2010 Undergraduate Campus Climate Survey Presentation to NC State University Student Affairs December 7, 2011 Nancy Whelchel, University Planning & Analysis

Overview  Survey administration, response rates & demographic profile of respondents  Reports  Findings  Overall highs & lows  Subgroup differences  Trends (2004 CCS – 2010 CCS)  Role of diversity in higher education  Campus climate  Engagement in the campus community  Connecting with campus service and support offices 2

Survey Administration  Population  All NC State undergraduate and graduate students  Enrolled Fall semester 2010  Taking 1+ face-to-face course  Online surveys  Oct. 20-Nov 17, 2010  Confidential (but not anonymous)  Questionnaires  Slightly different versions for grad & undergrads closed-end & 6 open-end questions 3

Response Rates  Sample Bias (Undergraduates)  ++ female (54% vs 43% of population)  + ‘non-traditional’ students (> 27 yrs of age)  + freshmen  + CHASS  - COM 4

Demographic Profile of Undergraduate Respondents  54% Female  1% Transgender  6% Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual (2% ‘prefer not to answer’)  9% Disability (most commonly ADHD)  49% + 27% Middle & upper middle/professional class  6% 1 st Generation college student  5% ‘Non-traditional’ student (> 27 yrs of age)  1% International  28% + 36% Small town / Moderate size city 5

Demographic Profile of Undergraduate Respondents cont.  Summary:  Straight, white, middle/upper middle class, traditional-age student with college-educated parent(s) from small town/moderate size city  40% lived in a neighborhood AND graduated from a high school where the other residents/students were mostly, nearly all, or all their same race/ethnicity 6

Reports see  Highlights (coming soon)  Executive summary (coming soon)  Introduction, Research Methods, & Response Rates  Overall results (annotated questionnaires)  Demographic profile  Academic class  Gender  Race/ethnicity  Residency (US citizen vs non US citizen)  Socioeconomic background  1 st generation college student vs other  Sexual orientation  Disability status  Age 7

Reports cont.  Academic College (NCSU authentication required)  Overall college comparisons  Demographic profile w/in college  Gender  Race/ethnicity (white/student of color)  SES  Open-End Comments (coming soon)  Presentations 8

Undergraduates’ Perceptions of the Role of Diversity in Higher Education Support for diversity as a goal Educational value of diversity Assessing diversity efforts at NC State Influencing diversity attitudes and behaviors 9

Diversity as NC State Mission/Value/Goal Undergraduate students generally think diversity is important as an institutional value/goal, but also think there are tradeoffs  Most supportive  Diversity is good for NCSU (83% agree)  Holding diversity as an essential value is important (82%)  Fostering intellectual diversity should be key goal (75%)  Least supportive  Leads to admission of less qualified students (41% agree)  Too much emphasis on diversity (35% agree)  Leads to hiring of less qualified admin/fac/staff (33% agree)  Subgroup differences  Men, whites, and straight students are much more likely than others to be skeptical of diversity as a University value 10

Importance of NC State holding diversity as an essential value (undergraduate students) 11

Trends: Diversity as NC State Mission/Value/Goal Undergraduate students (especially GLB students and those with a disability) are now slightly more likely to agree that “building a diverse and inclusive campus community should be a key goal of NC State.” 12

Trends: Diversity as NC State Mission/Value/Goal Undergraduate students have become more polarized on whether or not “NC State is placing too much emphasis on achieving diversity.” 13

Educational Value of Learning about Diversity Two-thirds or more undergraduate students agree that there are a range of educational benefits to diversity, but they are less supportive of including it in the curriculum  Most supportive  Respect for diversity will better enable me to work in chosen field and to live in community (77% and 76%, respectively, agree)  Least supportive  Diversity in curriculum detracts from important knowledge (39% agree)  Students benefit from GE diversity requirement (21% disagree)  Subgroup differences  Men are much more likely than others to be skeptical of the educational value of learning about diversity 14

Respect for diversity will better enable me to work in my chosen field (undergraduate students) 15

Trends: Educational Value of Learning about Diversity Overall there has been little change in undergraduates’ perceptions about the value of learning about diversity  Students are now more likely to ‘strongly agree’ that  Learning about people from different cultures is an essential part of a college education (26% vs 35%)  Interaction w/ people different from me is an essential part of a college education (26% vs 32%)  Students are now slightly more likely to ‘agree’ that  Including diversity topics in the curriculum detracts from learning more important knowledge (35% vs 39%) 16

Assessing Diversity Efforts at NC State About two-thirds or more of undergraduate students overall think NC State is effectively addressing diversity in all but one area asked about  Most favorable  Expectations of respect/civility are clearly articulated (80%)  Messages/information about diversity is consistent (77%)  Creating a diversity/inclusive community is a priority (75%)  Least favorable  Leaders distinguish between free/hate speech and adequately respond (64%)  Is committed to helping minorities succeed (64%)  Easy to find diversity information on website (48%)  Subgroup differences  Women are more positive, and African Americans and GLB students more negative, about existing efforts to achieve diversity 17

Trends: Assessing Diversity Efforts at NC State Ratings of diversity efforts at NC State generally grew more positive for all undergraduate groups, but most notably for women, poor and middle class students, and non-traditional students  Students are now much more likely to ‘strongly agree’ that  NCSU provides an environment for free expression (18% vs 31%)  NCSU is a good place to gain an understanding of diversity & multicultural perspectives (9% vs 20%)  Can easily find diversity information on NCSU website (6% vs 14%) 18

What experiences influence thinking about diversity? A majority of undergraduate students cite a wide range of experiences as having a positive influence on their thinking about diversity; reports of ‘negative influence’ are very rare  Most likely to have a ‘very positive’ influence  Friends/acquaintances (34%)  Family/hometown (28%)  Campus organizations/clubs (27%)  Living in residence halls (26%)  Interactions with students outside of class (25%)  Most likely to have a ‘negative’ influence  Family/hometown (10%)  Living in residence halls (5%)  Especially GLB (15%) and African Americans (11%) 19

What experiences influence thinking about diversity? Cont.  Most likely to have no influence (i.e., ‘neither positive nor negative’) on undergraduates  Interactions/messages from NC State administration (45%)  Course materials (41%)  Interactions with staff (37%)  Common Reading (37% [among those reading it])  Interactions with faculty outside of class (36%)  College/department activities/events (36%)  Subgroup differences  Among undergraduates, males, whites, international students, students with a disability, and non-traditional students are consistently more likely to say specific experiences have had ‘neither a positive nor a negative’ influence on their thinking about diversity 20

Trends: What experiences influence thinking about diversity? Overall, undergraduate students are now more likely to say experiences had a ‘very positive’ influence on their thinking about diversity and less likely to say they had ‘no influence’  Campus organizations/clubs (13% vs 27% ‘very positive’)  Campus events (9% vs 23%)  Residence hall (14% vs 26%)  Interactions w/ students in class (14% vs 24%)  Interactions w/ faculty/instructors outside of class (11% vs 21%)  Interactions w/ faculty/instructors in class (12% vs 21%)  Interactions w/ students outside of class (16% vs 25%)  Course materials (7% vs 16%)  Friendships/acquaintances (26% vs 34%) 21

Undergraduates’ Perceptions of the Campus Climate Overall satisfaction Respect & friendships among students Use of inappropriate statements Supportiveness of campus environment 22

Overall Satisfaction at NC State 60% or more undergraduate students overall are satisfied in 9 of the 10 areas asked about  Most positive ratings  Overall experience (92% ‘excellent’/’good’)  Overall academic experience (85% ‘very satisfied’/’satisfied’)  Proud to be member of NC State community (82% ‘often’/’always’)  Least positive ratings  Have a good support network (15% ‘seldom’/’never’)  Have good role models on campus (16% ‘seldom’/’never’)  Subgroup differences  International and GLB students are typically less likely to be satisfied at NC State 23

Feel like you don’t fit in (undergraduate students) 24

Trends: Overall Satisfaction Undergraduate students, especially Asian, Hispanic and non- traditional students, are now less likely to say they “have a good support network” 25

Respect Among Students Undergraduate students are divided on the extent to which different groups are respectful of each other  One-fourth of students rate student respect for students from a racial/ethnic group different from one’s own as ‘excellent’ and one-fifth say it is ‘fair’ or ‘poor’  White and Asian students give much more favorable ratings than African Americans  One-fifth of students rate student respect for students with a sexual orientation different from one’s own as ‘excellent’ and 38% say it is either ‘fair’ or ‘poor’  Straight students give much more favorable ratings than GLB students 26

Trends: Friendships Among Students While still seen as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ by a notable number of undergraduate students, students overall are now more positive about the quality of friendships between different groups 27

Inappropriate Statements by Students 40% or more of undergraduate students report at least ‘occasionally’ hearing other students make negative/inappropriate comments about 5 of 7 statuses asked about  Most likely about  Sexual orientation (30% ‘often/very often’ [16% ‘never’])  Gender/sexual identity (23% ‘often/very often’ [20% ‘never’])  Race/ethnicity(21% ‘often/very often’ [47% ‘never’])  Least likely about  Disability status (6% ‘often/very often’ [45% ‘never’])  Socio-economic status (8% ‘often/very often’ [40% ‘never’])  Subgroup differences  Students from identified group are much more likely to say students make inappropriate comments about their ‘group’ 28

Supportiveness of Campus Environment for Different Groups of Students Undergraduate students rarely say that the campus is ‘nonsupportive’ of any particular group of students  Most likely ‘strongly supportive’ for  Christians (45% ‘strongly supportive’)  Whites (43%)  African Americans (41%)  Least likely ‘strongly supportive’ for  Students with children (21% ‘strongly supportive’)  Transgender students (23% [11% ‘nonsupportive’])  Jewish/Muslim/other non-Christian (each 23%-24%)  ‘Non-traditional’ students (i.e., >27yrs) (24%)  Gay, lesbian, bisexual students (25% [8% ‘nonsupportive’]) 29

Supportiveness of Campus Environment for Different Groups of Students cont.  Subgroup differences  Undergraduate students from identified group are typically much less likely to say the campus environment is supportive of their ‘group’  White undergraduate students are consistently more likely than others say the campus is ‘very supportive’ of all groups, except for whites and middle and upper class students 30

Trends: Supportiveness of Campus Environment for Different Groups of Students Perceptions that the campus environment is ‘strongly supportive’ of their ‘group’ increased for most undergraduate student groups  Increases were largest for  GLB students (2% vs 20%)*  Hispanics (10% vs 27%)  Poor/working class students (11% vs 24%)  Females (25% vs 38%)  Middle class students (17% vs 29%)  Whites (32% vs 43%)  International students (8% vs 19%) [note: very small N] *Difference in ratings is likely due to the inclusion of ‘transgender’ students in the 2004 survey question wording 31

Engagement in the Campus Community Interacting with others Participation in campus activities 32

Interacting with Students from Different Backgrounds 20% or more of students say they ‘never’ or ‘seldom’ interact with students who are different from them on some characteristic  Most common  Race/ethnicity (50% ‘very often,’ 31% ‘often’)  Religion (49%, 31%)  Socio-economic status (44%, 38%)  Lease common  Disability status (9% ‘very often,’ 15% ‘often’)  Language (9%, 15%)  Sexual orientation (24%, 25%) 33

Interacting with Students from Different Backgrounds cont.  Subgroup differences  More likely to ‘seldom’ or ‘never’ interact with those who are different from them  Whites  Racial/ethnic group  Language  African American  Religion  Males  Sexual orientation 34

Interacting with Students from Different Backgrounds: Why Not? Students cite a number of different reasons for limited interaction between students from different backgrounds.  Most likely  Lack of opportunity (39% a ‘great deal’ or ‘some’)  Prefer to interact with similar people (33%)  Less likely  Uncertain what to say (25% a ‘great deal’ or ‘some’)  Fear of appearing ignorant/insensitive (25%)  Worry about being understood (21%)  Conflicting feelings about other cultures (20%)  Subgroup differences  Asians and international students were consistently more likely than others to say each reason would at least somewhat limit their interactions with others. 35

Participation in Campus Activities A sizeable number of undergraduates indicate they have never engaged in certain aspects of campus life. 36

Participation in Campus Activities: Why Not? Undergrads rarely say they do not participate in campus activities because they would be ‘uncomfortable’ doing so. Reasons for lack of participation vary by activity. 37

Number of Times Participated in Multicultural Activities on Campus Half of undergraduate respondents have “never” participated in a multicultural activity/event on campus  Subgroup differences  Whites, males, straight students, and non-traditional students are most likely to have never participated 38

Trend: Number of Times Participated in Multicultural Activities on Campus Participation in multicultural activities on campus has increased across all groups of students. 39

Participation in Multicultural Activities: Why not?  Most likely  Not enough time (63%)  Not convenient to schedule (62%)  Not aware of activities (60%)  Whites much more likely than others to say  Topic has nothing to do with me (45%)  Topic does not interest me (41%)  None of my friends participate (36%)  Least likely  Accessibility issues (3%)  Location (10%)  Would be uncomfortable (13%)  Cost (14%) 40

Connecting with Offices that Serve and Support Students Diversity offices Health and academic support services 41

Contacting “Diversity” Offices About half or more undergraduates say they would never have a reason to go to or contact staff from 6 of 7 “diversity” offices asked about that provide services and support to students. 42

Contacting “Diversity” Offices cont. About half or fewer students (excluding those saying ‘would never have a reason’) say they would ‘very likely’ or ‘definitely’ contact a ‘diversity’ office.  Most likely  Office of International Services (53% ‘very likely’ or definitely’)  Women’s Center (52%)  Multicultural Student Affairs (51%)  Least likely  GLBT Center (23% ‘extremely unlikely’ or ‘not very likely’) 43

Contacting “Diversity” Offices cont. Subgroup Differences: Less likely to seek out services/support.  GLBT Center  Males  Hispanic, Multi-racial  International  ‘prefer not to answer’ sexual orientation  African American Cultural Center  Hispanics, Whites  International students  ‘prefer not to answer’ sexual orientation  Veterans Affairs Office  Hispanics  ‘prefer not to answer’ sexual orientation  Disability Services  Hispanics, Multi-racial  Multicultural Student Affairs  Males  Whites  ‘prefer not to answer’ sexual orientation  Women’s Center  Males  International students  ‘prefer not to answer’ sexual orientation  OIS  ‘prefer not to answer’ sexual orientation 44

Contacting “Diversity” Offices : Why Not? The most common reason offered for not contacting ‘diversity’ offices (among those saying they would not do so) was the perception that the student would never have a need to do so, with one-half of students giving such a response. Other reasons  Disliking, having no interest, or not believing in such offices (14%)  Feeling uncomfortable or unwelcome (10%)  Being unaware/unfamiliar with such offices (9%) 45

Contacting Health/Academic Support Services Although the large majority of undergrads say it is at least ‘somewhat likely’ that they would seek out various services if needed/recommended, 1-in-5 are unlikely to go to the Counseling Center. 46

Contacting Health/Academic Support Services cont.  Subgroup differences  Undergrads who ‘prefer not to answer’ the question about their sexual orientation are consistently less likely to say they would seek out services. Also less likely to seek our particular services are  Counseling Center  Males  Tutorial Services  International Students  Student Health Services  GLB Students  1 st Generation Students  Non-traditional students  University/College Career Center  Hispanics  International students 47

Contacting Health/Academic Support Services: Why Not? The most common reason offered for not seeking out services (among those saying they would not do so) was the perception that the student would never have a need for such services, with about one-third of students giving such a response. Other reasons  A preference to get such services elsewhere (16%)  Beliefs about the quality of services (13%)  Being unaware/unfamiliar with such services (13%)  Personal reasons/preferences (e.g., ‘don’t like counseling,’ ‘am a private person’) (13%) 48

Questions? Comments? Discussion? 49