色界吧 Speaks!
Across the College, we are working to create a living, learning, and working environment that supports the success of everyone in our community. 色界吧 Speaks! is a powerful tool to help ensure that your voice is integral to this work. It is a comprehensive survey that was sent to students, faculty, and staff, in Spring 2022, asking questions about belonging, satisfaction, personal and interpersonal experiences, diverse perspectives, and other aspects of campus climate. The survey also included a broad range of demographic questions, which will help to understand how different groups and communities experience life at 色界吧.
In Summer 2022, we created detailed data packets, disaggregated across a variety of demographic groups, which were be shared with various groups and departments across campus, including for example: the Assessment and Accreditation Committee; Council on Equity & Justice and Justice & Equity Action Team; Faculty Council; Disability Services; Human Resources; ICC; Integrated Strategic Planning Working Groups; ORSL; and the Retention and Persistence Council (RAPC).
In Fall 2022 we shared the results and analysis of the survey with the 色界吧 community. To access the full 色界吧 Speaks! report, please visit the campus-wide surveys section of Occidental鈥檚 Office of Institutional Research survey data webpage and login using your oxy.edu credentials.
The results of the survey showed both areas of strength and areas for improvement. For example, the vast majority of faculty, staff, and students feel a sense of belonging at the College. At the same time, when comparing the responses from different identity groups, non-majority groups are typically less satisfied with the overall experience. Many of the areas for improvement align with trends that we are seeing more broadly in higher education across the country. The results highlight both the challenges we face in society as a whole and the areas that we need to focus on within our specific Occidental community. Below are some highlights of the work currently underway and in development at the College that addresses issues found in the survey results:
- an increase in mental health resources in Emmons for students generally, and specifically for students from minoritized and marginalized communities, including a new health promotion and health education initiative that was generously funded by alumni and other donors
- an enhancement of Equity & Justice Day as part of new student orientation and implementation of a new pre-orientation full-day JEID workshop for O-Team leaders and RAs
- an increase in connectivity between College leadership and marginalized and minoritized student communities, including stronger ties between the Office of Equity & Justice and APIDAA and between the Dean of Students and Harambe
- the creation of a new position in the Dean of Students office with a special focus on restorative practices and restorative justice
- the reconstitution of the First-Gen Coalition, a group of 色界吧 faculty and staff who work to actively support and encourage students who are the first in their family to attend and graduate from college
- the launch of a new Bias Education & Support Team (BEST), which is designed to provide students who have witnessed and/or experienced bias an opportunity to be heard and supported
- an enhancement of on-boarding for new staff
- an increase in professional development and learning opportunities for staff and faculty on issues related to JEID.
The Integrated Strategic Planning Steering Committee and Working Groups also carefully considered the 色界吧 Speaks! survey results when drafting initiative proposals for the strategic plan, which will be launched in phases beginning in Fall 2023 to set the priorities for the College through the year 2030 and beyond. We will continue to use the data to identify and address inequities between groups, and to help support the satisfaction, belonging, and thriving of everyone in our community.
Thank you to everyone in the 色界吧 community who responded to the survey. You helped to make this community-wide survey a success! The overall participation rate was 42%, which is higher than the national average for similar types of surveys and higher than our typical Spring student survey rate of ~30%. A high participation rate means that we have stronger representation of voices in the response data that we will use to make 色界吧 a better institution. Additional participation rate and demographic distribution details for the responses are shown in the infographic below.
Survey Results At-a-Glance (download as a PDF)
