Daniela's Testimony

“Having been a scholar that OMD served, it is extraordinarily disappointing to see that OMD is willing to compromise the quality of service provided to students by actively choosing to prioritize the quantity of students served. The opposition to a caseload cap on the claim that it will limit flexibility in the number of students OMD serves is a direct choice to prioritize the growth of the organization over the needs of the students who chose to invest their time in the program.”

Daniela Zuniga Benitez, Program Coordinator and OMD Alumna

In the Fall of 2016, I became an OMD scholar during my last year at community college. Although I was in the program for just one academic year, I was able to create a strong relationship with my Program Coordinator - most notably in the Spring semester. This year was especially challenging for me as I was looking to transfer and had to face many institutional barriers. I was very fortunate to have a PC that I could rely on. However, there were some barriers to overcome before we could begin to foster our relationship.

Given that I was a Low Touch scholar, I only met with my PC once a month and sometimes it was very difficult to find a time that worked for us both. At the time, I figured it was due to the fact that my PC had a split caseload across 2 campuses and had other scholars, who were required to meet with her more often, to serve. Although I did understand that there were many other scholars who needed support, not being able to meet with my PC more often did, at times, deter me from reaching out because I did not want to overwhelm her. The times we were able to meet were very valuable because my PC not only listened to my challenges, but also helped me troubleshoot by finding resources that were specifically tailored to my needs.

When I became a PC in September 2019, I had very clear expectations of myself in my new role. Thanks to my experience with my PC, I wanted to make sure I was able to dedicate enough time to each of my scholars to provide the necessary supports. Just like my PC, I wanted to make myself available via other methods of communication if in-person meetings weren’t always possible. However, I quickly came to find out that with a caseload of nearly 65 students, it was almost impossible to find the time to have the mandated check-ins with scholars and research resources tailored to the individual needs of each scholar while also being readily available via phone and/or email. In order to not sacrifice the quality of supports I could provide my students, I often found myself working outside of work hours to make sure I was dedicating enough time to my students so that our relationship would not be hindered.

As we’ve moved into the Spring semester, I have started to recognize the same patterns I did as a scholar. My relationships with students have gotten much stronger, and while part of this can be attributed to the fact that by now we’ve known each other longer, it is undeniable that a reduction in my caseload has greatly contributed to the development of individual relationships. Given the various stages scholars are in their academic journeys, a handful of my students graduated in December, leaving me with a smaller caseload of about 45 students. This smaller caseload size has allowed me to dedicate more time to each of my scholars both during and outside of our mandated check-ins. I am now able to open up my schedule for longer and/or more frequent check-ins with scholars, find resources, and document interactions on Salesforce without feeling rushed and fearing that I am not fostering stronger relationships with my students. I’ve also found that I have more time to participate in more work groups and task forces within OMD to share and elevate student concerns and continue being a scholar advocate to make sure that, as an organization, OMD can prioritize and effectively support the students we serve.

It is essential that OMD supports United Workers of One Million Degrees in our petition for a caseload cap of 45 students. Implementing this caseload cap would ensure that every scholar is given the attention, time and respect they deserve and were promised when beginning their OMD journey. The opposition to this caseload cap on the claim that it will limit flexibility in the number of students OMD serves is a direct choice to prioritize the growth of the organization over the needs of the students who chose to invest their time in the program. Having been a scholar that OMD served, it is extraordinarily disappointing to see that OMD is willing to compromise the quality of service provided to students by actively choosing to prioritize the quantity of students served.

Please consider signing our petition to support UWOMD's campaign for a fair contract and caseload: bit.ly/UWOMDcaseloadcap