Campus Climate Survey

This initiative aims to better understand the various experiences of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, staff, and senior administrators in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Goals of the initiative

The aims of this project are manifold, yet chief among them are the following:

• Collect data on the experiences, opportunities, and perspectives of various campus constituents in relation to their diverse marginalized positionalities (i.e. race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, dis/ability, religion and spirituality, class/socioeconomic status, political opinion, and citizenship status)
• Gather insights on the culture of understanding, acceptance, and celebration of difference at Clark University, especially in areas where growth and improvement may be needed
• Survey people from unassessed or underassessed demographics on under-explored topics to resolve gaps in institutional understanding of various issues
• Gain an understanding of the institution’s and community’s strengths in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to recognize ways of maintaining momentum toward growth and progress
• Benchmark institutional data and compare Clark’s policies, strategic initiatives, and outcomes to those of peer institutions in order to gauge Clark’s position in the diversity and inclusion landscape in higher education

Clark University is a member of the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). Clark is joining a collective of comparable institutions utilizing the HEDS survey instrument. The advantage of launching a HEDS-driven survey is that it allows us to: keep data anonymous; draw some comparisons between our 2017 and 2023 survey results as well as future results; provide some levels of consistency between the 2017 and 2023 survey questions; and benchmark our results with those of similar institutions.

The HEDS Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey asks students, faculty, staff, and administrators about their:

• perceptions of their institution’s climate,
• perceptions of how their institution supports diversity, equity, and inclusion
• experiences with discrimination and harassment at their institution.

According to HEDS, the survey usually takes less than 15 minutes to complete and responses are anonymous. The University encourages you to take as much time as necessary.

Yes, the survey instrument is delivered in a method that is accessible by most popular screen readers. The survey is available in both English and Spanish. Should a participant wish to respond in a language other than English, a paper form of the survey can be provided. The responses from the participant will then be translated into English.

Proctored computer labs in Jonas Clark Hall will be open throughout the survey period at the following times for those individuals who may not have access to a computer or the internet.

The survey is being administered by an independent organization, the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS), who are content experts related to survey analytics. They will exclude any personal information, such as your name, email address, and your IP address, from the data they send to our institution. We have also agreed to the organization’s strict requirements for maintaining the security, and confidentiality of the data they send us as well as reporting requirements. The data will be housed in the Office of Strategic Analytics and Institutional Research (STAIR), and, following HEDS guidelines, Clark must maintain extremely limited access to the dataset. Therefore, results are not trackable back to the participant.

The information you provide will be used to inform and improve support, policies, and practices at Clark University and will not be used to investigate specific individuals. Disclosing an incident here does not constitute reporting the incident to your campus and will not result in any action, disciplinary or otherwise. Please do not include your name or accuse anyone of discrimination or harassment by name in your survey responses. If you include your name or accuse anyone by name, these names will be removed before we receive the data from HEDS.

You can contact these offices for follow-up resources:

• CARE Team
• Center for Counseling and Personal Growth
• Employee Assistance Program (company code: Clark University)
• Office of the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs
• Office of Human Resources and Organizational Excellence
• ISEA
• Clark University’s Ombudsperson
• Title IX Office
• Uwill
• Office of Wellness Education

Post-data analysis will be done by the Office of Strategic Analytics and Institutional Research. Results will be shared through various reports, post focus groups, academic unit visits, public information sessions, various online platforms, our website, etc.

Your participation is voluntary. We are grateful for your cooperation and willingness to provide information that will help us better understand Clark University’s climate. We are committed to ensuring that our campus has an inclusive, engaging, and supportive environment, and your participation in this survey will help us work toward this goal. To encourage participation, Clark is offering various chances for incentives to those who complete the survey.

ClarkU aims to have a more diverse, inclusive, equity-centered community of care in which every individual is valued and experiences a strong sense of belonging.

HEDS has obtained approval of the survey instrument from Wabash College, HEDS’ home institution. The survey results are not intended for academic research purposes, so no IRB approval was required. However, to ensure appropriate review, Clark’s IRB was consulted.

The last Clark Campus Climate Survey happened in 2017–2018. For the status of those initiatives, visit #ClarkForward.