Analyses of 2011 campus climate survey show mixed results, especially among minority students

Recently released findings from a UCLA campus climate survey administered two years ago reveal a disconnect between student opinions on diversity and students’ willingness to reach out to other groups on campus.

The UCLA Diverse Learning Environments Survey was administered in 2011 by the Office of Student Affairs and asked students specific questions related to their experiences with different demographics on campus. The Office of Student Affairs released the survey in order to address issues of campus climate at UCLA and to facilitate a better learning environment for students, according to the survey reports.

The Student Affairs Information and Research Office addressed key findings from the survey at a presentation on Wednesday, for the Office of Residential Life’s first annual UCLA Diversity Symposium. The symposium was put on through collaboration with the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and almost 50 organizations on campus, including the Career Center and Healthy Campus Initiative.

UCLA uses survey data to enhance the student experience on campus.

“One of the major findings in the data is that we have a student population that values diversity and (is) interested in community-oriented goals,” said Kristen McKinney, director of the Student Affairs Information and Research Office at UCLA. “What we see less of is the students actually reaching out and engaging in activities that would give them those skills.”

Black and Native American students were most likely to say they have encountered discrimination and bias on campus. Students said the most frequent discrimination or bias was insensitive or disparaging remarks from other students.

The presentation about diverse interactions incorporated the topical reports compiled by the Higher Education Research Institution and released in December 2012 by the Student Affairs Information and Research Office. Topical reports relate to a specific theme regarding campus climate.

Analyses of the reports, however, are being released in increments.

About 30 percent of enrolled UCLA undergraduates, or 7,597 students, participated in the voluntary survey.

Initial reports show that the sample slightly overrepresents Asian students and students who enrolled directly from high school, and slightly underrepresents black students.

“Challenges to Community and Campus Life,” one of two themed reports released in December 2012, focuses on certain issues pertaining to harassment, discrimination and a sense of belonging on campus.

While more than 80 percent of UCLA students reported that they feel a strong sense of belonging on campus, black students were more likely to report lower levels of a sense of belonging and satisfaction than other groups.

Janina Montero, UCLA vice chancellor of student affairs, said the office is trying to gauge the different experiences among groups on and off campus. Montero said she has been meeting with national organizations like the Alliance for Equal Opportunity in Education to better assess their experiences.

Kenneth Ramos, a fifth-year American Indian Studies student who is Native American, said the American Indian Student Association has come across a lot of students who identify as Native American because they believe it will help them get into UCLA.

Ramos said he feels discriminated against when students have “Cowboys and Indians”-themed parties.

“There’s just a lot of ignorance,” said Ramos, who took the survey in 2011. “And so that … fosters a very hostile and negative campus climate for (Native Americans) on campus.”

Kenny Donaldson, the assistant director of academic services at UCLA Athletics, said that black athletes often feel that their race stigmatizes them in a classroom environment.

For instance, if the students do not do well in a class, they might think their professor is racist – even if it is not the case, Donaldson said.

In one of the reports from the survey, a majority of students said they are satisfied with the racial and ethnic diversity of the faculty, staff and student body, though black students were significantly less satisfied, based on the results.

However, Jawhara Tariq, a third-year geography and environmental studies student who is black, said she does not feel discriminated against on campus and does not think there is a lack of resources for black students.

“Just in higher education in general there’s a lack of minorities, specifically black students … I don’t think that we are slighted, or there aren’t resources made available. I just would say that there’s a lack of numbers on campus,” she said.

The Office of Student Affairs has attempted to give students more opportunities to engage in diverse interactions through classes such as the “What’s UCLA’s Temperature: Examining Campus Climate” fiat lux class, McKinney said.

Additional reports from the Student Affairs Information and Research Office are tentatively scheduled to be finished by the end of the quarter, she said.