Students were invited to participate in the third “Campus Climate Survey” on Tuesday. Launched every five years, the survey allows students to voice their thoughts, experiences and concerns regarding University of Wisconsin-Madison’s environment. Students were invited to participate in the survey via campus email.
According to UW-Madison’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion site, the results from the survey will provide insight for campus programs to improve the university-wide environment. The survey includes a variety of open-ended and multiple-choice questions that allow respondents to accurately voice their opinions.
One in five students took the last survey in 2016.
In 2016, the Campus Climate Survey found that about 80% of students felt welcome, safe and respected on the UW-Madison campus. Another 69% of respondents stated that they felt as though they belonged.
Members of some groups reported being less likely to have a positive experience, including first-generation, transfer, Muslim and Buddhist students. Additionally, 11% of students reported experiencing hostile behavior aimed at them personally, with a large portion of these respondents identifying as women, students of color, LGBT students, students with a disability and transgender and nonbinary students.
The 2016 survey assisted university leaders in presenting seven recommendations for advancing inclusion on campus.
Similarly, after this year's survey has concluded, the university will appoint a Campus Climate Study Task Force to address the findings. The Task Force is composed of various staff, students and faculty that develop recommendations and next steps based on the results of the survey, which will be presented in their final report.
When asked about the importance of the survey, Meredith McGlone, director of media relations and strategic communications at UW-Madison said, “We want to understand how students experience UW-Madison. A task force made up of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leaders on the UW-Madison campus will review the results, compare the results to those of five years ago and produce a report, including recommendations for best steps forward to make our campus welcoming to all.”
The survey will remain open until Nov. 8, 2021.
Ellie Bourdo is the features editor for The Daily Cardinal. Ellie previously served as associate news editor, where she specialized in breaking news and University of Wisconsin-System news reporting. She also works at WisPolitics. Follow Ellie on Twitter at @elliebourdo.
