University of Iowa survey shows gaps in campus experience among minority groups

IOWA CITY — Four out of five University of Iowa undergraduates feel they belong on campus, but percentages of acceptance drop among minority students — with just a quarter of multiracial, Asian and underrepresented undergrads and 40 percent of transgender or gender-nonconforming students saying they don’t feel a sense of belonging.

The university shared those findings and others Thursday from a diversity, equity and inclusion survey focused on “perceptions of belonging on campus” and “equity in student achievement.”

The survey went out last spring to 27,533 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. About 23 percent of students responded — or 6,276 — including 19 percent of undergrads, 28 percent of graduate students and 36 percent of professional students. The overall response rate was higher than the 16 percent who responded to a spring 2021 UI survey focused on sexual misconduct on campus.

The new diversity-focused survey results show students who align with the Iowa City campus majorities — white, straight, gender-conforming and politically liberal — overwhelmingly feel respected, treated fairly by faculty, free to express their views and proud to be a Hawkeye.

But some groups — including students who identify as underrepresented racial minorities, Asian, LGBTQ, disabled or politically conservative — gave more negative feedback on belonging, respect and pride.

To the question of whether undergraduates feel respected on campus, a quarter of underrepresented minorities said no; 30 percent of transgender or non-conforming students said no; and 56 percent of conservative respondents said their political beliefs aren’t respected on campus.

Among undergrads with disabilities, 30 percent with physical impairment said they aren’t respected; 24 percent with a learning disability said the same; and 22 percent with an emotional or mental health concern said they don’t feel respected.

Graduate and professional respondents reported similar results — with 38 percent of transgender, non-conforming grad students and half of those who identify as conservative saying they don’t feel respected, according to the survey.

“We really did see strong belonging across the different student groups, as well as different identities within those two groups,” said Andre Perry, director of arts, engagement and inclusion and senior adviser to the executive officer within the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

“But we like to complement that information with another question we asked about how do we feel within our unique identities,” Perry said. “And that's when we did see less levels of agreement with some specific groups.”

A 12-person team has evaluated the survey’s data and made recommendations to UI leadership, including creating more opportunities to engage undergrads in “direct, open, and ongoing dialogue.”

“These dialogues might take several forms,” according to the report, “for example: town halls, affinity group meetings, and/or increased support of existing undergraduate groups that engender community for students.”

The diminished agreement on questions of belonging and respect among minority groups, Perry said, is “a signal to us.”

“That's something we need to look at in order to ensure that we create respect for everyone who's on this campus,” he said.

Lacking mentors

Survey results on questions related to “equity in student achievement” showed less disparity between racial, sexual orientation, gender, political and disability groups.

Most undergrads credited faculty members, specifically, for showing respect regardless of background; the vast majority of graduate and professional students said the same of their advisers.

But fewer undergrads — regardless of race, gender or orientation — said they had access to their instructors when they needed them, with about 22 percent reporting they never or only sometimes do.

And under half of undergrad respondents — 43 percent — said they worked with a faculty or staff member they thought of as a mentor, with only a third of Asian students and 39 percent of conservative students saying so.

Perry said recommendations the survey study group made to UI leadership included a deeper dive into instructor availability and mentoring issues.

To the question of whether faculty encourage expression of diverse views from undergrads, 20 percent of conservative students said they don’t think so.

“If you take a look at that conservative group of students, there was not a lot of agreement about feeling about being respected on this campus,” Perry said. “But that same group also really — the majority — said we belong here and we're proud to be here.

“So I think this is just helping us understand that there is a complexity of being in a space and feeling like you belong, but also having tension.”

Survey context

The survey — conducted from March 29 to May 28, 2021 — is part of an “ongoing and evolving process” at the UI to assess its campus’ diversity, equity and inclusion climate. A first survey of its kind went out in 2018, collecting feedback from students, faculty and staff. Another engaged just faculty, staff and postdoctoral student in 2020.

Survey questions — along with changing events and circumstances — have evolved, making comparison difficult.

In the 2018 student survey, for example, nearly 40 percent of students reported “too much emphasis put on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the university.” Breaking that down further, 53 percent of male respondents and 62 percent of conservative students said the UI put too much emphasis on those issues.

The next survey — going out shortly on March 29 — will “align our entire community of students, postdocs, faculty and staff onto the same timeline for climate assessments.”

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