Quinnipiac University released the results of its Inclusive Excellence Climate Survey on Dec. 6, reporting that about 10% of students and 30% of faculty and staff answered the questionnaire, which was available April 4-29. 

The university partnered with Viewfinder Campus Climate surveys to “take a pulse” on the campus community, Vice President for Equity, Inclusion and Leadership Development Don Sawyer III and former Student Government Association President Nicholas Ciampanelli wrote in a March 31, email to the Quinnipiac community. 

The survey results come amid the university’s 10-point Plan to Advance Racial Justice and LGBTQ+ Plan, announced in July and December 2020, respectively.  

When asked about campus diversity, just over 31% of the student respondents said they agreed or strongly agreed that Quinnipiac’s campus is diverse, while around 45% disagreed or strongly disagreed (the remainder of students answered “neutral.”) Administrators, faculty and staff respondents reported lower agreement or strong agreement with this statement, at over 25%, over 21% and over 34%, respectively.

Only 160 administrators, 281 faculty members, 123 staff members and 492 students responded to this question. 

Over 90% of student respondents said the institution is either somewhat or very welcoming to white students, while about 60% of students said it is either somewhat or very welcoming to underrepresented minorities. Over 25% of student respondents had a neutral opinion and about 15% said the university was not very or not at all welcoming to minorities. 

People of color had mixed responses when asked if they agree with the statement “I feel welcome on campus.” Over 41% of students of color agreed or strongly agreed and just under 27% disagreed or strongly disagreed, with over 31% answering neutral. 

Staff and faculty respondents who are people of color responded with over 64% and over 42% saying they feel welcome, respectively. Over 16% of staff and 30% of faculty disagreed or strongly disagreed that the university is welcoming to people of color. Administrative respondents mostly agreed with the statement, with only about 5% disagreeing. 

When it comes to international students and employees, approximately three-quarters of  student respondents said that Quinnipiac is either welcoming or very welcoming, with about 21% answering neutral and nearly 6% answering that it is not welcoming of this group. 

The survey also asked about the campus experience for LGBTQIA+ community members. Over 48% of students said they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “I can openly express my sexual identity/orientation on campus.” More than41% of staff, 57% of faculty and 63% of administrative respondents answered the same. 

However, almost 30% of student respondents, over 33% of staff and over 18% of administrators said they either disagreed or strongly disagreed with feeling welcome on campus due to their sexuality or orientation. 

When respondents with disabilities were asked if they felt welcome on campus as a person with a disability, 30% of faculty said they disagreed or strongly disagreed, 25% were neutral and 45% agreed or strongly agreed. 

Out of nine staff members who answered the survey and reported having a disability, none strongly disagreed that they felt welcome on campus, about 22% said they disagreed and about 44% said they either agreed or strongly agreed. About 33% were neutral. 

Most students with disabilities also said they felt welcome on campus, with approximately 21% strongly agreeing, 42% agreeing, 23% answering neutrally, 7% disagreeing and 6% strongly disagreeing. 95 students with disabilities responded to the survey. 

The results follow reports of inaccessibility on campus. Quinnipiac administrators said they would commit to addressing accessibility issues such as inaccessible braille signage and distracting alternative testing conditions after an Oct. 26, resolution from SGA calling on the university to audit the Office of Student Accessibility.  

Although over 45% of student respondents, over 50% of faculty and over 35% of both staff and administrators either disagreed or strongly disagreed that Quinnipiac’s campus is diverse, most respondents said that diversity and inclusion was either somewhat or very important to campus leadership. 56.55% of administrators, 55.78% of faculty, 46.67% of staff and 51.88% of students rated it very important, while the “not at all important” and “not that important” numbers were in the single-digits for all groups. 

“We are gratified that responses in some areas are quite positive, but the results also reveal clear needs for improvement,” the Dec. 6, release from Sawyer stated. “In order to achieve meaningful change for the better, we must understand the reasons behind the survey responses and work together to improve, each of us driving change in the areas where we can have an impact.” 

According to the release, the university launched an Inclusive Excellence Action Team comprising faculty, staff and students working to develop additional equity and inclusion strategies following three community sessions held in October.