Student Perceptions of Campus Climate Revealed
December 14, 2016
The University of California Undergraduate Experiences Survey (UCUES) is administered biennially to all UC undergraduate students and was most recently administered in Spring 2016.
Of the 5,750 UC Merced students invited to participate in UCUES, 2,454 completed all or part the survey — a 43 percent response rate.
UCUES data are used for many purposes within the broader context of institutional and program planning, including identifying factors that support and limit student success, providing student input about the quality of academic programs and learning more about students’ financial considerations. Below, we focus on questions related to the campus climate for diversity and inclusion.
Student Race/Ethnicity
Though the majority of UC Merced students agreed with the statement “Students of my race/ethnicity are respected on this campus,” African-American students were less likely to agree compared to Asian, Hispanic and white students (Figure 1). Note: Students who said they “somewhat agree,” “agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement were combined to obtain the percent who agreed overall.
Further, though most students agreed that top campus administrators and faculty “are genuinely committed to promoting respect for and understanding of group differences at UC Merced,” African-American students were less likely to agree compared to Asian, Hispanic and white students (Figure 2).
Student Gender
Considering student gender, the majority of students agreed with the statement “Students of my gender are respected on this campus,” and men and women had similar responses (Figure 3).
Similarly, most students agreed that top campus administrators and faculty “are genuinely committed to promoting respect for and understanding of group differences at UC Merced,” and men and women had similar responses (Figure 4).
A full report summarizing data from the 2016 UCUES survey can be found on the Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRDS) website. Note also that information about the current racial/ethnic and gender composition of our students is also available on the IRDS website.
Contact IRDS Principal Analyst Cinnamon Danube at cdanube@ucmerced.edu with questions.
