classes this week because I believe that Montcalm Community College faces a crisis on February 23rd and needs the help of each of it's students. On February 23 the residents of the college district are being asked to vote on a millage proposal for the college. The proposal states that we are asking for 1% mills, however, the people in the district are already paying a little over a half a mill of this request. This means that the actual increase we are asking for is less than 1 mill or about $1.00 for each $1,000 State Equalized Valuation of the taxpayers property. The reason for the college's millage proposal is to keep the programs and courses that the college now offers. For example, if we lose this vital election we could be forced to make a 20 to 25% slash in personnel which would mean a cut in programs and course offerings, which in turn would mean fewer students at the college. I hope that you can see our plight and will attempt to convince your parents, friends and neighbors that we need their yes vote on February 23rd. If every student of the college encouraged just two persons to vote favorably for the millage we would have approximately one fourth of the votes necessary to win this vital election. Please note that all qualified registered voters in the college's district (this includes both property and non- property owners) are eligible to vote in this election. Students interested in working for the passage of the college millage proposal are urged to see me as soon as possible. Also, I plan to meet with all students willing to work for the millage this Friday at noon in And. #1. Thank you for your time and consideration of this request for your help. Sincerely, Robert F. Tupper Millage Coordinator Dean of Students RFT/jr 136 APPENDIX F EDITORIAL FROM THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER, THE POST 137 Printed from The Post February 18, 1971 Editorial MCC’sFuture Unfortunately, the Montcalm Community College Board of Trus- tees has been forced to go to the voters of the college district for an increase in the millage. The millage campaign has unified the college behind a common goal, the Board, Administration, faculty, and the student body. A Special office was set up to handle the millage campaign, in- cluding the dissemination of printed material and furnishing speak- ers to groups in the community interested in the millage. Dean of Students Robert F. Tupper headed the campaign in addition to carry- ing out his other duties as Dean. Presentations have been made to more than 100 gatherings so far. Everything appears to go on as usual on the campus, but there is an undercurrent of extreme tension. If the voters turn down the proposal to increase the millage it is almost certain that there will be cuts made; cuts which are estimated to be in the 20-25% range. The cuts will decimate the staffand reducethe curriculum offerings available. The college as it stands now would be able to operate again next year if the Millage is defeated, but the program offered would not be as complete as the one offered now. Students are urged to make every effort to present the desirable contributions of the college to the voters of each opportunity. Start with your parents and relatives, then talk to your neighbors. It may make a difference to them if they discover that the students them- selves have an interest in the college and are willing to work for it. The election is Tuesday, February 23, 1971. Let us all make an effort to make the vote a favorable one, the college needs your support. We are headed into the spring of another year, one which in view of recent happenings around the worldthreatens to be no more calm than was last year’s when the campuses turned to blood. The stu- dents at Montcalm Community College read and feel the same things that the students at other colleges and universities read and feel. Why, then, isn’t MCC plagued with the same kind of violence that so many campuses are? For one thing, the student body at MCC is mostly of rural roots. The style of living they grew up with is slower, calmer, and there- fore quieter, not as excitable as their city counterparts. The other thing, which is just as important, is that MCC is not crowded, the instructors are readily available in the flesh, notpiped in by remote control. This brings the college intoakind of comraderie, a genuine feeling of community on campus which is so rare today. It is to the advantage of the community to have a college nearby for their children, who can be eased into higher education with a minimum of trauma, and for themselves for enjoyment or for occu- pational desire. The college needs the community. The question is, does the community think it needs the college? W.P. F. 138 APPENDIX G PAID ADVERTISEMENT OF THE CENTRAL MONTCALM HIGH SCHOOL CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY 139 NOTICE“! We the members of the Central Montcalm High School Chapter of the National Honor Society, having fully considered the proposed additional millage for Montcalm Community College (to be voted on February 23, 1971) unanimously endorse its passage. It being the purpose of our organization to serve our community in any way possible, we feel it is only fitting that we offer our services in support of an institution such ‘ as MCC, whose value to our community, both cultural as well as educational, is immeasurable. We offer the following as representative reasons for our decision; I. MCC provides a solution for the student lacking the necessary funds to attend a higher collem, or with local responsibilities he is unable to abandon. It is also the answer for a student who still needs time to reconsider his future before making the total commitment of attending a large university. ll. MCC offers valuable enrichment courses for area non-students in a variety of subjects. Montcalm County citizens have enjoyed the benefits of such courses. since the college's beginning. III. MCC widens the variety of courses available to area high-school students through the Shared Time Program. At Central Montcalm alone, forty-eight students are now taking three-hour courses at MCC. Recent legislation, however, has eliminated state-aid for such programs. VI. Special presentations such as the recent Concert-Lecture series with Karl Haas provide enrichment in an area in which our community is seriously lacking. Without MCC, culture on the local level would be nearly non-existent in Montcalm County. A look at the current financial situation (brochures are currently available which fully explain the recent legislation which has caused MCC's financial difficulties) at MCC indicates that to turn down the upcoming millage would undoubtedly cause serious cutbacks in these and other programs. We, as a community, cannot afford to let this happen. Therefore, we pledge our services to helping in any way possible with the campaigi for passage of the proposed millage and urge all other concerned citizens to do likewise. CENTRAL MONTCALM HIGH SCHOOL CHAPTER NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY 140 APPENDIX H PRINTED MATERIAL DISTRIBUTED TO INTERVIEWERS ON STIMULATING DISCUSSION--PROBING 141 STIMULATING DISCUSSION--PROBING One of the most challenging and important aspects of the interviewer's work is probing. The quality of the interview depends a great deal on the interviewer's ability to probe meaningfully and successfully. What is Probing? Probing is the technique used by the interviewer to stimulate discussion and obtain more information. A question has been asked and an answer given. For any number of reasons, the answer may be inadequate and require the inter- viewer to seek more information to meet the survey objec- tives. Probing is the art of getting this additional infor- mation. Probes have two major functions: 1. Probes motivate the respondent to communicate more fully so that he enlarges on what he has said, or clarifies what he has said, or explains the reasons behind what he has said. 2. Probes focus the discussion on the specific content of the interview so that irrelevant and unnecessary information can be eliminated. Probes must perform these two functions without intro- ducing bias by avoiding the introduction of unplanned and unwanted influences. Why is Probipg Necessary? Some respondents have difficulty in putting their thoughts into words; other respondents' answers may be unclear or incomplete; still others may want to hide their attitudes because they feel that they are socially unac— ceptable. The interviewer must deal with such factors as these and use procedures which encourage and clarify the thinking of the respondent. Even the best questionnaire may occasionally bring first responses which are inadequate. An answer may be inadequate because it is only a partial answer and there— fore incomplete; it may be irrelevant, about something besides the subject of the question; it may be unclear, meaning one of several things; it may be inconsistent, in conflict with other information. 142 143 Knowing the Question Objectives Repeat and clarify questions which are misunderstood or misinterpreted. Questions are phrased to be understood by respondents all over the county and you will find that most of the people you interview do indeed understand them. Occasionally, however, a respondent may misunderstand or misinterpret what is asked. When this happens, you can repeat the question just as it is written in the ques- tionnaire. If you suspect that the respondent merely needs time to think it over, simply wait and don't press for an immediate answer. If you think the respondent just needs reassuring, you may want to add to the question a neutral conversational remakr, such as: "We're just trying to get people's ideas on this," or "There are no right or wrong answers, just your ideas on it." If you still do not get a response in terms of the words and meaning of the question, you may have to reword the question slightly. This should happen only once in a great while, and should be done only as a last resort. Kinds g£_Probes Several different neutral techniques which should appear as a natural and casual part of normal conversation may be used to stimulate a fuller, clearer response. A brief assertion of understanding and interest. By saying such things as "uh-Huh“ orIWI see1r or "Yesw_or "That's interesting," the interviewer indicates that he has heard the response given so far, that he is interested in it, and that he expects more. These things serve to stimulate the respondent to talk further. An eXpectant pause. The simplest way to convey to a respondent that you know he has begun to answer the ques- tion, but that you feel he has more to say, is to be silent. The pause--often accompanied by an eXpectant look or a nod of the head--allows the respondent time to gather his thoughts. Repeating the question. When the respondent does not seem to understand the question, when he misinterprets it, when he seems unable to make up his mind, or when he strays from the subject, it is often useful to repeat the question just as it is written in the questionnaire. Repeating the respondent's reply, Simply repeating what the respondent has said as soon as he has stopped talking is often an excellent probe. This should be done 144 as you are writing, so that you are actually repeating the respondent's reply and recording it at the same time. Hearing his idea repeated often stimulates further thought by the respondent. A neutral question or comment. Neutral questions or comments are frequently used to obtain clearer and fuller responses. Following are examples of the most commonly used probes: "How do you mean?" "Could you tell me more about your thinking on that?" "Will you tell me what you have in mind?" "I'm not sure I understand what you have in mind." "Why do you think that is so?" "Could you tell why you feel that way?" "What do you think causes that?" "Do you have any other reasons for feeling as you do?" "Anything else?" Asking for further clarification. In probing, it is sometimes a good technique for the Interviewer to appear slightly bewildered by the respondent's answer, and inti- mate in his probe that it might be himself who failed to understand. (For example: "I'm not quite sure I know what you mean by that--could you tell me a little more"). This technique can arouse the respondent's desire to cooperate with a human being trying to do a good job. It should not be overplayed, however. Probigg Methods Should bs_Neutral The potential for bias is great in the use of probes. Under the pressure of the interviewing situation, the interviewer may quite unintentionally imply that some responses are more acceptable than others, or he may hint that a respondent might wish to consider or include this or that in giving his response. Consider the question: "College personnel are very interested about your feelings toward any and all aspects of the college's operation. Is there anything you would like to mention about its programs, courses, personnel, or other phase of its operation?" 145 The respondent's first answer is: "Well, I don't know too much about the college." The respondent has not answered the question, but he has indicated that he has some thoughts on the subject. How might the interviewer handle this situation? An example of a neutral probe might be: "I see. Well, could you tell me what you have in mind?" or "There are no right or wrong answers on things like this, of course. I'd just like to get your thinking." The "I Don't Know" Response The "I don't know" answer can mean any number of things. For instance: -—The respondent doesn't understand the question and answers "don't know" to avoid saying he doesn't understand. --The respondent is thinking the question over, and says "don't know" to fill the silence but to give himself time to think, too. --The respondent may be trying to evade the issue because he feels he is uninformed or may give the wrong answer or because the question strikes him as too personal, and so on. --The respondent may really not know, or he may have no opinion on the subject. If the respondent actually doesn't have the information requested of him, this is in itself significant to the survey results. But, it is the interviewer's responsibility to make sure this is the case. An expectant pause, a reassuring remark ("Well, we're just interested in your general ideas about this."), repeating the question, a neutral question ("What are your ideas about this?")--all will encourage the respondent to reply. Gathering_Personal Data Information If the respondent asks why you want his age, or some- thing else, you might say something like this: "Well, we are talking with people of different ages and various occupations in all parts of the county. 146 We put all the interviews together, and then count them up to see whether men feel differently than women, whether young people feel differently than older peOple, and so on. To do this we need to know a few things about the people we talk to." This gives the respondent a logical reason for desiring the information, and shows him why his cooperation will be of help. If there seems to be a need for further reassur- ance, you may add: "As I mentioned, the interview is completely confidential. The survey report is simply a summary of all the interviews, without, of course, identify- ing anyone." Call Bscks If you haven't found the respondent home in the after- noon, it is often futile to repeatedly call again in the afternoon; try the morning and evenings the next time. It is also a good idea to try asking a neighbor about the best time to find someone at home. You should make at least four calls before callingkyour Instructor for a new Kane. The only exception to making callbacks is in those cases where you find a house vacant. APPENDIX I LETTER TO INTERVIEWERS AND STUDENT INTERVIEWER QUESTIONNAIRE 147 April 28, 1971 Dear Colleague: I greatly appreciate your assistance in conducting the recent Montcalm Community College survey. Now, I'm asking you to take a few more minutes of your time to complete the following questionnaire pertaining to you and your experiences during the interviewing. There are no "right" answers on the questionnaire. The "right" answers will be the ones you give. Please feel free to make any additional comments you think will improve the results of this questionnaire. Of course, your answers will be held in the strict- est of confidence. Thanks again for your cooperation! Cordially, Don Krischak 148 149 INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE MONTCALM COMMUNITY COLLEGE MILLAGE ELECTION SURVEY 1. Overall, how well do you think your interviews went? Very well Well Not too well How easy is it for you to talk with persons you're meeting for the first time? Very easy Easy Not too easy In general, how do you think peOple feel about being interviewed? They enjoy it They don't mind it They dislike it Which of the following categories best indicates your age? ___18 years old ___19 years old ___20 years old ___21-25 years old ___over 25 years old Were you brought up mostly: ___On a farm ___In a town ___In a city Which of the following is closest to your Grade Point Average? 2.0 or below 2.0 to 3.0 over 3.0 What is your college major? You were asked to role play the interview situation. Do you think the time spent was: Unnecessary Helpful Not long enough You were given printed material to assist you with probing and dealing with specific situations. Do you think the material was: Helpful, about the right amount Not enough to be helpful Unnecessary 10. 11. 12. l3. 14. 15. 16. 150 Before you accepted the assignment to conduct the interviews, were you: Very apprehensive ____Somewhat apprehensive Confident that you would enjoy the interviewing In retrospect, what kinds of things should have been eXplained to you in advance that would have made conducting the interview easier? If you were given the chance to conduct additional interviews, would you: Enjoy doing them Do them but not particularly enjoy them Dislike doing them What did you like most about conducting the interviews? What did you like least about conducting the interviews? Are you: Male Female If respondents knew you were a college student, do you think: It didn't seem to matter "They didn't know I was a college student." "They were less open because I was a college student." Additional Comments: (Your impressions not covered above; e.g. If you have long hair or board, did respondents appear to be less open? etc.) Thanks again for your assistance! Your name APPENDIX J SUBJECTIVE RESPONSES TO THE QUESTION: IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO MENTION ABOUT THE COLLEGE'S PROGRAMS, COURSES, PERSONNEL, OR ANY OTHER PHASE OF ITS OPERATION? 151 SUBJECTIVE RESPONSES 29 THE QUESTION: Is there anything you would like to mention about the College's programs, courses, personnel, or any other phase of its operation? PROGRAMS --Took a class and found personnel friendly and helpful. —-Friends and relatives seem to be satisfied. --Good for adults. Programs up to par. Taxes are too high. --One of the best community colleges in the state. --Some instructors teach classes they're not qualified to teach. (Psychology and Sociology) --Live too far from college. High school taxes are too high. —-Pleased that someone from college asked his opinion. Doesn't know much about the college. -—Don't turn away in-county students for out-of-county in the LPN program. --Didn't know what she had voted on or where the college was. --Shared time students are not mature enough to be at the college. Promised that college would only cost 1/2 mill and now they want more. --Good job. --Need more agriculture courses. --Need more adult education classes. --Has doubts about shared time. Does it hold back regular college students? --Likes the Community Chorus. --Gives students a chance to plan what they want to do. --Took an evening class and liked the instructor. --Students should be grouped according to ability. Especially likes auto, welding classes. Students should be screened so as not to waste money and time. Poor communication between MCC and high schools. --Likes trade courses, otherwise doesn't know much about the college. --Shared time students are "freeloaders." Heard the teachers are not qualified. Not really interested in MCC. --Likes seminars and shared time for high school students. --Likes LPN and adult counseling. --Likes college being used for meetings. Taxes are too high. --Need more variety in courses. How much of need is there for aircraft program when mechanics are unemployed? --Needs medical records program. --No children, not interested in MCC. --Likes Community Services, adult education classes and the use by the public of the Learning Resources Center. --College should provide books for students. 152 153 PROGRAMS, Cont'd. --Need more adult education classes. ~-Don't need a college in every county. --Doing a marvelous job for a new college. --Need more specialized training. --Keep the evening classes! --Pleased about the shared time program. --Kids shouldn't be bused to college while in high school. --Remember visiting campus during open house. --Likes close-to-home and smallness. Could use a good business manager, as could all schools. --Need more activities for students. --Difficult to get around due to age. Doesn't know anybody who attends. - --Terrific institution. Daughter attended. Would like to see a Literary Club formed. --Need more vocational technical courses. --No firsthand experience with the college. -—Worked against the millage because college promised it would never fall back on people for money. --Need better shop area and equipment. Need more communica- tion by college personnel. --No knowledge about the college. --No knowledge and not interested. --Would like to see more university courses offered at the college. --Need more classes for post graduates to get more people on campus. Impressed with classrooms and library facilities. Need more shared time with high schools. --Hasn't heard anything bad about the college. --College is allright. Taxes too high. -—Would like an electronics course and good mechanic's course. --Not getting his dollar's worth. Administration doesn't do enough for the money. Likes vocational opportunity. —-Should not admit shared time students to mechanics course because class is filled with outside students. Should take own students first. --Against anything that raises taxes. --Would like a meat cutting course for son. --Could not recommend LPN program. Students are poorly supervised in the hospitals, and screening is poor. --Keep offering vocational—technical programs. --Great for adults. Tremendous asset. Timing of election was wrong. --Need more academic courses. --Would like a day small engine class. Student should pay more. 154 PROGRAMS, Cont'd. -—Has boy in shared time. Reads most articles on college. Sister took courses. Too many millage votes in the area. -—Likes shared time. Costs are reasonable. --Has heard many compliments about the college. --Vocational-technical programs leave great deal to be desired. Had bad experience in automotive course which indicated lack of qualified instructor. --Liked courses and instructors. --Good staff. -—Should stick to more vocational courses, since that's what college was created to do. --Good vocational programs--great asset. Cost over $2,000 more to send daughter away to school than when she was at MCC. Claims many people voted no because they were told they would never be asked to vote more millage. --Don't know much about the college. Not interested. --Check on ROTC for MCC. Opposed to longhaired kids. --Older folks can't afford it! People being taxed to death! --Can't survive on farm now, without paying more taxes. --Should have more than just vocational courses. --For the college, hopes they progress. --C1asses move too fast for slow learners. Choosing of LPN students partial to out-of-county students because then the college gets more tuition. Must meet local student needs first. --Liked farm-type courses. --Likes small classes. Good instructors. Able to take classes close to home. --Took one night class, very satisfied. --People who attend seem satisfied. --Improve communications with public. Let high school students and parents tour campus. Administrators never go to the public unless they want money. --Good vocational-technical programs. -—Took two courses. Found personnel qualified. --Need to advertise more. People don't know college is here. Let's not stop now. --No contact with college. Good opportunity for kids. --Asset to county. Attended special seminars and classes. Good cooperation with other educational units. --Too many people don't know it's here. --High regard for vocational programs. --Son attended. Pleased. Liked smallness. --Vocational program held in high esteeem. -—Worried about dope, mass destruction of public facilities. Not enough church affiliation. --Limited offering of courses. --Technical programs are important. 155 PROGRAMS, Cont'd. —-Need more vocational-technical courses. Liked lecture- concert. --Very qualified teachers, with some exceptions. --Social functions good, Ox Roast, ect. Likes close contact with instructors. --Good vocational-technical and secretarial science courses. --Need more vocational-technical courses. -—Glad college offers extension classes. --Need art classes in drawing, painting. A new homeowner who is bogged down with taxes. --Likes college. Friends are going. --Need more cultural programs and courses. --Adult education is good. --Likes practical courses that lead to good jobs. —-Heard that classes do not transfer easily. Nice oppor- tunity, wants her kids to go. --Don't know too much about the college. Took two courses for farmers and appreciated them. --College is wonderful for small community. -—Took adult education class. Felt very welcome. --Had disagreement with instructor about having to take speaker out for a drink. Would like to attend more classes. Voted against due to high taxes. —-Cheaper than other colleges. Handy. --Had son in MCC. More help was available to him. --Gives young marrieds a chance for education. --Nice place, convenient, LPN program good for area. Taxes too high. --Uninformed about college. Taxes too high. --College wants more money every year. Most kids don't know what they want anyway. Just going to screw off. --Great asset. Very impressed. --Very satisfied. --Not too helpful yet since it's still a two-year college. -—Can't keep up with college. Doesn't know too much about it. --No affiliation with college. --Courses varied. Lots of courses to choose from. --Vocational-technical programs help many. --Checked some papers done by students in writing class. They were abominable, yet they received top ratings. Must maintain transfer standards. --Wonderful job. Liked home construction course. --Should be more technically oriented. --Voted yes because wants it when kids get college age. --If you have people like Mr. Morford, you must have a good thing going. Grading not too fair. Doing a good job for community. 156 PROGRAMS, Cont'd. --Attended "Critical Issues," and small engine repair. Courses were great. Good Nursing program. Hates to see any millage fail. --College shouldn't be teaching in Belding. Thought it was a community college, why let other counties in? Took course on safety supervision and enjoyed it. --Attended Heart Meetings because heard they were good. Wanted to attend Critical Issues, but couldn't. Would like more of same. --Need more vocational programs. Perhaps people don't realized these programs cost more to offer. --Good thing, if credits will transfer. -—Took couple of courses and learned a lot. Attended a few programs. --Husband and wife has both taken classes. --Not enough courses. Should expand if college is going to grow. --Add a new program every year. --Knows nothing about college's operation. Has no kids in school. --Offers'taste" of college and a chance to choose job field. --Son is transfer student from Michigan Tech., and is getting a lot out of vocational-technical program. --Like the close student-instructor relationship. --Knows that factory send foremen over there nights. It seems like a peaceful college--that's good. Taxes too high. --Has a good Community Services program. Big help for those who don't go on to four year college. Likes extension courses and what is being done with the barn. --The area has enough colleges-Alma, Calvin, Ferris--don't need anymore. Taxes too high. Totally against the college. --Need more advertising and publications. People should know more about the college than they do. --Good auto course. --Doing a good job. Feels college needs money more than Greenville High School. --Would like to see more non-credit classes for recent high school graduates. Example: Drama, Bible Study, World Religious, Music Appreciation, Music for beginners, first aid, etc. —-Attended Heart Meetings, follows with interest things that go on at college. --Didn't realize how much was going on until she heard Mr. Morford speak at Greenville Junior Women's Club. --Need to strengthen transfer area. Vocation area tOps. Teachers are poorly qualified. 157 PROGRAMS, Cont'd. —-Likes Community Services. Voc-tech. good. Need more people like Mr. Morford. --Curriculum should parallel Central Michigan instead of Michigan State. Need Art classes. --One student is a clerical worker where I work and she does her work well. --Need more voc—tech and less academic courses. --Majority of instructors excellent. --Hope people awaken and see how important college is to community. --Know little about the college. Would like to know more. --Good offerings. Too bad administration doesn't have the sky as the limit in programming. --Providing a very important service. --Too many administrators. --Would like to see more adult recreation classes. --Knows little or nothing except where the college is. His children are too young for him to worry about the college. Probably a good thing to have. Knows no one who attends. --Everyone should have a chance to attend. No complaints whatsoever. ' —-Retired. MCC doesn't mean too much to her. In favor of the college. ENROLLMENTS --College should attempt to handle all they can with no expansion until financial situation is more stable. --Enrol as many as can be efficiently taught. -—Bus service from Greenville might increase enrollment of students who do not have own transportation. Could change same as a regular bus service. --Evening class changed and she wasn't notified in advance. --Daughter was refused admittance because of weight problem. As a result she holds a grudge against the college. Besides, already paying too much taxes. --Sorry to see millage defeated. --Dislikes student dress. Most go to school to avoid draft. --Don't allow students from other counties unless they pay taxes. FACILITIES --Facilities are attractive. —-Need additional safety features in auditoriums. --Need student housing to increase enrollment. --Cafeteria is a good thing. --Likes location. 158 PROGRAMS, Cont'd. --Expansion at this time could be fiscal madness. --Need dorms for students without cars. --Need living facilities for students. --Disapproves of main heating unit. Buildings should be closer together. Inefficient. --Contracts for buildings let to non—union contractors. FINANCES --Charge more tuition. Being asked to support elementary, secondary, and junior colleges is too much. --Carrying too many taxes. -—Need to support elementary schools first. Voting no was a matter of priorities. --Must find other ways to support all our schools. -—Told no more millages when college was built. --Spending present money for things they don't need. --Taxes are too high. Would like to see college stay. Need more enrollment. --Too much money. Too much taxes. --It's wrong to build the college and then not support it. --Should increase cost to out-of-county students. Taxes too high. --Doing a good job with financial resources. --Good job. Financial support will be sure to improve in the future. --Taxes too high for property owners. --Gratiot, Ionia and Montcalm should form one district. --Don't expand until on the feet financially. --Watch spending! Initially said original millage would cover building and operational costs. --If you don't vote yes, they keep after you until you do. --Voted against present means of financing schools. --Taxes too high since land was revaluated. --Against what money goes for. Mismanagement. Too many counselors. Don't need Community Services. Too many secretaries. —-Next year they'll want twice as much. Never took time to know anything about the college. --Need to know exactly where the money is going. --No kids college age. Why should I like it? Taxes too high. —-I hate the college and everything about it. --Deserves the support of the people who wanted it in the first place. Didn't live in the area when it was started. --Taxes too high, but would like to see college continue. --Too much money and not enough information on where it's gOing. --Deserves some of the community's tax dollars for ways it serves. 159 PROGRAMS, Cont'd. —-Do you really need the money to operate the college? ~—100% state financing would decrease pride in our college. --Something is going to have to level off when it comes to taxes. -—Income tax would be fairer than prOperty tax. —-Should be self supporting. Too many taxes. -—Work is slow, so he voted no. --Unable to pay mUch more taxes on disabled person's income. However, now wishes she had Voted yes. --College students can find a way to get through college on their own, the way I did. I don't care about the college that much, and don't think I should have to support it. --Too many taxes. Don't know much about college, but in favor of it. --Taxes too high. Excellent teachers. --Need to channel more money from larger colleges to MCC. ADMINISTRATION --One person makes too many decisions concerning selection of students. -—Liked religious and patriotic emphasis during graduation. --MCC doesn't need to be bigger to compete. --Too many administrators. -—Would like to see college become a 4-year college. -—Poor community relations. Need more state and federal aid. --I know some administrators, and if they say they need more money, I believe them. --Need some kind of public transportation. Very pleased with extension classes and administration of Community Services. --Need a public relations man. Need more community involvement. --Wages too high. Administration way out of proportion to rest of staff. Teachers are over paid. Making work to keep people busy. Big shots sitting around doing nothing. Taxes too high. --Too heavy on administration. APPENDIX K ELECTION RESULTS BY HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE 1965 ELECTION TO FORM THE COLLEGE DISTRICT AND OF THE FEBRUARY 23, 1971 ELECTION 160 school_District .Precinct Yes No Spoiled Carson City Carson City 107 101 Crystal 65 87 Hubbardston 3 49 Total 175 237 412 Montabella Edmore 195 182 Blanchard 39 117 Six Lakes 44 90 Total 278 389 667 Greenville Cedar Crest 136 124 City Hall 196 112 Baldwin 163 87 Walnut 40 107 Montcalm Twp. Hall 56 132 Eureka Twp. Hall 116 78 Lincoln Heights 39 58 County Bal. 13 12 Total 759 710 1469 Tri-County Howard City 37 164 202 Sand Lake 10 33 43 Total 47 197 244 Lakeview Lakeview 114 383 3 Coral 41 92 Total 155 475 630 Cent. Mont. Sheridan 172 153 Stanton 266 171 Total 438 324 762 Vestaburg Vestaburg Total 80 58 138 TOTALS 1932 2390 4322 161 162 r. . a. mm NeHN NNNm Hmmm ow mmON mmmm Hmmm Hmooe H SN NN H SN NN mme amHHmoHrz u a cowamHm mm mm mm mm HHHm mHmmz i H acmanN NH NH mN NH NH mN m>ono mch i am mHunmm NH NH NH NH anon i N Nan m e 0N mm N m eN mm cam one; . MN Hmumsuo m N mH N N mH Housmam . H Hmumsuo H m Nm mm m am am mHHH>Hnmon> i um HHmcnmsm N e HH m m HH oummom l m umsoon m N HH N N HH HHmnosz u a umEOOHm N eHH mmH NNN N HHH omH mNN NpHcsssoo musnmumm> m NNm Ne NNe N eNm Ne mNe mama Nuance Hue e Hoe mew mew e mmm mNe New NHHcsssoo 38H>mme NH Ham equ NeNH NH mmm NNNH NeNH OHHnsm mHHH>cmmno N NNH Hmm owe m HHH «em owe NoHcsssoo whosem «H ONN omN QNN a NHN NmN «Na oHHosN sHmoucoz Hmuucmo N NeH mHe «em N NNH «Ne emm mesa Hmnmmno NoHo sownmo m Hm oeH eHN H sq NeH eHN uHca nHzmczoe mumeH>Hom .Hmm oz mow ummu .Hmm oz mm» #mmu HH cofluflmomonm coflvmeQOHm ZOH BU mqm MU H.H.HOU N.H. H 232200 APPENDIX L RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1, 2, 3, 4, NOT PRESENTED IN CHAPTER IV 163 Research Question 1 Is there a relationship between a person's occupa- tion and whether he voted yes, voted no, or refused to say how he voted? Respondents to this question were asked if they would be willing to tell how they voted in the February 23, millage election. Those who gave a positive response were then asked to reveal how they had voted. Results of the answers to this question are presented in Table 4-14. Since a chi square significant at the .005 level was revealed, two percentages are presented in addition to the frequency of responses. Identified in column 1 are the percentages by occupations of the total votes cast by category. Presented in column 2 are the percentages of how each occupational group voted. A look at the percentages reveal that a majority of persons in the job categories farmer (54%) and retired (67%) voted no in the election. It was interesting to note that the percentage of farmers and retirees saying that no communication technique influenced them was identical to the percentage of each group who voted no in the election. Conversely, half or more of the persons voting yes were in the following categories: housewife (50%), executive/ professional (75%), skilled/semi-skilled/unskilled/service (55%), and clerical/sales (87%) voted yes in the election. Summary of Research Question 1. Table 4-14 reveals a high level of significance between a person's job category 164 .Ho>mH moo. um camoHuHcmHm k .165 NH Eooooum mo oouooo «N.Nv mumsom H50 HOH NN Om OOH mm mm mHmuoe Om O O O OH N H OH Nm OH N m m mH me «N N v N mH HH O New on oomowom OMH NH H N mv N m ON ON ON NH O NH em mm. mm NO OH ON vn mH HN oz oouo> mHN ON O MH mv N m mm mN Ow mN ON Nm Om Om ON NN v m Hm N NH mow owuo> w w m w w m w w m w w m w w m w m m w w m I D i o t m mm. H... N N N 1. a a ST. a n 1 1 9 I m HT. 3 S I. m .L N. d /,I . a I a s // T SHa // m a 1 S o e P d t. P e A 1,/ 1 J T. 9 AS 0 a a P 1.. J S SS . a H /, .coHuoon ecu CH omuo> 30: can coHuomsooOti.¢Hlv mamde 166 and how he reports he voted. Three-fourths of the persons in the executive/professional group and 87% of the clerical/ sales voted yes. The highest percentage of no voters were those persons who said they are retired. Research Question 2 Does the way a person say he voted have any rela- tionship with his attitudes toward: state level of financing community colleges; how effective a job he feels the college is doing; whether every high school graduate in Montcalm County should have the opportunity to attend a community college; and whether he feels school taxes are too high in Montcalm County? Respondents were asked to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statements: (1) The State of Michigan should finance 100% of the cost of financ- ing Community Colleges, (2) Montcalm Community College is doing an effective job of educating students and meeting the needs of the community, (3) Every high school student who graduates in Montcalm County should have the opportunity to attend a community college, and (4) School taxes are too high in Montcalm County. The results to these questions are presented in Table 4—15. In addition to frequencies of response, the percentages of the agree columns are indicated for purposes of identifying elements of signifi- cance. Chi squares of .005 and .025 levels of significance are reported in Table 4-15. Of particular interest is that 40% of the yes voters felt taxes are too high in Montcalm County as compared to 167 «\o c .Hm>oH moo. um ocmonHcmHm k. mmHmmmHo umHmm fl .Hm>mH mNo. um ucmonHemHm i Eooooum wo .mua m.Hm m.m N.NH m.mH mHmoom H20 at t «a at om oN HH we om N so NN mH He om NN ,oN New op ommsomm NNH om oN NHH No NH NNH oN oN oHH mo oN mo oz oouo> mHN oo omH mo mm HH eoN No NH . NNH NN mmH oo mow pouo> «N «\o a «N ¢\o 4 «N «\o a «N «\o « DI DTI DVDSH so on... 0.13.. mmmm mum SI. n X T.1.EOS qJI.T. UP 1.9 .uWa Tenn. SUI 391. T. 1.08 BUST. 358 Due .Au 5980.9 1 5 O A 4H+ e I Tre e mwa S 0 DO 33H? Au . U. m. DTotO momqnw. a I. IO 5 m u m a s s %Mme r“. o TLQODL H ”L 168 86% of the no voters, and 79% of those who refused to say how they voted. Of the yes voters, 28% felt that the state should finance 100% of the cost for community colleges. Nearly half of the no voters and those who refused to say agreed with that statement. This finding would appear to be related to the voters attitude toward high taxes and the desire for financial relief in reducing the tax pay— ment. A higher percentage (92%) of the yes voters agreed that the college is doing an effective job. However, 79% of the no voters and 73% of those who refused to say how they voted also felt the college was doing an effective job. As a result of this finding, the attitude toward the college does not seem to be a highly significant in helping to understand why the millage was defeated. Slightly less (87%) of the no voters as compared to the yes voter (95%) felt that every high school graduate should have an opportunity to attend a community college. summaryiof Research Question 6. The findings related to this research question evinced a significance between how a person voted and his attitudes toward: the state supplying 100% of the community college financing; how effective a job he feels the college is doing; whether he feels that every high school graduate in Montcalm County should be able to attend a community college; and whether he feels school taxes are too high in Montcalm County. Of particular note 169 is the finding that 40% of the yes voters feel taxes are too high as compared to 86% of those who voted no. Research Question 3 What relationships are there between how a person voted and such demographics as: age, proximity to campus, property ownership status, sex, parental status, voter status in the 1965 election to form the college district, and most recent visit to campus? The data relative to the findings for research question number nine are presented in Tables 4-16, and 4-17. In addition to frequencies of response, percentages are presented where they can serve to better determine where significance lies. Presented in Table 4-16 are the demographic varia- bles age, distance from campus, and sex and their relation- ship to whether a person said he voted yes, no, or refused to say how he voted. Even though the chi square value for age indicated no significance, it is interesting to note that a majority of the voters were over 35 years of age. A chi square significant at the .005 level indicates a significance between numbers of voters and proximity to campus. Fifty— six per cent of the yes voters, 39% of the no voters and 63% of those who refused to say live 6-15 miles from the campus. This can partially be explained by the fact that the city of Greenville with a population of over 7,000 170 .Ho>mH moo. om osmoHoHeon .4. N oo. Nm oN oo No mm NHH mesom mo NN oo NN No NoH ons o .N.eN N o NN om o o moHHz mN no>o oN oH om No mm oN moHHz mNnoH mo mm mm om om oNH mmHHz mHio N H o o N oH mmHHs mio N o.o HN oo mo mHH oN omH mm um>o NN oH NH oN oN om noocO\mm N N N a N a J i... o N N N N N 85 T: S T: 1. S 1. was 3 ANN. m. a 08 b a 0. ms n D. Q 0 I T: a oocopmHQ .omm .mOHQMHHm> oHtmmumoan can coHpoon CH oouo> .xom pom .momfimu EOHw BO$II.©HIQ mqméB .Hm>oH moo. om ncNoHNHcoHN s... .Ho>oH mo. om NcmoHNHaNHN om 171 o ..o.oN om om mm HN NN No No>oz oN HH NH oN NH NN .NN H No>o N m NH NH oN . No .NN Hi.moe o NH oH NH NN mm HN mopeosro N .N.o om NH NH mN oN No mo. moo> u.coHo No NN NN NHH oN NNH mo. oooo> N N.H NH N mH HN HH oN oconmmicoz NN No mN NHH NN NHH pawsmm N ‘ N N m N N NN N N N N N N Hob t. S Is 1 s 1 81 Gown 8 e 0.8 S .AOS P D. 08 b a mHo n P Q 0 I I. a .msmfimu co OEHB pmmq .COHHUOHM mOmH cH mopowm umpo> .mopoum Househmm .mOHQmHHo> OHSQMHOOEOQ can CONDUOHM CH ©mvo> somI|.NHi¢ mqmde 172 lies within the mileage bracket. Also of interest is that 22% of the no voters and 7% of those who refused to say live over 25 miles from the campus. This is a sharp con- trast to the 4% of the yes voter living over 25 miles away from the college. More of the yes votes (53%) were cast by females, and 60% of the no votes were cast by males. This is interesting since the proportion of males to females in the sample is almost equal with 201 males and 209 females. Tables 4-17 presents the findings regarding how a person voted and the demographic variables parental status, voter status in the 1965 election, and last time on campus. The data reveal no significance between a person's parental status and how he voted. However, it is noteworthy that 87% of all voters were parents. A chi square significant at the .05 level is reported for a person's voter status in the 1965 election and how he voted. Whether a person voted yes or no does not appear to be related to his 1965 voter status. However, of those who refused to say how they voted, 34% reported they did not vote in the 1965 election. Assuming the previously stated hypothesis is correct that those who refused to say how they voted actually voted no, then it would appear that the person who did not vote in 1965 was less inclined toward supporting the college in the 1971 election. A person's most recent visit to the campus and how he voted is related according to the .005 chi square and percentages presented in Table 4—17. A third of 173 the yes voters had been on the campus during the past 6 months, as compared to a fifth of the no voters, and less than a fifth of those who refused to say. Twenty-nine per cent of the yes voters said they had never been on campus. This is compared to 33% of the no voters and 54% of those who refused to say. It would appear that there exists a definite relationship between a person's recency on campus and his likelihood of voting yes. Summary of Research Question 3. There exists a relationship between how a person voted and his proximity to the campus. Possibly the farther a person lives from a campus, the less his involvement with the college and consequently, he feels less obligated to support it in a time of financial need. There was little difference between the male and female in voting yes, but 60% of the no votes were cast by males. The data revealed no significance between the parent and non-parent and how he voted. How— ever, 87% of all voters were parents. Whether a person voted in the 1965 election to form the college was not related to how he voted. A person's most recent visit to the campus and how he voted showed a chi square signifi- cant at the .005 level. Research Question 4 Is there a relationship between a person's occupa- tion and the following demographics: age, proximity to campus, property ownership status, parental status, voter status in the 1965 election to create the college district and most recent visit to the 174 campus; his attitudes toward the state paying 100% of the financing of community colleges, whether the college is doing an effective job, whether every high school graduate in Montcalm County should have the opportunity to attend a community college, and whether school taxes are too high in Montcalm County? Data relative to the findings for research question number four are presented in Tables 4—18, 4—19, and 4-20. A look at the percentages in Table 4-18 of repre— sented occupations by age indicates that a high percentage (a low of 71%) of all occupation groups are over 35 years of age. No relationship is evinced between a person's occupation and his proximity to campus. In Table 4-19 are presented the data relative to a person's occupation and demographic variables parental status, voter status in the 1965 election, and last time on campus. Because of chi squares significant at the .025 and .005 levels, percentages are included to better analyze where differences exist. Of those persons who are parents, 10% are farmers, 7% are retired, 38% are housewives, 17% are executive/professional, 23% skilled/semi-skilled/ unskilled/service, 1% unemployed, and 4% clerical/sales. Of the voters in 1965, the occupations showing the two highest percentages are housewife, and skilled/semi- skilled/unskilled/service. Of those who did not vote in the 1965 election, 43% were housewives, and 22% were executive/professional. Of those on campus during the past 6 months, the highest number of persons are from the executive/professional area. This can partially be 175 .Ho>oH moo. Ne uaNOHNHcmHN k. OH. "Soomoum mo moouooo O.NH whooom HQO N . 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NH ”Eoooosm mo moonmon «*N.Nm onmoom H50 N v H N mN He m mH me mN NH ON m N Ho>oz m o N N oN NH HH N NN NN o N mH HH .NN H Ho>o m N o o NN NH mH oH oe NN N N HH N .NN H-.mos o o e m m NH NH mm ON ON NN m O NH mH .moE O O "Eooooum mo mooumoo .m.mH ouooom Hnu H H m e NH OH NN NH me Nm N O m e mO. owo> u.:OHQ e eH H m ON mN mH om Nm NHH N ON HH mm OO. oopo> O ”Eoooosm mo mooHOoQ NN.mH onooN HLO N H N v HN HH mH N Nm ON NH O O m Hconomlcoz v «H H m MN «N NH NO Nm NNH N eN OH Om uconmm N m N m N m N m N m N m N m m m mm“ m. N. N N a a SNE a n 1 I I m HT. 0 S I. m . d //I . a I a /. I Qoe /, M a I S o e P d t. P e A 1,/ 1 J I a A S O a a D. T... 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I0 I m A8 8 OOH mq as OOI TL. 0 I060.— 6 I U. . .moosoHNNN one :oHommsoooni.oNuo mHmme 178 eXplained by recent new evening course offerings by the college that would appeal to persons in this job category and by a number of college-sponsored conferences and meetings aimed at the executive/professional. In the other categories of last time on campus, 6 months to 1 year, over 1 year, and never been on campus, the housewife showed the largest percentage. This too can partially be explained by the college's office of community services' efforts to bring women to the campus through meetings, short courses and cultural programs. Table 4—20 presents the findings of relationships between occupation and attitudes toward state financing, effectiveness of the college operation, desirability of all high school graduates attending a community college, and the level of school taxes in Montcalm County. The most significant finding in this table is that the persons in the executive/professional occupation group are the only ones who do not feel that taxes are too high in Montcalm County. This finding is substantiated by the data in Table 4-4, which shows that 42 of the 69 executive/ professional who voted, voted yes. Summary of Research Question 4. The significant findings for question four are: (l) A high percentage of all occupation groups are over 35 years of age, (2) No relationship appears to exist between a person's occupation 179 and his proximity to campus, (3) There exists a relation- ship between parental status and occupations, (4) More housewives voted in the 1965 election than any other occupational group, (5) There is a relationship between a person's occupation and his most recent visit to the campus, (6) Most significant in the findings pertaining to occupational groups and attitudes is that the executive/ professional is the only group where fewer than half felt school taxes are too high in Montcalm County.