College of Charleston CAMPUS CLIMATE SURVEY 2006 Summary Report
The Research Team Carolyn Morales Center for Cultural Diversity 843.953.3851 campusclimate@cofc.edu www.cofc.edu/campusclimate Von Bakanic, PhD Department of Sociology and Anthroplogy Janet Key The Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Institute for Urban Affairs Pamela Niesslein, PhD Accountability, Accreditation, Planning & Assessment Karin Roof, PhD Accountability, Accreditation, Planning & Assessment Outside consultation provided by Equation Research.
Objectives To assess the overall campus climate in terms of: Campus environment in general and for specific groups Diversity issues and concerns Social interactions and relationships with diverse others Individual perceptions of unequal treatment Attitudes toward different groups of people Satisfaction with the College of Charleston
Methodology Survey invitations were sent to all students, faculty, and staff. A mixed-mode methodology was used: online and paper surveys Survey administration dates: 10/16/06 11/7/06 Equation Research coordinated data collection and management.
Response Rates Total Students Faculty Staff Campus population 12,262 10,486 957 819 Responses received 3478 2584 396 498 Response rate 28.4% 24.6% 41.4% 60.8% Margin of error +/- 1.5% +/- 1.7% +/- 4.9% +/- 4.3% Highest response rates on a survey conducted at CofC Staff have rarely been included in surveys conducted at the College Staff had the highest response rate (61%) Previous student survey response rates range from 12-18% Note that all margins of error are less than 5% which gives us a high level of confidence in the data.
Perceptions of the College s Efforts Regarding Diversity 82% of the College Community rated the College as being supportive of diversity Percentage who rated the College as supportive of diversity: 83% of students 82% of faculty 77% of staff Rating of the College s efforts to provide a supportive environment for diverse peoples: No significant gap between minority and white faculty 9% gap between minority and white students 19% gap between minority and white staff
Top Ranked Diversity Issues The top ranked diversity issue among all college respondents was race/ethnicity. Followed by: Social class Cultural differences (i.e., Northern/Southern) Sexual orientation Religion
Comfort on Campus for Specific Groups 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 73% 27% 66% 65% 34% 35% Minority Races Social Class Non-Christian Religions 73% 27% Learning Disabilities 53% 54% 48% 46% Physical Disabilities Mental Health Issues As Measured for the Entire Campus Community 96% 94% 4% 7% 61% 39% Men Women GLBT Sexual Orientation Comfortable Uncomfortable
Social Distance Scales Social distance scales measure how comfortable one feels interacting with people from various groups. Scores for these scales range from 1 to 4 1 = high level of comfort/ places little to no social distance between themselves and other groups 4 = low level of comfort interacting with people in other groups Social distance scores were calculated for seven groups: - Hispanics - Whites - Blacks - Asians - The poor - Individuals from different religions - Gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered (GLBT) individuals
Social Distance Scores Scores based on 1-4 scale The Poor GLBT Hispanics Blacks Asians Religion Whites Total 1.71 1.50 1.48 1.36 1.32 1.31 1.19 So what does this mean? The low scores for all groups indicates an overall sense of comfort between different groups. Although the scores are low, they nonetheless distinguish among groups towards which the respondent feels most to least comfortable. These rankings are comparable to what is seen in the literature for the general population.
Semantic Differential Scales Semantic differential scales measure acceptance of stereotyped traits applied to a specific group. Scores for these scales range from 1 to 7 1 = acceptance of negative attributes 7 = acceptance of positive attributes 3.5 = Midpoint; anything above this indicating more positive than negative attributes Semantic differential scales were calculated for five groups: -The poor - Whites - Blacks - Hispanics -Asians
Semantic Differential Scores Based on 1-7 scale The Poor Blacks Hispanics Whites Asians Total 4.1 4.7 4.8 5.0 5.6 So what does this mean? None of the scores fall below 3.5, indicating that the College community tends to reject negative stereotypes. Respondents are less likely to attribute positive qualities to the poor and most likely to attribute positive attributions about Asians. These results are comparable to what is seen in the literature for the general population.
Conclusions for Specific Groups Race Racial groups are most comfortable interacting with members of their own race. Campus is least comfortable for Hispanics but African Americans are most likely to perceive being the recipient of unequal treatment. Social Class Respondents have more negative attitudes about the poor than any other target group. Religion Climate less comfortable for Pagans, Muslims, Agnostics, and Atheists. Ability The climate for individuals with disabilities is less comfortable than for any other group. Gender Faculty are most likely to identify gender as an important diversity issue than staff or students. Sexual Orientation Almost half of the respondents who identified as GLBT indicated they felt they had been treated unequally at some point in time at the College.
Diversity Progress Over Time, 1994-2006 Satisfaction 1994 52% of African American students stated they would choose to attend the College if they could do it again 84% of White students stated they would choose the College again Diversity 68% of students were satisfied with the diversity of the campus Satisfaction 2006 72% of African American students indicated they would choose the College again 83% of White students indicated they would choose the College again Diversity 83% of minority students stated they felt the College supported diversity 91% of White students reported the College supported diversity
Satisfaction with the College WOULD CHOOSE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON AGAIN Summary of Yes Student Faculty Staff % % % Yes (definitely and probably) 81.5 86.8 80.8 Yes, definitely 44.6 53.2 46.9 Yes, probably 36.9 33.6 33.9 Students, faculty, and staff are satisfied with their choice to attend or work here. One-half of each group indicated they would definitely choose the College again One-third stated they would probably choose the College again Nearly 9 in 10 faculty indicated they would choose the College again
What s Next Based on the Campus Climate Survey results, the College will broaden its characterization of inclusiveness by establishing an institutional definition of diversity. The College will design and implement strategies which respond to needs identified in the survey results. The Office of Accountability, Accreditation, Planning and Assessment will institutionalize the Campus Climate Survey instrument as a baseline measurement for diversity with re-administration of the survey to be completed in fouryear cycles.