IPFW Home
Diversity Council

Full Report

View the full report (pdf)

Campus Climate Survey

IPFW Campus Climate Survey
Report Highlights
October 2005

The February 2005 Climate Survey, an initiative of the IPFW Diversity Council, was a pilot effort to gather information on the climate for diversity on campus, using the Council's definition of diversity:

The term diversity encompasses differences of culture, background and experience among individuals and groups. Such differences include, but are not necessarily limited to, differences of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, class, age, and disabilities, as well as political and religious affiliation and socioeconomic status.

All IPFW students enrolled in spring 2005 received email notification of the online survey and instructions for accessing it via my.ipfw.edu. It was also publicized by posters, flyers, announcements in classes and student club meetings, paid ads in the Communicator, and a student-written article in the Communicator. This summary of highlights is the first step toward informing the campus community of the survey results. For a detailed report with analysis and recommendations, go to: http://www.ipfw.edu/vcaa/Assessment/assmnthome.html.

Response Rate and Respondent Demographics

  • Completed surveys were submitted by 660 students–about 6% of the student body.
  • Respondents were from all class ranks, from first-year to graduate students. The two largest groups were first-year students (29% of respondents) and seniors (25.8%).
  • Respondents to the survey were from nearly every department and program on campus.
  • Respondents closely paralleled the IPFW student body with respect to gender and ethnicity. Women and most minorities were slightly overrepresented compared to the student body as a whole.
  • The great majority of the respondents were heterosexual (91.8%) and Christian (73.4%).

Responses to Survey Items

  • In general, respondents viewed faculty, staff, and advisors positively, seeing them as respectful toward students from diverse backgrounds and concerned to meet their needs.
  • Respondents felt that students of different backgrounds interact with moderate frequency, with no differences based on race/ethnicity or gender.
  • 8.7% reported that they had been harassed, with gender (5.0%), age (3.6%), social class origin (3.3%), and race/ethnicity (3.2%) being the most frequent perceived reasons.
  • 24.8% indicated that they had seen someone else being harassed at IPFW. Sexual orientation, age, race/ethnicity, and social class origin were the most frequent perceived reasons, in that order.
  • Respondents from all groups perceived instructors very favorably, as encouraging participation and being fair toward, and respectful of, students from diverse backgrounds
  • Most respondents indicated generally positive feelings about interactions with people of different backgrounds in the classroom. African American students reported greater comfort with expressing opinions about diversity than did other students, but perceived the overall campus climate as less positive.
  • Most groups indicated a perception that IPFW is welcoming to all; however, African American students were somewhat less likely to designate IPFW as welcoming of people from diverse backgrounds.
  • Concerning expectations based on stereotypes: African American and Asian American students were more likely than other groups to feel that expectations of their ability to achieve were based on their racial/ethnic background; they also indicated that they were more often expected to speak for their racial/ethnic group.
  • Women were more likely than men to believe that IPFW is committed to developing a learning environment that is positive for all students, more likely to believe that students from certain groups (e.g., ethnic, racial, or gender groups) receive no special treatment, and more likely to disagree that instructors make assumptions about one=s beliefs based on racial/ethnic background.
  • African American students were less likely to feel that material presented by instructors reflect the contributions of people from diverse backgrounds.
  • African American students, Asian American students, and students identifying as Aother@ felt that they had experienced discrimination in the classroom more frequently than did European American students.
  • African American students and those identifying as Aother@ indicated that they would be less likely to recommend IPFW to students regardless of their background.

What do you think? What is your experience?

While the demographic data indicate that the survey respondents are reasonably representative of the IPFW student body, the small sample size (660 respondents) requires that we approach the findings with caution. Therefore, we invite your comments:

  • Do these findings reflect your experiences at IPFW?
  • Or are your experiences different?

The authors of this report are interested in your comments; you may contact them via email: