Study of Student Experiences of Diversity at
Trinity
The Office of Institutional Research and Planning
(IRP) recently conducted a series of extensive student surveys
designed to accurately measure several components of diversity on
campus. While concerns about diversity on college campuses has grown
significantly over the last several years – Trinity held campus-wide
discussions to confront the issue in September – IRP used numerous
representative survey instruments to scientifically examine the actual
climate of race and class interaction at Trinity.
Specifically examined were questions regarding
how frequently white students and students of color interact,
students’ reported experiences and observations of racial harassment
on campus, and the differences in satisfaction with campus social life
between white and non-white students. Some of the surveys were
conducted in coordination with other colleges and universities,
permitting a comparison to similar schools such as Amherst, Carleton,
Oberlin, Swarthmore, Wesleyan, and Williams. Data from the survey of
all students of color at 19 schools, under the auspices of the
Consortium on High Achievement and Success (CHAS), was especially
crucial to the study. Trinity’s comparison schools for the CHAS survey
were Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut College, Hamilton and Vassar.
Some of the findings include:
- A majority of Trinity students of color report
“very often” studying, eating, and socializing with students from
different backgrounds
- Contact with students from a different ethnic
background, for both white and non-white students, is similar at
Trinity and our peer institutions, although both white and non-white
students at Trinity report fewer contacts with students from
different ethnic or religious backgrounds compared to students at
peer schools.
- Trinity students of color report participating
more in community service, intramural sports, political groups,
Greek organizations, and ethnic student organizations than do
students of color at peer institutions.
- The majority of students on all campuses had
neither experienced nor witnessed racial or class harassment. Most
Trinity students of color felt they had also not experienced racial
discrimination, although a majority had witnessed and/or experienced
racial insensitivity. The experiences and witnessing of harassment,
discrimination, and insensitivity were more common at Trinity than
at the peer schools.
- About half as many Trinity students of color
are satisfied with the campus climate compared to peer schools.
The PowerPoint version of this presentation is
now available from the IRP, and the accompanying paper will be
finished in early January 2004. Contact James Hughes for more
information, the PowerPoint presentation, and/or the subsequent paper:
james.hughes@trincoll.edu, 860-297-2376.
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