On Friday, the University announced the results of its 2023 Campus Climate Survey, which collects information related to diversity and inclusion on campus.
The survey, administered throughout the month of April, asked respondents about their personal experiences with bias, perceptions of the University’s diversity and equity efforts, awareness of Brown’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and feelings of belonging on campus.
One survey question asked respondents to rate whether they agreed with the statement that they are “respected by administration.” Among faculty, 17% said they “Strongly Disagree” or “Disagree” with the statement, 59% responded “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” and 24% were neutral.
This figure was higher for faculty who identified as LGBQ+ and members of a historically underrepresented group. 23% of LGBQ+ faculty — compared to 13% of heterosexual faculty — reported not being respected by administration.
Overall, respondents said they felt a “sense of belonging” within their department or school, though 23% of faculty — the largest proportion among all respondent groups — disagreed with that sentiment.
These figures were lower among LGBQ+ faculty — 29% said they disagreed with the statement that they felt a “sense of belonging” in their department or school.
Most respondents — including 90% of faculty, 92% of staff, 90% of undergraduates, 86% of graduate students and 89% of medical students — said Brown was “Very Committed” or “Somewhat Committed” to diversity, equity and inclusion, while the rest said it was “Very Uncommitted” or “Somewhat Uncommitted.”
In a Today@Brown announcement, Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity Sylvia Carey-Butler said senior leaders and department chairs will receive reports based on the survey for their divisions. In an interview with The Herald, she added that departmental diversity committees will be able to address survey findings and make appropriate recommendations.
These actions, she said, will “help to improve the campus climate.”
While around one-third of all faculty and nearly two-thirds of staff responded to the survey, fewer than 20% of students responded, including 18% of graduate students, 15% of undergraduates and 14% of medical students. Carey-Butler told The Herald the student response rate was “disappointing.”
On April 24, a week before the survey’s closure, then-Interim Dean of the School of Public Health Ronald Aubert wrote that the response rate among SPH members is “far lower than I had hoped to see.”
Carey-Butler added that the declining response rates are part of a larger trend among surveys at Brown. Only 25% of the student body responded to the Enrolled Student Survey last semester, The Herald previously reported.
Neil Mehta is the editor-in-chief and president of the Brown Daily Herald's 134th editorial board. They study public health and statistics at Brown. Outside the office, you can find Neil baking and playing Tetris.
