Results of UC campus climate survey released
By Katherine Hafner
March 19, 2014 11:28 a.m.
SAN FRANCISCO — Most respondents of a University of California survey said they feel comfortable with their campus climate – but many underrepresented racial minorities, staff, women, queer and transgender communities said they have experienced exclusionary or offensive conduct on campus.
The much anticipated findings of the UC’s campus climate survey were announced Wednesday at the UC Board of Regents meeting. The survey included 93 questions designed to assess campus climate at all 10 campuses, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Office of the President.
The survey, which UC officials have said was the first on such a large scale, was initially launched in October 2012, commissioned by then-UC President Mark Yudof. Out of more than 386,000 individuals invited to participate in the survey, about 104,000 responded.
Systemwide, 24 percent of respondents said they had personally experienced exclusionary, offensive, intimidating or hostile conduct at a UC campus or location. Nine percent of the same respondents said the conduct interfered with their ability to work or learn, which regents said was concerning at their meeting.
In addition, 3 percent of respondents said they had experienced unwanted sexual contact.
Overall, a higher percentage of staff respondents and racial minorities reported experiencing exclusionary conduct, as compared to non-minorities and faculty.
At UCLA, the findings mirrored those found systemwide, with 24 percent of respondents reporting exclusionary or offensive experiences and 3 percent reporting unwanted sexual contact while on campus.
Women, genderqueer, transgender and underrepresented minority respondents all said they felt less comfortable with their campus climate than men and non-minority respondents at UCLA.
Faculty at UCLA, however, reported being less comfortable with the overall campus climate as compared to staff, students and post-doctoral or trainee students.
The results were supposed to come out in summer and fall of 2013, but were delayed because they took longer to compile than officials had expected.
Compiled by Katherine Hafner, Bruin senior staff.
