American Samoa Community College

II.C.3. The institution assures equitable access to all of its students by providing appropriate, comprehensive, and reliable services to students regardless of service location or delivery method.
Descriptive Summary:
The changes made at the College to comply with this standard were guided by Recommendation 1.

Program Reviews (IPR, DPR, APR) results provides feedback on the adequacy of student support services to meet the needs of students and support the achievement of the college’s mission. The results of the program review confirm that students have access to these support services regardless of location and mode of delivery.

ASCC provides an appropriate range and scope of student support services. ASCC assures equitable access to all of its students through the appropriate, comprehensive, and reliable support services.

The DOSS works together with all applicable departments, both on and off campus, to collaborate on academic and social activities, and support services, to enhance personal and professional growth and lifelong learning. 1

The Admission Office processes applications for admission to ASCC. Admissions provide students with ASCC information required by applicants to move from initial enquiry to enrolled student.    

The Registrar’s Office provides registration, records management, information services, and academic support to students and the campus community supporting the mission and purposes of ASCC.  Services include the following:  

  • Maintaining permanent academic records for current and former students
  • Providing transcripts and enrollment information upon request
  • Creating and maintaining class lists, grade lists, and grade reports
  • Graduation activity support
  • Graduation certification
  • Statistical reporting, and
  • Transcript evaluation

The Financial Aid Office provides FAFSA guidance and support to ASCC students who are eligible for federal, private, or institutional financial assistance.

Counseling Services

The mission of Counseling Services is to provide academic, career, personal, transfer, diversity and veterans assistance, assist with orientation of new students, implement outreach activities, offer crisis intervention workshop, and referral services to our College students, prospective students and the community.

Counseling Service’s goal is to provide quality assistance that will create a safe, supportive and affirming student environment. Counseling is available to the diverse student population requiring assistance regardless of the mode of delivery and location. Students are encouraged to seek help from the following Counselors.

  1. Academic
  2. Career
  3. Personal
  4. Transfer
  5. Diversity
  6. Veteran Affairs

Academic Counseling

  • Assist and advise students during the registration process;
  • Counsel students on academic planning of degree or certificate programs and educational requirements;
  • Conduct orientation and outreach presentations of comprehensive college information for new and returning students;
  • Consult students with low grades and students on academic probation to create an academic plan to improve their progress with academic referral assistance;
  • Serve as instructors of College and Life Planning Courses to develop and instill in students, skills and strategies for life-long learning;
  • Design, implement and assess the student population retention initiatives.

Career Counseling

  • Assist students in career exploration, through local networking and through partnership with community based agencies;
  • Advise students in aligning their college program with a career of interest;
  • Provide job skills training, job search assessment, application information, interview skills and resume writing for interested students; and
  • Plan and implement a Career/College Fair, Career Seminars and, or Career Workshops for students.

Personal Counseling

  • Counsel students with personal problems that affect and interfere with their studies;
  • Provide counseling with a referral plan to a local professional agency for assistance if necessary;
  • Explore disciplinary plan of action to help students  manage problematic issues; and
  • Conduct workshops and trainings on ways to deal with challenges affecting student.

Transfer Counseling

  • Collect, maintain and distribute academic, transfer and career information to prospective and current students;
  • Assist students with college or university selection, the application process, academic preparation, financial aid and scholarships, loans and other resources; and
  • Participate in professional and training activities that support the development of effective transfer counseling

Diversity Counseling

  • Provide counseling support to the diverse student population at ASCC;
  • Collaborate with instructors and other support services on campus to support the diverse student population; and,
  • Collaborate with community programs to obtain additional assistance to meet educational needs of students with disabilities.

Veterans Affairs (VA) Counseling

The VA Student Services assist all veteran students and their family members enrolled at ASCC. New students entering the college and utilizing VA benefits must be approved by the regional office in Muskogee, OK, except Vocational Rehab (Chapter 31), which is served by Honolulu, HI for approval/disapproval. Students are notified directly by Muskogee, OK of their approval or disapproval decision. 

Veterans Educational Assistance

ASCC is an approved educational institution for education and training under the Veterans Educational Assistance Act (GI Bill), the Veterans Readjustment Act, and the Dependent’s Educational Assistance (DEA) Act.  All students who are eligible to receive educational financial assistance from the U.S. Department of VA under Chapter 30, 31, 35 and 106 are advised to contact the ASCC VA Student Services Counselor (VASSC)   for clarification and explanation of awards before registering with their assigned faculty advisor.  It is important that their application is received and reviewed and that the VA Regional Processing Office in Muskogee OK makes an official decision of denial or grant of benefits.

Eligible students may apply for veterans’ benefits as soon as they have been admitted to ASCC.  The VASSC will assist with detailed information regarding eligibility, entitlement, and authorized types of training.

All drops and withdrawals must be reported to the VASSC for reporting to the U.S. VA Education Office in Muskogee, OK.  This is the student’s responsibility; otherwise the student will be required to repay any money that was overpaid.

Chapter 30 and Chapter 106 students are required to verify their monthly attendance to the VASSC   in order to receive monthly awards. Contact the VASSC for further assistance. 

Career Transfer Center (CTC)

The CTC provides temporary employment to students who are ineligible for federal financial aid assistance and are not current scholarship recipients of the American Samoa Government (ASG) and various private agencies of American Samoa. In addition, the center offers assistance in resume writing, career pathways, job search, and more.

Student Learning Assistance (SLA) Center-Annex
The SLA Center offers free tutorial help for students to improve their chances to succeed in their courses and attain personal and academic goals. This comprehensive tutoring program provides quality academic support to all currently enrolled students who have identified a need for assistance outside the regular classroom experience. Tutorial services are available as one on one assistance and small group sessions. This center also provides a computer lab for research and a quiet space for students to study. The program goals are:

  • To assist students in becoming independent learners;
  • To identify students’ area(s) of concern;
  • To provide access to study skills resources, such as workshops and online support;
  • To assist students in mastering of a particular subject area;
  • To assist students in becoming active in the learning process;
  • To aid in the development of a positive approach toward learning; and,
  • To provide a supportive and encouraging environment where learning takes place at the students’ pace.

The SLA Center-Annex includes a College Access Challenge Financial Aid Counselor who assists students with information regarding federal financial aid online application. 

Student Government Association (SGA)
SGA exists to advance the democratic process of student government.  SGA encourages professionalism and improved quality of activity and service at all levels of student government for the benefit of the total student population.  It contributes to the analysis, understanding, and resolution of student issues by providing academic and social activities.

 SGA is open to all enrolled students.  The SGA is governed by the executive officers and the representatives, who are elected from the freshmen and sophomore classes.  SGA representatives also serve on various ASCC committees and one serves as a member of the Board of Higher Education. SGA sponsors a number of activities each year, including the Miss ASCC pageant, Intramural Sports, cultural, assemblies and other club activities.  Funding for these activities comes from student activity fees collected during registration.

Students interested in serving as an executive officer must have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00 at the time of election.  Interested full-time students who maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.70, who have completed one semester at ASCC, and is in good academic standing, is eligible to run as a representative. Applications are available from the SGA office located in the Coleman Building / cafeteria and additional information can be obtained from the Student Handbook.

College Access Challenge Grant Program
ASCC has been designated by the Governor’s Office to coordinate American Samoa’s College Access Challenge Grant (CACG).  This project supports outreach to high school students and the community with College information, counseling, tutoring, financial aid resources, and other services that encourage student access and success. 

Peer Mentoring/You Are Not Alone (YANA)
The DOSS offers a support program called YANA (You Are Not Alone). Its purpose is to reach out to students and other community members who are experiencing personal problems. Qualified counselors are available to assist anyone who is in need of help. Student mentors are also available to help students who are not comfortable talking to an adult.

Health and Wellness
ASCC does not provide a campus health center.  All residents of American Samoa are entitled to low-cost medical and dental services through the LBJ Tropical Medical Center or one of the regional Health Centers. The Tafuna Health Clinic is located approximately 15 minutes from the ASCC campus and is accessible by bus.

The ASCC Land Grant/Community and Natural Resources Division have recently opened a Health and Wellness Center, equipped with an exercise physiology room and access to professional health and nutrition staff.  This center is open to all ASCC students, faculty and staff, as well as to the community.

Student support needs have been developed and refined over the years at ASCC through a variety of methods. Students are surveyed each semester to assess use and satisfaction with services. DOSS conducts regular monthly meetings where divisional management and staff discuss and assess its services, identify service gaps, and develop plans to improve its service operations to best support ASCC students. 2, 3   

Evidence is collected through several means, including the use of sign-in sheets to track student usage, tracking of requests for services, data on student participation in activities and events, and observation of events such as registration.4, 5, 6 There are ongoing campus activities, outreach programs, SGA intramural activities and honorary membership to the SGA to foster inclusion and respect for diversity. 

ASCC provides a range of student support services that meet the needs of the student population and are aligned with the College’s mission and core values.  Services are assessed regularly and data is used for continuous improvement. In addition to monitoring service operations, ASCC collects, analyzes, reports and integrates student service data as follows:  

  • Fact Sheets Enrollment Data, Developmental Data, Graduate Data
  • Quarterly Reports Divisional Outcomes
  • Annual Reports Institutional
  • Institutional Program Review Survey Focus Areas: 1) Mission Effectiveness 2) Program/Service Effectiveness 3) Resources 4) Governance

Formal and informal methods of evaluation are noted and documented through bi-weekly and quarterly reports required of all ASCC departments, including Division of Student Services. The recommendations are discussed, shared and implemented accordingly to support quality educational plans for the student body.  All student support services are included in the IPR.

1 - Participatory Governance Structural Manual, pp. 20-22