Preliminary Results of the 2004 Campus Climate Survey Dr. Roger P. Sugarman

1. President’s Commission on Diversity Preliminary Results of the 2004 Campus Climate Survey Dr. Roger P. Sugarman Director of Institutional Research Boone Faculty Club May 11, 2004

2. Presentation Outline • Development of the campus climate survey • Administration of the survey • Characteristics of the sample • Results for selected items on the questionnaire • Reported comfort in different campus settings • Perceived frequency of unkind or negative language used to describe different groups • Perceived racial/ethnic relations on campus • Results for several scales, such as openness to diversity and overall satisfaction with UK • Summary of major findings

3. Development of the Survey • An adhoc committee of PCW members and IR staff met in fall 2002 to plan the survey • Prototypes of climate surveys from several institutions were studied • Initial survey draft was designed to measure: • Openness to diversity • Interracial conflict/harmony on campus • Perceived freedom to express ideas and opinions • Sensitivity to the treatment of gays and lesbians • Sexual harassment • Campus safety concerns • Climate in the classroom • Satisfaction with the overall UK experience

4. Administration of the Survey • President Todd’s letter to faculty teaching during targeted timeslots and his email to the entire student body alerted the campus community to the survey and emphasized the importance of the project • The final survey consisting of 106 items was administered to undergraduates in early March at an hour when about half of all undergraduates were enrolled in classes • An additional class time was scheduled in the evening to accommodate non-traditional students • Of the 9,168 undergraduates enrolled in targeted classes, 58% (5,315) completed the survey

5. Administration of the Survey • An initial email to graduate and professional students from the Dean of Graduate Studies and contacts at the professional schools introduced the survey and provided a link to a web-based form • Two email reminders were sent to students’ to maximize response rates • A total of 1,194 graduate students and 180 professional students completed the survey, which resulted in response rates of 24% and 13%, respectively • The sampling error for the graduate and professional results is plus or minus 2 percent

6. Sample Composition: By Level

7. Sample Composition: By Sex

8. Sample Composition: By Race/Ethnicity

9. Analysis of Survey Results To increase the likelihood that Campus Climate Survey results are representative of the UK student body’s perceptions, beliefs and opinions, responses are weighted in terms of: • Sex • Race/Ethnicity • Student level

10. How do students perceive the social climate on campus and in class? • Reported comfort in different campus settings • Perceived frequency of unkind or negative language used to describe different groups • Perceived racial/ethnic relations on campus Review of selected items pertaining to:

11. How do students perceive the social climate on campus and in class? A look at factors that shape or reflect the prevailing climate on UK’s campus: • Openness to diversity • Feelings of social isolation • Perceived freedom to express beliefs and opinions • Perceived unfairness in classroom management • Perceived encouragement and respect from faculty • Overall satisfaction with the UK experience

12. How comfortable do you feel in each setting?(Percent reporting ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ comfortable)

13. How comfortable do you feel in each setting?(Percent reporting ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ comfortable)

14. How often have you heard students make unkind or negative remarks about the following groups?(Percent reporting ‘occasionally’ or ‘frequently’)

15. How often have you heard students make unkind or negative remarks about the following groups?(Percent reporting ‘occasionally’ or ‘frequently’)

16. “Different racial/ethnic groups in my college get along well”

17. “There are interracial/ethnic tensions in UK classrooms”

18. “I am comfortable working on projects with students of different races/ethnicities”

19. “It has been difficult to meet and make friends with students of other races/ethnicities”

20. “My social interactions on campus are largely with students of my race/ethnicity”

21. “I have been the target of racial/ethnic stereotyping in class”

22. “Sometimes I get singled out in class to speak because of my race/ethnicity”

23. “My professors present the contributions of minorities in their courses and readings”

24. “When I make a comment in the classroom, the instructor usually takes me seriously”

25. “I am comfortable asking my instructors for academic help”

26. Openness to Diversity • Measured by 5 items on a 5-point Likert scale (Cronbach’s alpha = .73) • Adapted from a scale developed by (Pascarella, Edison, Nora, Hagedorn, and Terenzini, 1996) • Sample scale items include: • Learning about people from different cultures is a very important part of college education • I enjoy taking classes that challenge my beliefs and values • I enjoy discussions with people whose ideas and values are different from my own

27. Openness to Diversity • Black students and students of other races express significantly greater openness to diversity than white students • Black students and students of other races do not differ significantly in their openness to diversity

28. Feelings of Social Isolation • Measured by 5 items on a scale (Cronbach’s alpha = .70) • Sample scale items include: • It is difficult to make female (male) friends • During the past year, how often have you felt . . . • Isolated from others • Supported by your friends (reverse scored)

29. Feelings of Social Isolation • Students of other races report a higher level of social isolation than either black or white students • Black and white students do not differ in their level of social isolation

30. Perceived freedom to express opinions and beliefs • Measured by 3 items (Cronbach’s alpha = .68) • Sample scale items include: • Students are able to express freely their opinions on this campus • The university provides an environment for the free and open expression of ideas, opinions, and beliefs • During the past year, how often have you felt safe to express your views and opinions

31. Perceived freedom to express opinions and beliefs • White students perceived significantly greater freedom to express opinions and beliefs on campus than either black students or students of other races • Black students and students of other races do not differ in their perceptions of freedom to express opinions and beliefs

32. The Climate in the Classroom Two dimensions of perceived faculty behavior were assessed: • Perceived encouragement and respect from faculty members • Perceived unfairness in classroom management

33. Perceived Encouragement and Respect from Faculty Members • Measured by 6 items on a 5-point Likert scale (Cronbach’s alpha = .70) • Sample scale items include: • My professors encourage me to pursue my academic and career goals. • I am comfortable asking instructors for academic help. • When I make a comment in the classroom, the instructor usually takes me seriously. • My professors present the contributions of minorities (women) in class.

34. Perceived Encouragement and Respect from Faculty • White students perceived significantly greater levels of encouragement and respect from faculty than black students and students of other races • Students of other races gave higher marks to faculty respect and encouragement than black students

35. Perceived Unfairness in Classroom Management • Measured by 5 items on a 5-point Likert scale (Cronbach’s alpha = .77) • Sample scale items include: • I have been graded unfairly based on irrelevant factors. • My professors make unkind remarks about my abilities. • Sometimes I get singled out in class to speak on behalf of my race/ethnicity. • Faculty have expectations about my academic performance because of my gender.

36. Perceived Unfairness in Classroom Management • Black students perceived significantly greater levels of unfairness in classroom management than white students and students of other races • Students of other races perceived more unfairness in classroom management than white students

37. Overall Satisfaction with The UK Experience • Measured by 3 items on a 5-point Likert scale (Cronbach’s alpha = .88) • Sample scale items include: • I am satisfied with my decision to attend college at UK. • Overall, my experiences at UK have been rewarding. • I would recommend UK to another student as a good place to go to college.

38. Overall Satisfaction with The UK Experience • White students were more satisfied with their experiences at UK than either black students or students of other races • Blacks and students of other races did not differ from one another in their level of satisfaction with UK

39. “I would recommend UK to another student as a good place to go to college”

40. Summary of Main Findings by Race and Ethnicity 1. Campus race relations involve a complex set of dynamics. Nuances in the perceived meaning of various survey items can produce seemingly contradictory results. 2. Most statistically significant differences between students of differing races and ethnicities are actually small in magnitude

41. Summary of Main Findings by Race and Ethnicity • Students of different races vary in their comfort levels when ‘hanging out in the Student Center’ and using the library • Students of different races do not appear to differ to any great extent in their level of comfort in typical classroom situations, such as asking and answering questions • Students of different races differ markedly in their perceptions of the frequency of negative language used to describe various groups • White students perceive less interracial conflict or tension on campus than students of color

42. Summary of Main Findings by Race and Ethnicity • Most students report being comfortable working on projects with students of different races • Most students believe it is not difficult to meet and make friends with students of different races • Yet the majority of white and black students report interacting mostly with students of their own race/ethnicity • Students of other races report a higher level of social isolation than either black or white students

43. Summary of Main Findings by Race and Ethnicity • Students of color express significantly greater openness to diversity than white students • White students perceived significantly greater freedom to express opinions and beliefs on campus than students of color • White students perceived significantly greater levels of encouragement and respect from faculty than black students and students of other races • Students of other races gave higher marks to faculty respect and encouragement than black students

44. Summary of Main Findings by Race and Ethnicity • Black students perceived significantly greater levels of unfairness in classroom management than white students and students of other races • Students of other races perceived more unfairness in classroom management than white students • White students were more satisfied with their experiences at UK than either black students or students of other races

45. Office of Institutional Research For more information on UK’s Campus Climate Survey: Roger Sugarman, Ph.D. rpsuga0@email.uky.edu Phone: 257-7989 www.uky.edu/IR/