Green Mountain College
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

The biennial social and human capital survey given to students, staff, and faculty assesses campus climate around diversity and equity. The last survey was conducted in the spring of 2014 and the next will be completed in 2016. The survey asks participants to indicate the extent to which they agree with the following statements: 1) Green Mountain College demonstrates a strong commitment to incorporating diversity awareness into the curriculum. 2) Diverse perspectives are encouraged at GMC. 3) GMC’s goals of creating diverse learning and social communities are clear. 4) GMC demonstrates a commitment to social justice. In 2014, a majority of the respondents answered "somewhat agree" or "strongly agree" to that set of statements. Participants are also asked to indicate how much respect they see for the following types of diversity within the GMC community and how much GMC is inclusive of each of these types: 1) Race 2) Gender 3) Sexual Identity 4) Religious Beliefs 5) Socioeconomic Status 6) Ethnicity 7) Physical or Developmental Ability 8) Political Views In 2014, for the first question about how much diversity they see, a majority of the respondents answered "moderate inclusion" or "high inclusion" for all of the categories except for political views. A majority of the respondents answered "little inclusion" or "moderate inclusion" for political views. For the second question about the extent to which GMC is inclusive of diversity, a majority of respondents answered "little" or "moderate" for race, and "moderate" or "high" for gender. For religious, socio-economic status, and ethnicity, respondents tended toward the middle with a majority clustering around "moderate." For disabilities, the majority answered "little" or "moderate." For political views, the majority answered "very little" to "moderate." The first step in using these results to shape policy, programs, or initiatives was to have a community-wide conversation in the spring of 2014. The results were shared at the conversation through a presentation and through handouts of the data. Participants then wrote ideas about how to improve on big sheets of paper that were collected and transcribed into typed lists. These lists were then emailed to the whole campus so that staff, faculty, and students can incorporate the results into their areas. The results were also discussed on the strategic plan steering committee and used to inform the next set of priorities the committee addresses. The steering committee recognizes that diversity and equity are important goals in the strategic plan, Sustainability 2020. Finally, the results were also shared with the diversity committee, which will be asked to develop specific recommendations to address weak areas found in the data.

In addition to the questions outlined above, the social and human capital survey asks other questions that are relevant to student diversity and educational equity. The last assessment was conducted in the spring of 2014. Respondents on the survey are asked to indicate the extent to which they agree with the following statements: 1) The strategies used by GMC to create a diverse living and learning environment are effective. 2) My experiences at GMC have helped me develop an appreciation for multicultural perspectives. 3) There is a strong sense of respect for diversity across the GMC community. 4) I think that people at GMC with perspectives, religious traditions, and cultural activities different than my own are able to express themselves freely and feel included. 5) My experiences at GMC have allowed me to feel comfortable expressing my creativity. 6) I feel comfortable participating in my cultural/religious traditions at GMC. 7) I think that the diversity I bring to the College is appreciated. In 2014, the majority of respondents answered "somewhat agree" or "strongly agree" for the following statements: "there is a strong sense of respect for diversity across the GMC community"; "people at GMC with perspectives, religious traditions, and cultural activities different than my own are able to express themselves freely and feel included," and "my experiences at GMC have allowed me to feel comfortable expressing my creativity." The majority of respondents answered "neutral" or "somewhat agree" for "the strategies to create a diverse living and learning environment are effective" and "GMC helped me create an appreciation for multicultural perspectives." The majority of respondents tended toward the middle or "neutral" with the statements "I feel comfortable participating in my cultural/religious traditions at GMC" and "I think that the diversity I bring to the College is appreciated." Finally, participants are asked, in an open-ended question, if they are aware of any particular groups that struggle to be included at GMC. The n for this question was low, but nonetheless some trends emerged, indicating struggles for a small number of people across the areas of race, nationality, religion, and political philosophy. As with the campus climate assessment questions, the first step in using these results to shape policy, programs, or initiatives was to have a community-wide conversation in the spring of 2014. The results were shared at the conversation through a presentation and through handouts of the data. Participants then wrote ideas about how to improve weaknesses on big sheets of paper that were collected and transcribed into typed lists. These lists were then emailed to the whole campus so that staff, faculty, and students can incorporate the results into their areas. The results were also discussed on the strategic plan steering committee and used to inform the next set of priorities the committee addresses. The steering committee believes that diversity and equity are important goals in the strategic plan, Sustainability 2020. Finally, the results were also shared with the diversity committee, who will be asked to develop specific recommendations to address weak areas found in the data.

The social and human capital survey is also given to employees and asks participants the same set of questions as the students. See the answers above for these questions, the results, and how the results were used.

The social and human capital survey also covers governance and public engagement. Respondents are asked to indicate the extent to which they agree with the following statements: 1) GMC is committed to a collaborative conflict resolution process that includes diverse perspectives. 2) I have felt that my perspectives have been included in the decision making processes at GMC when I wanted them to be. 3) I have been actively trying to participate in the decision making processes at GMC. In 2014, a majority of respondents answered "neutral" or "somewhat agree" to all three of the statements. Respondents are also asked how much they think each of the following groups are taken into account when decisions are made at GMC? 1) Board of Trustees 2) Administration 3) Faculty 4) Staff 5) Students 6) Members of the general Poultney Community 2014 results showed that most people thought The Board was considered most highly when decisions are made, followed by the Administration, and then faculty. Staff and students both tended toward "somewhat included." The Poultney community clustered between "very minimally included" and "somewhat included." As with the other data, results for these questions were shared with the community at large during an open community conversation. A presentation on the results was given and hard copies of the frequencies for each question were handed out to those in attendance. Input from the conversation was captured on big sheets of paper and transcribed into a typed list. This list was then sent to the whole campus through email and was used to help set priorities by the strategic plan steering committee.