Skip to content

Share your voice, Strengthen our Clark: 2023 Clark Campus Climate Survey

 

Campus Climate Survey

 

Clark University is partnering with the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) to present the Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey, which gives you an opportunity to reflect and comment on issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity at Clark.

As we seek to improve in the areas DEI, justice, and belonging, your participation in this survey is vital. We will use the results of this survey to inform and support improvements related to practices and policies at Clark. Together, all of our voices can help Clark do better and be better as a community that supports student success and a just and fair place to work and learn.

About the survey

  • You can expect communications, prompts, and reminders for the survey from HEDS, and these should not be ignored.
  • It’s best if you can take the survey in one sitting. However, the instrument allows you to start and stop the process.
  • The survey will be administered to the entire campus, including undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff.
  • The survey is accessible using your email address. However, you will be directed to the actual instrument provided by HEDS.
  • Information shared will not be used to investigate specific individuals or incidents.
  • The University expects to receive survey results from HEDS in Spring 2024.

 

Survey Results

 

We value your participation

Clark community members who complete the survey will have the opportunity to be entered into a weekly drawing for the following prizes:

Students

  • $25 Amazon e-gift card
  • $25 dining dollars
  • $25 gift certificate for the Campus Store
  • 2 movie theater tickets

Faculty and Staff

  • Free parking decal for the 2024-2025 academic year
  • $25 Amazon e-gift card

Participation Leaderboard

27%
Undergraduate Students

28%
Graduate Students

38%
Faculty

50%
Staff & Administrators

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Date Start End Room
10/17/2023 Tue 4:30 p.m. 6 p.m. JC105
10/18/2023 Wed 3 p.m. 4 p.m. JC105
10/19/2023 Thu Noon 2:30 p.m. JC103
10/24/2023 Tue 4:30 p.m. 6 p.m. JC105
10/25/2023 Wed 3 p.m. 4 p.m. JC105
10/26/2023 Thu Noon 2:30 p.m. JC103
10/31/2023 Tue 4:30 p.m. 6 p.m. JC105
11/1/2023 Wed 3 p.m. 4 p.m. JC105
11/2/2023 Thu Noon 2:30 p.m. JC103
11/7/2023 Tue 4:30 p.m. 6 p.m. JC105
11/8/2023 Wed 3 p.m. 4 p.m. JC105
11/9/2023 Thu Noon 2:30 p.m. JC103
11/14/2023 Tue 4:30 p.m. 6 p.m. JC105
11/15/2023 Wed 3 p.m. 4 p.m. JC105
11/16/2023 Thu Noon 2:30 p.m. JC103

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.

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.

Based on the Office of Diversity and Inclusion vision statement, we aim 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.

Campus Climate Task Force

Thank you to the following members of the Clark community who served on the Campus Climate Task Force.

  • Shruti Agarwal, Graduate Student
  • Naomi Ashley, Office of Identity, Student Engagement, and Access
  • Ashmi Bidrupane Suresh, Graduate Student
  • Brittany Brickman, Title IX Coordinator
  • Lamara Burgess, Strategic Initiatives
  • Laura Burgess, School of Management
  • Ashley  Caruso, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
  • Henry Chambers, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
  • Jessie Darrell-Jarbadan, Visual and Performing Arts Faculty
  • Gia Davis, Graduate Student
  • Margo Foreman, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
  • Nicole Forgit, Alumni and Friends
  • Maria-Elisa Gallant, Student Leadership and Programming
  • Durvesh Gurjar, Graduate Student
  • Hayley Haywood, Academic Affairs
  • Chandra Jack, Biology
  • Jim Keogh, Marketing and Communications
  • Leyla Knight, Undergraduate Student
  • Susan Leo-Johnson, Human Resources
  • Desarai Liberty, Office of Student Accessibility Services
  • Elissa Lu, Office of Strategic Analytics and Institutional Research
  • Siu Ming Luie, School of Professional Studies
  • Robert Muir, Facilities Management
  • Lynn Murray-Chandler, The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Assessment, and Learning
  • Azra O’Connor, Undergraduate Student
  • Shambhavi Pandey, Senior Analyst, STAIR
  • Domenica Perrone, Community Engagement and Volunteering
  • Laura Robinson, Goddard Library
  • Brienne Smith, Athletics
  • Emily Stark, Office of Student Accessibility Services
  • Andrew Stewart, Psychology Faculty
  • Rigoria E. Tejada, Office of Identity, Student Engagement, and Access
  • Ashley  Valois, Undergraduate Student
  • Skye Wu, Research Analyst, STAIR

Have further questions?