Campus Climate/Diversity Survey
at
Mississippi State University
Linda Cox, Ph.D.
Kristine Jacquin, Ph.D.
Rosa Nigro, M.S.
SAARC
Campus Climate/Diversity Survey measures:
- Student, faculty, and staff perceptions regarding
campus attitudes of prejudice and inclusion.
- Consumer knowledge and use of various campus
services.
Questionnaires
Two self-administered questionnaires:
-Students
including four sections: Demographic Section, Campus
Atmosphere, Campus Experience, and Campus Service
Section.
-Faculty and staff
composed of demographic, campus atmosphere, and campus
service sections and administrated via the MSU web.
-Closed-ended questions were used in a Likert-type
question format
Faculty and Staff / Students Survey
Demographics
1. What is your gender?
2. What is your ethnicity?
3. What is your affiliation to MSU?
4. Did you live in Mississippi before you started working at MSU?
5. What is your sexual orientation?
6. What is your religious affiliation, if any?
7. If you are Christian, please indicate your denomination:
8. How many years of education have you completed?
Campus Atmosphere
1. MSU has a diverse (e.g., different ethnic groups, genders, religions, etc.)
group of students.
2. It is important to me for MSU to have a diverse group of students.
3. MSU has a diverse group of faculty.
4. It is important to me for MSU to have a diverse group of faculty.
5. MSU has a diverse group of staff members.
6. It is important to me for MSU to have a diverse group of staff members.
7. There are a lot of staff and faculty at MSU who are like me.
8. I am comfortable spending time with people of other groups (e.g.,
different ethnicity, different religion, different sexual orientation, etc.).
9. I spend social time with people of other groups (e.g., different ethnicity,
different religions, different sexual orientation, etc.).
10.At MSU, many people are prejudiced against women.
11. At MSU, many people are prejudiced against people who are not
Caucasian (white).
12.At MSU, many people are prejudiced against people who are gay or
bisexual.
13.At MSU, many people are prejudiced against people who are not Christian.
14.At MSU, non-Caucasian (non-white) people are accepted, respected, and
appreciated by most people.
15.At MSU, women are accepted, respected, and appreciated by most people.
16.At MSU, non-Christians are accepted, respected, and appreciated by most
people.
17.At MSU, gay (homosexual) and bisexual people are accepted, respected,
and appreciated by most people.
18.At MSU, I feel accepted, respected, and appreciated by people who are
different from me.
19.The phrase “minority group” is used to refer to a racial, ethnic,
religious, political, national, or other group regarded as different from
the larger group of which it is part. For example, African-Americans
(blacks) are considered to be part of a minority group. As another
example, people who are gay or bisexual are considered to be part of a
minority group. Are you a member of a minority group?
20.I feel accepted, respected, and appreciated by most students at MSU.
21.I feel accepted, respected, and appreciated by most of the faculty at
MSU.
22.I feel accepted, respected, and appreciated by most of the staff at MSU.
Campus Experience
1.
I am confident that I will graduate from MSU within four years of
matriculating (starting school at MSU).
2.
I want to stay at MSU until I graduate because of the kinds of students
who are here.
3.
I want to stay at MSU until I graduate because of the faculty here.
4.
I want to stay at MSU until I graduate because of the classes and majors
offered here.
5.
I want to stay at MSU until I graduate because of the services on
campus (e.g., health center, gym, counseling center, student union).
6.
I want to stay at MSU until I graduate because it is more affordable
than going someplace else.
7.
I want to stay at MSU until I graduate because of the recreational
sports program and other extracurricular activities (e.g., clubs, Greek
life, etc.) here.
8.
How important are each of the following factors in determining whether
you choose to stay at MSU until you graduate? Please rank each factor
from 1 (most important reason to stay at MSU) to 6 (least important
reason to stay at MSU).
9. How important were each of the following factors in your choice to come
to MSU? Please rank each factor from 1 (most important reason to choose
MSU) to 6 (least important reason to choose MSU).
10.When I have a question about which classes to take or other academic
questions, I know who to ask.
11. When I am having problems with my roommate or another person and I
want help, I know where I can get help at MSU.
12.When I am having trouble in a class, I ask for help from my professor or
T.A.
13.If I am having a personal problem, I am likely to seek help from the MSU
counseling center.
14.When I talk to a professor or staff member about a question I have, my
questions are treated seriously and courteously.
15.During my free time, I am likely to stay on campus.
16.During my free time, I am likely to go someplace in Starkville.
17.During my free time, I am likely to go out of town.
18.How important are each of the following factors in determining whether
you choose to stay at MSU until you graduate?
19. How important were each of the following factors in your choice to come
to MSU?
20. When I have a question about which classes to take or other academic
questions, I know who to ask.
21. When I am having problems with my roommate or another person and I
want help, I know where I can get help at MSU.
22. When I am having trouble in a class, I ask for help from my professor or
T.A.
23. If I am having a personal problem, I am likely to seek help from the
MSU counseling center.
24. When I talk to a professor or staff member about a question I have, my
questions are treated seriously and courteously.
25. During my free time, I am likely to stay on campus.
26. During my free time, I am likely to go someplace in Starkville.
27. I have financial problems that negatively impact my school performance.
28. If I were having financial problems, I would know where to turn for
help.
Campus Services
1. Do you know the operating hours of the MSU Library?
2. How much do you know about the Media Center in the MSU Library?
3. Do you know that students, faculty, and staff are able to rent VHS and DVD
movies from the MSU Library?
4. Do you know that students, faculty, and staff can rent digital cameras from
the MSU library?
5. How much do you know about the MSU shuttle service?
6. Do you know where to get a map of the MSU shuttle routes?
7. Do you know the operating hours of the MSU shuttle service?
8. Do you know that the MSU shuttle service offers trips to off campus areas?
9. Do you know the locations of the blue light emergency call boxes?
10. How much do you know about the MSU Police Department’s safety
services?
11. Do you know that the MSU Police Department offers a service to
accompany members of the campus community to any on-campus location
day or night, free of charge?
12.Do you know where to go if you are temporarily disabled and you need a
special parking pass?
13.Do you know about the MSU Health Center located on campus?
14.Do you know the operating hours of the MSU Health Center?
15.Do you know the operating hours of the MSU cafeteria?
16.Do you know about the Joe Frank Sanderson Center?
17.How much do you know about the Moneymate service?
18.Do you know the location of the Moneymate office?
19.Do you know that Moneymate can be used anywhere on campus?
20.Do you know that some businesses in Starkville give discounts if you show
them your MSU ID card?
21.How much do you know about public access computers on the MSU
campus?
22.How much do you know about the MSU intranet system?
23.Do you know how to access your personnel information on the MSU
intranet system?
Theoretical
Models
Student’s
Gender
Ethnicity
Sexual
Orientation
Religion
Campus Diversity
and
Service Issues
Perceptions, Attitudes,
and
Beliefs of Students
Theoretical
Models
Faculty and Staff
Gender
Ethnicity
Sexual
Orientation
Religion
Educational
Level
Campus Diversity
and
Service Issues
Perceptions, Attitudes,
and
Beliefs of Faculty
and Staff
Sampling
875 Students
49.3% Female
50.7% Male
70%Caucasian
24.1% African-American
2.9 Asian or Asian American
1% Hispanic/Latinos
.3% Native American
.9 %Mixed ethnicity
92% Christian
3.3% None
.8% Buddhist
.6% Hindu
.6% Muslim
.2%Jewish
97.8% Heterosexual
.8% Homosexual
1% Bisexual
366 Faculty and Staff
59.3% Female 87.7% Caucasian
39.9% Male
7.1% African-American
1.7% Asian or Asian American
.8% Hispanic/Latinos
.5% Native American
.5% Mixed ethnicity
82.8% Christian
11.5% None
1.1 % Buddhist
.3% Jewish
2.7% Other
93.4% Heterosexual
2.7% Homosexual
.5% Bisexual
Results
• Campus Atmosphere:
–Perception that Diversity exists on campus
–Believe in the value of Diversity on campus
–Perception of prejudice
–Perception of inclusion
• Awareness of Campus Services
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
Results
Perception that Diversity exists on campus
•The majority of students
perceive MSU student
and faculty body as being
diverse more than do
faculty and staff.
100.0%
80.0%
60.0%
40.0%
Students
F/S
20.0%
0.0%
Diverse
group of
students
Diverse
group of
faculty
Students
91.20%
74.60%
F/S
86.20%
59.20%
Perception that Diversity
exists on campus
Student Ethnicity
•Awareness of diversity
in student body varies 100.0%
90.0%
significantly across
80.0%
ethnic groups.
70.0%
•The two largest ethnic 50.0%
groups on campus tend 40.0%
to perceive the campus 30.0%
20.0%
as diverse more than 10.0%
0.0%
the smaller ethnic
groups.
60.0%
African-American/St
Asian St
Caucasian St
Native American St
Diverse group of
students
African-American/St
90.50%
Asian St
76.00%
Caucasian St
92.60%
Native American St
66.60%
Results
Believe in the value of Diversity on campus
•Less students than faculty
and staff believe it is
important to have a diverse
group of students on campus.
•In proportion, less students
than faculty and staff believe
that it is important to have a
diverse group of faculty on
campus.
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
Students
F/S
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Important to have Important to have
a diverse group of a diverse group of
students
faculty
Students
59.10%
49.40%
F/S
69.90%
65.70%
Believe in the value of
Diversity on campus
Student Ethnicity
•Differences exist across ethnic
groups in relation to perceptions
of prejudice and inclusion.
•92% of African American
students believe it is important to
have a diverse faculty, whereas
63% of Caucasian students
believe a diverse faculty to be
important.
100.0%
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
African-AmericanS t
30.0%
Asian S t
Caucasian S t
20.0%
Hispanic/Latinos S t
10.0%
•Similar between group
0.0%
differences emerge with the item
pertaining to diversity in
African-AmericanSt
students, as well.
Asian St
Native American S t
Mixed Ethnicity S t
Important have Important have
diverse group of diverse group of
students
faculty
92.30%
92.30%
100.00%
100%
67.20%
63%
Hispanic/Latinos St
100%
100.00%
Native American St
100.00%
100%
Mixed Ethnicity St
50.00%
50%
Caucasian St
Believe in the value of
Diversity on campus
Student and F/S Sexual
Orientation
•More homosexual
students believe that it is
important to have both a
diverse group of students
and faculty more than do
f/s and students from
other sexual orientation
groups.
100.0%
80.0%
60.0%
40.0%
Heterosexual St
Homosexual St
20.0%
Bisexual St
Heterosexual F/S
0.0%
Homosexual F/S
Important have
Important to
diverse group of have diverse
students
group of faculty
Heterosexual St
68.30%
64.20%
Homosexual St
100.00%
90%
Bisexual St
50.00%
50%
Heterosexual F/S
59.40%
49%
Homosexual F/S
29%
42.90%
44.40%
44%
Bisexual F/S
Bisexual F/S
Believe in the value of
Diversity on campus
Student Religious Affiliation
•Proportionally, more
Muslim, Hindu and
other religious groups
believe that it is
important to have a
diverse group of
students than do
Christian and Buddhist
students.
Buddhist St
100.0%
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Christian St
Hindu St
Jewish St
Muslim St
Wiccan/Neo Pagan
Other St
None St
Important have
diverse group of
students
42.90%
58.30%
80.00%
50%
100.00%
66.60%
88%
62.10%
Buddhist St
Christian St
Hindu St
Jewish St
Muslim St
Wiccan/Neo Pagan
Other St
None St
Results
Perception of Prejudice
60.0%
•Over 50% of students
and faculty and staff 50.0%
believe that gay,
40.0%
lesbian and bisexual
30.0%
students deal with
prejudice on campus. 20.0%
Students
F/S
10.0%
0.0%
Against
women
Against non
Against non
Against gay
Caucasian
Christian
Students
6.30%
28.80%
51%
21.60%
F/S
31.90%
33.20%
56.50%
34.90%
Perception of Prejudice
Students and F/S Sexual
Orientation
•A larger proportion of
students and faculty and
staff identifying as
homosexual feel that
prejudice is an issue with
sexual orientation
compared to the
heterosexual sample
surveyed.
100.0%
80.0%
60.0%
40.0%
Heterosexual St
Homosexual St
20.0%
Bisexual St
0.0%
Heterosexual St
Homosexual St
Bisexual St
Heterosexual F/S
Homosexual F/S
Bisexual F/S
Heterosexual F/S
At MSU people are prejudiced
against gay and bisexual
50.90%
71.40%
55.50%
55.20%
90%
0%
Homosexual F/S
Bisexual F/S
Results
Perception of Inclusion
•The majority of students
feel accepted, respected,
and appreciated at MSU.
76.0%
•Faculty and Staff feel
less accepted, respected,
and appreciated by other
faculty than they do by
students and people
different from them.
68.0%
74.0%
72.0%
70.0%
66.0%
Students
F/S
64.0%
62.0%
60.0%
58.0%
56.0%
Accepted by
people different
from me
Accepted by
most other
students
Accepted by
most of the
faculty
Students
71.60%
72.90%
72.60%
F/S
70.30%
74.60%
62.60%
Perception of Inclusion
Students Ethnicity
100.0%
•African American and
Asian students feel less
accepted, respected, or
appreciated by people
different from them
and other students
than do other ethnic
groups.
•Native American
students feel less
accepted, respected, or
appreciated by faculty
than do other groups.
80.0%
60.0%
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
African-American
Asian
Accepted Accepted
Accepted
by people by other
by faculty
different students
Caucasian
Hispanic/Latino
68.10%
71.20%
67.70%
Native American
48%
44.40%
72.20%
Mixed ethnicity
Caucasian
73.40%
87.50%
87.80%
Hispanic/Latino
77.80%
80%
100%
Native American
100%
100%
50%
Mixed ethnicity
87.50%
50%
75%
African-American
Asian
Perception of Inclusion
Students Ethnicity
•Bisexual students feel
accepted, respected, or
appreciated by people
different from them and
other students less than
do students from other
sexual orientation groups.
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
Heterosexual
30.0%
•Homosexuals reported
feelings less respected by 20.0%
faculty compared to other 10.0%
sexual orientation groups. 0.0%
Homosexual
Bisexual
Accepted by
Accepted by
people
other students
different from
Accepted by
faculty
Heterosexual
71.90%
73.40%
72.80%
Homosexual
71%
75.00%
50.00%
44.40%
57.20%
85.70%
Bisexual
Results
Awareness of Campus Services
•75% of students know who to speak with regarding academic
questions.
s
h
e
o
u
l
a
60 e
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
e
V
S a
6
8
0
0
A
g
6
7
0
0
50
N
2
5
6
6
d
i
D
0
3
4
0
40
S
5
0
0
0
T
9
3
0
30
M
S
6
7
T
o
5
0
Percent
20
10
0
M issing
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Neither agree nor di
Strongly disagree
When I have a question about which classes to take or other academic
Awareness of Campus Services
•Most students know how to identify who is their academic advisor.
w
100
u
l
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
V
N
6
1
3
3
80
Y
8
6
7
0
T
4
7
0
M
S
1
3
60
T
5
0
40
Percent
20
0
M issing
No
Yes
Do you know how to find out who your academic advisor is?
Awareness of Campus Services
•46.4% of students know how to access help in Residence Life.
U
u
l
P
r
u
c
c
e
60
V
N
1
5
6
6
Y
6
4
4
0
50
T
7
9
0
M
S
8
1
40
T
5
0
30
Percent
20
10
0
Missing
No
Yes
Do you know the location of the MSU Housing and Residence Life office
Awareness of Campus Services
•66.2% of the students know about and have used the Student
Health Center.
a
l
u
l
r
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
e
60
V
N
0
7
8
8
Y
9
3
5
3
u
s
50
Y
9
5
9
2
t
h
Y
0
7
8
0
40
s
e
T
8
2
0
M
S
7
8
30
T
5
0
Percent
20
10
0
Missing
Yes, but I have neve
No
Yes, and I use this
Yes, and I have used
Do you know about the MSU Health Center located on campus?
Awareness of Campus Services
•73% of students know the operating hours at the Joe Frank
Sanderson Center.
o
f
u
l
80
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
V
N
5
7
8
8
Y
4
2
2
0
T
9
9
0
60
M
S
6
1
T
5
0
40
Percent
20
0
Missing
No
Yes
Do you know the operating hours of the Joe Frank Sanderson Center?
Awareness of Campus Services
•About 78% of the students are familiar with the MSU online billing
system.
m
e
a
u
l
r
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
e
V
N
a
0
4
7
7
50
Y
2
4
6
3
u
s
Y
40
4
0
9
1
s
e
Y
0
0
9
0
s
e
30
T
6
8
0
M
S
9
2
20
T
5
0
Percent
10
0
M issing
Yes, but I have neve
No
Yes, and I use this
Yes, and I used this
Do you know that your MSU billing statement is no longer mailed hom
Awareness of Campus Services
•Most students (93%) know how to access their grades on the MSU
Intranet.
g
r
a
u
l
r
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
e
V
N
a
9
3
5
5
70
Y
0
4
6
1
u
s
60
Y
8
6
2
3
t
h
Y
50
5
7
7
0
s
e
T
2
1
0
40
M
S
3
9
T
5
0
30
Percent
20
10
0
Missing
Yes, but I never use
No
Yes, and I use this
Yes, and I used this
Do you know how to access your grades on the MSU intranet system
Awareness of Campus Services
•Most students (87%) know where the Financial Aid office is located.
n
a
u
l
r
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
e
V
N
7
2
4
4
Y
3
3
6
0
u
s
Y
50
9
9
5
6
u
s
Y
2
9
4
0
s
e
40
T
1
4
0
M
S
4
6
T
o
5
0
30
20
Percent
10
0
M issing
Yes, but i never use
No
Yes, and I use this
Yes, and I have used
Do you know where the Financial Aid office is located?
Awareness of Campus Services
•Most students (95%) know that they are required to obtain an MSU
email.
e
q
u
l
r
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
e
V
N
8
2
3
3
Y
6
4
5
8
60
u
s
Y
7
5
3
1
u
s
50
Y
7
9
9
0
s
e
T
8
1
0
40
M
S
7
9
T
5
0
30
Percent
20
10
0
M issing
Yes, but I never use
No
Yes, and I use this
Yes, and I have used
Do you know that all MSU students are required to obtain an MSU em
Awareness of Campus Services
•Most students (94%) know that official MSU announcements are
sent via their campus email account.
a
l
i l
u
l
P
u
c
c
e
e
100
V
N
0
1
1
Y
9
9
0
T
9
0
80
M
S
1
T
0
60
40
Percent
20
0
M issing
No
Yes
Do you know that the university officials make announcements throu
Awareness of Campus Services
•Students know about the Counseling Center (42.2%) but most also
state that they are unlike to use the service if they are having a
personal problem (60.4%).
k
e
n
t
u
l
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
e
e
50
V
S a
5
0
0
0
A
g
7
4
5
5
N
40
0
7
9
4
d
i
D
1
0
3
8
S
4
0
2
0
30
T
7
1
0
M
S
8
9
T
5
0
20
Percent
10
0
Missing
Agree
Strongly agree
Disagree
Neither agree nor di
Strongly disagree
If I am having a personal problem, I am likely to seek help from the M SU
Awareness of Campus Services
•Most students (65%) do NOT know where to go to register a
complaint against a faculty member.
p
l
u
l
r
P
r
u
c
c
e
e
e
e
V
N
3
5
1
1
70
Y
e
2
9
2
3
u
s
Y
e
60
8
2
2
5
t
h
Y
e
4
5
5
0
50
s
e
T
o
7
1
0
M
S
8
9
40
T
o
5
0
30
Percent
20
10
0
M issing
Yes, but I have neve
No
Yes, and I use this
Yes, and I have used
Do you know where to go if you have a complaint against a student or
Awareness of Campus Services
70%
•Ethnic minorities
reported a higher
level of financial
problems that are
impacting their
academic
performance.
60%
50%
40%
30%
African American
Asian
20%
Caucasian
10%
0%
Hispanic/Latinos
Native American
I have financial problems that negatively impact
my school performance
African American
35%
Asian
2%
Caucasian
21%
Hispanic/Latinos
44%
Native American
67%
Mixed Ethnicity
37%
Other
60%
Mixed Ethnicity
Other
Awareness of Campus Services
80%
•Most of the students
want to stay at MSU
because of classes and
majors offered, as well
as MSU affordability.
60%
40%
Classes/maj
ors
20%
0%
Affordability
I want to stay at MSU because of
Classes/majors
72%
Affordability
50%
Campus Services
46%
Students
41%
Recreational Sports
36%
Campus
Services
Students
Recreational
Sports
Conclusions
•The majority of students (59%) believe diversity is important.
•Minority groups endorse the value of diversity more strongly
than do Caucasian groups.
•Minority students perceive more prejudice and less inclusion
than Caucasian students.
•Minority faculty and staff perceive more problems with
prejudice and lack of genuine acceptance than do students.
Conclusions
•Female faculty and staff perceive or experience significantly
higher levels of prejudice against women than do male faculty
/staff or students.
•The vast majority of students, faculty, and staff perceive that
significant prejudice exists on campus against gays, lesbians, and
bisexuals.
•African-American and Asian American faculty/staff expressed
more dissatisfaction with levels of inclusion on campus than other
groups.
Conclusions
• Minority students report more significant financial problems
that impact their ability to perform well academically than do
Caucasian students.
• Students know about campus services and are utilizing them.
• A large percentage (46%) of students view the services as an
important reason to attend MSU.
Recommendations
•Share findings in a succinct report with campus constituents (the
President’s office, Directors, Deans, Department heads, faculty,
student groups, etc.).
•Conduct focus groups targeting ethnic minority and sexual
orientation minority faculty, staff, and students in order to gather
more qualitative information regarding the above data. Use the
data obtained from these focus groups to inform program
development and policy revisions.
•Student Affairs, in conjunction with the Office for Diversity and
Equity, should develop and implement a model for increasing
dialogue between different groups on campus.
Recommendations
•Explore the possibility of developing a First Year Diversity
Module that is collaboratively developed and implemented by
Academic and Student Affairs to entering freshmen and transfer
students.
•Follow through on policy recommendations made by President
Lee to include Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual students and
faculty/staff in our AA/EEO policy and non-harassment policy.
Inform the campus community (particularly these
constituencies) that these supportive changes have been made in
our campus policies.
Recommendations
•Consider programming to ethnic minority students regarding
financial management and making a successful transition to
college. This idea can be further developed and refined
following information gathered during focus groups. Holmes
Cultural Diversity Center, in conjunction with the Office of
Financial Aid and Scholarships, could work together on this
project.
Thank you for your attention