2016 CBCS Student Diversity Climate Survey

2016 CBCS Student Diversity Climate Survey

Executive Summary

Procedures

In September 2016, a Diversity Climate Survey was developed in Qualtrics and distributed by e-mail to 2,079members of the student body in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences (CBCS) at the University of South Florida (USF). This survey was a product of the Diversity WorkGroup that was formed in the College in September 2015 in order to address issues of diversity relevant to the College. Participants were given one month to respond to the survey. Questions were asked related to diversity in the academic environment, whether the College fostered an understanding of diverse groups, demonstrated cultural competence within the College and its Departments/Schools, personal experiences, and self-assessment of cultural competence/cultural humility. Responses were indicated on a Likert scale from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating 'strongly disagree,' 2 indicating 'disagree,' 3 indicating 'neither agree nor disagree,' 4 indicating 'agree,' and 5 indicating 'strongly agree.'

Demographics

One hundred and ninety students responded to the survey, indicating a 9% response rate. Sixty five percent of respondents were undergraduates, 33% were graduate students, 1% preferred not to answer, and .5% were non-degree-seeking students. Thirteen of the students indicated that they also held paid employment positions at USF. In terms of gender, 83% of the respondents were female, 13% of the respondents were male, and 4% of the respondents preferred not to provide their gender. With regard to age, the largest proportion of people were under the age of 26 (67%), with the second largest proportion being in the age group of 26 to 45 (24%), followed by those age 46-65 (7%), and those who preferred not to answer (2%). The largest majority of respondents identified their race as White (73%). Six percent of respondents chose not to answer the race question. The remaining respondents identified as: Black/African-American(14%), Other (7%), Asian (3%), American Indian/Alaskan Native (2%), and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (2%). Twenty-three percent of respondents indicated being of Hispanic descent, with another 4% preferring not to answer. Nations of origin indicated include the US, Dominican Republic, South Korea, Jamaica, Italy, Ireland, Colombia, Canada, France, Germany, England, India, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Peru, Bangladesh, Cuba, Hungary, Philippines, Macedonia, French Guiana, El Salvador, Haiti, Greece, Nicaragua, and Poland. Five percent of respondents were veterans of the U.S. Military, while 2% preferred not to answer this question. Nine percent of respondents indicated having a disability, while 6% preferred not to answer this question. With regard to sexual orientation, 78% indicated being heterosexual or straight, 10% identified as bisexual, 6% preferred not to answer the question, and 5% identified as gay or lesbian.

Results

For diversity in the educational environment, participants were asked whether "the College is taking sufficient steps to support diversity in students in the following categories:" racial/ethnic/national origin, communication/language preference, veteran status, marital status, parental status, socioeconomic level, religious belief, physical/sensory/cognitive ability, age, gender, political ideology, and lifestyle. Mean scores for each of these items ranged from 3.61 to 4.16, indicating high agreement with these statements. The highest level of agreement with the belief that the college is taking sufficient steps to support diversity in students was with gender and the lowest level of agreement was with socio-economic level. Of note, 15.5% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the indication that the college was taking sufficient steps to support diversity related to socio-economic level.

The second set of items related to level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements: ‘the faculty and staff in the College reflect the diversity of the students’ (M=3.65) and ‘the college leadership visibly reflects diversity’ (M=3.27). Of note, 18% and 29%, respectively, disagreed or strongly disagreed with these items.

The third set of items indicated respondents' agreement with the College's work toward fostering understanding of diverse groups. Mean responses to these items ranged from 4.11 to 4.25, with the lowest being for ‘the coursework in my academic program provides the opportunity for me to develop cultural competency,' and the highest for ‘the student groups in CBCS are encouraged to embrace and promote diversity.'

The next set of 10 items indicated respondents' perceptions of the College's and Departments'/Schools’ demonstrated cultural competence. Mean scores on the scales ranged from 3.92 to 4.39. The lowest rated item was related to ‘students in my program refrain from making generalizations about individuals or groups of people.’ The highest rated item was related to 'respect for and acceptance of people with disabilities within the respondent's department or school.' In general, these demonstrated cultural competence items were the most highly rated of all of the items in the diversity climate survey, with the exception of the self-assessment items described below, indicating a high level of agreement with the notion that the College and Departments/Schools are doing a good job of demonstrating cultural competence.

The next set of questions asked about personal experiences with ‘being treated fairly by one's professors’ (M=4.45) and ‘not being harassed or discriminated against in the College because of one's identity (M=4.4).’

Participants were highly likely to agree with self-assessment of cultural competence and cultural humility, with scores on the scale ranging from 3.7 to 4.45. The lowest rated item on the scale was 'I believe "color-blindness" is counterproductive and devalues a person's culture or history" and the highest rated was ‘I am interested in the ideas and beliefs of people who don't think and believe as I do, and I respect their opinions even when I disagree.’ One other item that was rated less favorably was 'I challenge others when they make racial/ethnic/sexually offensive comments or jokes’ (M=3.97).

Summary

In summary, this report provides information about a very small sample of students in CBCS, with no way of determining whether this is a representative sample. That said, there is a general level of agreement regarding a positive perception of diversity and the fostering of an understanding of diverse groups in the College, with all mean scores being above the 3.0 (Neither agree nor Disagree) cutoff. Additionally, respondents tended to rate the demonstrated cultural competence within their own Departments/Schools quite highly, all above 4.0. In addition, respondents perceived their own cultural competence and cultural humility to be very positive, with most item means above 4.0.

Comments related to what the College is doing well with regard to diversity centered on issues related to: discussion of diversity within academic coursework; that diversity is reflected among faculty, staff, and students; providing scholarships for graduate students with low economic status; and clubs, lectures, and events that focus on different cultures and groups.

Suggestions for improving the climate of diversity in CBCS included: more cultural events; more diversity and cultural competence training for both students and faculty; more consistency/fairness in salary; providing materials (presumably signage) in multiple languages and specifically for those with physical disabilities; more information and concerted effort to bring more males to particular majors; more attention and sensitivity to issues of socio-economic differences among students.

Next Steps

Further examination of these data is warranted; more specifically, regarding whether responses differed by respondent demographic variables. Additionally, these student responses will be compared with the faculty/administration/staff responses, with particular attention to common themes. Once all of the information is gathered and synthesized, a formal CBCS Diversity Committee will be formed and meet to determine next steps related to the content of trainings, seminars, and events that might take place to address some of these issues. Some of the more practical suggestions might be implemented sooner, but will likely require planning and finances. In general, however, the findings of this Student Diversity Climate Survey arevery positive and do not point to anything requiring immediate attention.

Approved: February 27, 2017

Celia Lescano, Ph.D., Founder and Chair of the Diversity WorkGroup, CBCS

Nancy Wisgerhof, Director, Faculty Affairs and Human Resources, CBCS

Julie Serovich, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences

Diversity WorkGroup Members:

Anderson, Rene

Barnes, Denise

Beckford, Kerianne

Bloom, Sarah

Brea, Maria R.

Brown, Monique

Budd, Raymond

Calcano, Ercilia

Conner, Kyaien

Flores, Jennifer

Gilbert-Smith, Tracy-Ann

Johnson, Steven

Landers, Monica

Matias, Felix

Perkins, Elizabeth

Porro, Elida

Power, Sylvia

Rahill, Guitele J.

Rigg, Khary

Rivera, Julie

Smith, Andrea

Sosa-Carlin, Sandra

Surrency, Steven

Wall, Jessica