Introduction
What is this project about?
This project seeks to provide a snapshot of the campus climate for members of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) community at Agnes Scott College. In addition to finding out the general climate on campus for LGBT people, this project aims to find out whether or not LGBTQ people of color have a sense of community and support on campus. I am paying specific attention to LGBTQ people of color [people of color = black, Latino/Latina people, Asian people, and American Indian people… (folks who are not “white”)] in an attempt to validate their unique experiences that result from being different from most people on campus due to being both LGBTQ and of color. Since Agnes Scott is a traditionally all-women’s college where most of the students and faculty/staff are white and heterosexual (“straight”), it will be interesting to see how students of color and faculty/staff view issues of race and ethnicity, sexual identity (aka “sexual orientation”; whether or not someone is gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, etc.), and gender identity (whether someone identifies themself as woman, man, transgender, or not labeling themself with any gender).
How did you get your information?
To take the “snapshot” of the current climate for LGBTQ people on campus, I made two online surveys (one for students of color, and one for faculty/staff of all races) and personally e-mailed them out to current students of color, faculty, and staff that I know, asking if they could fill out the survey. The main goal of the surveys was to gather students of color and faculty/staff views of LGBTQ issues on campus. I made sure to let everyone know that the survey was completely anonymous (that is, I don’t know who filled out the survey), that I wouldn’t think that someone was lesbian, gay, and/or transgender just because they took the survey, and that it would only be used for this class project. Also, I asked the students of color who received the survey to pass the survey on to their friends of color on campus by e-mail, and I asked faculty and staff to pass the survey on to their coworkers on campus. Since I don’t personally know every student of color on campus or every faculty/staff member on campus, I also asked some student groups and college departments to send out the surveys to their members. Eventually, one of the offices sent the survey out to all students and all faculty/staff members on campus, so everyone on campus got the survey!
I just scrolled down, and this blog post is super-long. Do I have to read the whole thing?
No; you don’t have to read the whole thing and/or read it in any particular order. You can read only the answers to questions that interest you the most. (Also, much of the data is on graphs to make it less wordy.)
Here’s the outline of this blog post:
Introduction
-What is this project about?
-How did you get your information?
-I just scrolled down, and this blog post is super-long. Do I have to read the whole thing?
Survey information
-What questions did you have in the surveys?
-----Students of Color Survey Questions
-----Faculty/Staff Survey Questions
-Why did you choose those questions?
-I’m confused; why did you only survey students of color? Did any white students complete the survey?
-Well, why did you let white faculty and staff take the faculty/staff survey? Why not focus only on the perspectives of faculty/staff of color so it’s the same as the student survey?
Students of Color Survey Findings
-What can you tell me about the students of color who took your survey?
- How comfortable do students of color feel on campus?
- Do students of color believe that LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff are treated fairly on campus?
- Are students of color engaging with the LGBTQ community?
- How do students of color view the LGBTQ people of color community?
- What do students of color think should be done to help LGBTQ people of color feel included on campus?
Faculty/Staff Survey Findings
- What can you tell me about the faculty and staff members who took your survey?
- How comfortable do faculty and staff members feel on campus?
- Do faculty and staff members believe that LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff are treated fairly on campus?
- Are faculty and staff members engaging with the LGBTQ community?
- How do faculty and staff members view the LGBTQ people of color community?
- What do faculty and staff members think should be done to help LGBTQ people of color feel included on campus?
Conclusion
-Were there any common views that you noticed in both the students of color survey and the faculty/staff survey?
Survey information
What questions did you have in the surveys?
The students of color survey and the faculty/staff survey both had ten (10) questions. Some of the questions overlap, but some of them are different, as shown in the survey questions below:
Students of Color Survey
Please answer the following demographic questions:
1. What is your current year?
First-year
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Prefer not to answer
2. What is your race/ethnicity? PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY
Asian
American Indian
Black
Latina/Latino
White
Other (please specify)
Prefer not to answer
3. What is your sexual identity? PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY
Heterosexual
Bisexual
Lesbian
Gay
Queer
Questioning
Other (please specify)
Prefer not to answer
4. What is your gender identity? PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY
Woman
Man
Transgender
Genderqueer
Prefer not to answer
Please answer the following question about how welcome and/or unwelcome you feel on campus:
5. Please rate how welcome and/or comfortable you feel on campus based on your race/ethnicity, sexual identity, and/or gender identity.
1. Not comfortable at all
2. A little comfortable
3. Comfortable
4. Very comfortable
5. Extremely comfortable
6. N/A and/or prefer not to answer
Please answer the following questions about how you perceive LGBTQ issues on campus:
6. Do you feel that LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff are treated fairly on campus?
Yes
Somewhat
No
~If you want to elaborate, then please explain your response below.
7. Have you attended an on-campus event that focuses on the LGBTQ community? Are you a member of an LGBTQ organization on campus?
Have attended an on-campus event that focuses on the LGBTQ community
Am a member of an on-campus LGBTQ organization
Yes
No
8. Do you feel that there is a sense of community among LGBTQ faculty/ staff/ students of color on-campus?
Sense of community among LGBTQ students?
Sense of community among LGBTQ staff?
Sense of community among LGBTQ faculty?
Yes
Somewhat
No
~If you want to elaborate, then please explain your response below.
9. Do you think that LGBTQ people of color face different challenges than LGBTQ people who are white?
Yes
Maybe
No
~ If you want to elaborate, then please explain your response below.
10. What else could be done on campus to help LGBTQ people of color feel included? Is there anything else you would like to share?
Faculty/Staff Survey
Please answer the following demographic questions:
1. Are you a faculty member or a staff member?
Faculty
Staff
Prefer not to answer
2. How long have you been at Agnes Scott?
0 - 5 years
5 – 10 years
10 – 15 years
15 - 20 years
20 – 25 years
25+ years
Prefer not to answer
3. What is your race/ethnicity? PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY
Asian
American Indian
Black
Latina/Latino
White
Other (please specify)
Prefer not to answer
4. What is your sexual identity? PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY
Heterosexual
Bisexual
Lesbian
Gay
Queer
Questioning
Other (please specify)
Prefer not to answer
5. What is your gender identity? PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY
Woman
Man
Transgender
Genderqueer
Prefer not to answer
Please answer the following question about how welcome and/or unwelcome you feel on campus:
6. Please rate how welcome and/or comfortable you feel on campus based on your race/ethnicity, sexual identity, and/or gender identity.
1. Not comfortable at all
2. A little comfortable
3. Comfortable
4. Very comfortable
5. Extremely comfortable
6. Prefer not to answer
Please answer the following question about your engagement with the LGBTQ community on-campus:
7. Have you attended an on-campus event that focuses on the LGBTQ community? Are you a member of an on-campus organization or committee on campus that addresses LGBTQ issues? Have you attended Safe Zone trainings?
Have attended an on-campus event that focuses on the LGBTQ community
Am a member of an on-campus LGBTQ organization
Have attended a Safe Zone Training
Have attended a Safe Zone Train-the-Trainer facilitation session
Yes
No
Prefer not to answer
Please answer the following question about how you perceive LGBTQ issues on campus:
8. Have you noticed a change over the years in how LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff are treated on campus?
Students
Faculty
Staff
Noticed positive changes in treatment
Noticed no changes in treatment
Noticed negative changes in treatment
~If you want to elaborate, then please explain your response below.
Please answer the following questions about your perceptions of the LGBTQ community of color (including students, faculty, and staff) on campus:
9. Do you feel that there is a sense of community among LGBTQ faculty/ staff/ students of color on-campus?
Sense of community among LGBTQ students?
Sense of community among LGBTQ staff?
Sense of community among LGBTQ faculty?
Yes
Somewhat
No
~If you want to elaborate, then please explain your response below.
10. Do you think that LGBTQ people of color face different challenges than LGBTQ people who are white? What else could be done on campus to help LGBTQ people of color feel included? Is there anything else you would like to share?
Yes
Maybe
No
~ If you want to elaborate, then please explain your response below:
Why did you choose those questions?
I included basic demographic (that is, “who are you?”/ “tell me about yourself”) questions at the beginning of both surveys. I felt that this would be important so that I would have an idea of 1) who was taking the survey and 2) so I could get an idea of how many people of color, (white) LGBTQ people, and LGBTQ people of color were taking the survey. Also, I asked both students of color and faculty/staff a question that allowed them to say how comfortable they feel on-campus due to different parts of their identity (race/ethnicity, sexual identity, and gender identity). The questions at the end of both surveys focus specifically on how students of color, faculty, and staff view the challenges facing LGBTQ people of color on campus and the support/community system for LGBTQ people of color on campus.
Also, I asked both students of color and faculty/staff about the treatment of LGBTQ people on campus. However, I asked the faculty/staff the question in a way that allowed them to give their view of how treatment of LGBTQ people has changed over time, which I thought was important since faculty/staff tend to be at a college for a much longer time span than students (who are usually only at a campus for around four years). Similarly, I asked both students of color and faculty/staff about their attendance at LGBTQ-focused events/programs to try to measure how much campus community members were choosing to engage in LGBTQ issues in their free time. However, I also asked faculty/staff to share if they had attended a Safe Zone training session (this is a program that provides basic information/resources related to the LGBTQ community) on campus, and if they had chosen to become trained as a Safe Zone program teacher to see how engaged they were in LGBTQ issues.
Many of the questions in the later half of the survey allowed the person taking the survey to type out a response if they wanted to say more. Also, many of the responses allowed the survey takers to choose not to answer a question if they did not want to answer it. I felt that it was important to allow people to share as much or as little as they felt like sharing so that people would not feel either forced or constrained by the survey format.
I’m confused; why did you only survey students of color? Did any white students complete the survey?
I chose to only target students of color because I feel that their voices tend to be overlooked generally in society, and even more when it comes to LGBTQ issues. Also, while this class focuses broadly on queer theory, it also aims to incorporate the perspectives of people of color (who are often left out of queer theory and LGBTQ discussions). It is important to point out that my survey that was sent to students clearly stated that the project was about “Perceptions of LGBTQ Issues on Campus by Students of Color,” and that the purpose of this survey was to “gauge how students of color perceive LGBTQ issues on campus.”
A significant number of white students (approximately 50) took my survey. However, I decided to stay dedicated to my original vision of focusing on the perspectives of students of color, and I chose to only include the responses of students of color in the final project.
I also feel that it is important to point out that I monitored the survey closely for the six days that it was open, and noticed some interesting, yet troubling things. When the survey was first opened for student participation, it was almost exclusively students of color taking the survey. However, as word-of-mouth and e-mail forwarding spread word of the survey, large numbers of white students began taking the survey. While this increased participation was valuable and exciting, soon white students’ participation began to take over the survey, which drastically changed the survey results, and covered up the perspectives of the students of color (who, I will repeat, are the focus of this survey). More troubling, however, was the racism that was explicitly present in some of the white students’ write-in responses. Since the original scope and goal of this project was to seek out and concentrate on the perspectives of students of color, it became clear that removing the white responses would be the best way to complete this project as I had originally intended it.
Well, why did you let white faculty and staff take the faculty/staff survey? Why not focus only on the perspectives of faculty/staff of color?
Since the actions of faculty and staff control so much of the campus (classroom environment, student affairs, etc.), I felt it was necessary to try to get as many faculty/staff as possible to take the survey, and, obviously, that includes white faculty/staff. Also, from a very practical view, the overwhelming majority of the faculty is white. If I had only targeted faculty of color for the faculty/staff survey, there would have been probably less than ten possible responses. While I’m not as able to guess at the number of staff that are both people of color and would have received the survey through the e-mail forwarding system that I talked about earlier, I would guess that that number is small, too. Bottom line: It wasn’t my original goal to do a faculty/staff of color-only survey; also, there aren’t enough faculty/staff of color at Agnes Scott to have made doing that a practical idea.
Students of Color Survey Findings
What can you tell me about the students of color who took your survey?
84 students of color started the survey, and 73 of them completed it. Most of the students who took the survey were either seniors (27), sophomores (20), or first-years (23). The majority of the students racially/ethnically identified themselves as black (57); the rest of the students identified as Asian (16), multiracial (8), Latina/Latino (6), American Indian, (3), and/or Haitian (1).
When answering how they identified their sexual identity, most of the students said that they were heterosexual (65); the rest of the students identified themselves as bisexual (6), lesbian (6), queer (5), questioning (4), and/or other (3). Two of the students who indentified as “other” wrote in pansexual.
For gender identity, the vast majority of the students identified themselves as women (79); however, one student identified as a man, another student identified as genderqueer, and a third student marked “other” and stated a refusal to identify as any gender.
How comfortable do students of color feel on campus?
When answering how they identified their sexual identity, most of the students said that they were heterosexual (65); the rest of the students identified themselves as bisexual (6), lesbian (6), queer (5), questioning (4), and/or other (3). Two of the students who indentified as “other” wrote in pansexual.
For gender identity, the vast majority of the students identified themselves as women (79); however, one student identified as a man, another student identified as genderqueer, and a third student marked “other” and stated a refusal to identify as any gender.
How comfortable do students of color feel on campus?
Most students of color said that when considering their race/ethnicity they feel either “comfortable” (25), “very comfortable” (17), or “extremely comfortable” (27). However, 12 students indicated that they feel “a little comfortable” and 1 student selected “not comfortable at all.” This means that although 69 students feel comfortable and/or more than comfortable at Agnes Scott, there are still 38 students who feel comfortable and/or less than comfortable at Agnes Scott due to their race/ethnicity.
In terms of sexual identity, many students responded that they feel either “extremely comfortable” (36) or “very comfortable” (21). 17 students said that they feel “comfortable.” However, 6 students said that they feel “a little comfortable” and 2 students said that they feel “not comfortable at all.”
There was a lot lower “comfort” rating to the question of gender identity than I was expecting, (especially considering that Agnes Scott is historically a women’s college and that the school calls itself “The World for Women.”) While 96% of respondents identified as “women” in the earlier question, only 57% stated that they feel “extremely comfortable” (46 students) in their gender identity at the school, (although another 21 students did say that they feel “very comfortable” at Agnes.) Also, 1 student feels “not comfortable at all,” 3 students only feel “a little comfortable,” and 9 students feel “comfortable.”
Do students of color believe that LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff are treated fairly on campus?
In terms of sexual identity, many students responded that they feel either “extremely comfortable” (36) or “very comfortable” (21). 17 students said that they feel “comfortable.” However, 6 students said that they feel “a little comfortable” and 2 students said that they feel “not comfortable at all.”
There was a lot lower “comfort” rating to the question of gender identity than I was expecting, (especially considering that Agnes Scott is historically a women’s college and that the school calls itself “The World for Women.”) While 96% of respondents identified as “women” in the earlier question, only 57% stated that they feel “extremely comfortable” (46 students) in their gender identity at the school, (although another 21 students did say that they feel “very comfortable” at Agnes.) Also, 1 student feels “not comfortable at all,” 3 students only feel “a little comfortable,” and 9 students feel “comfortable.”
Do students of color believe that LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff are treated fairly on campus?
Also, many students commented that LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff, for the most part, seem to be receiving support from the college administration (through speakers, programs, Safe Zone initiatives, transgender initiatives) and the greater campus community (which is described as “accepting” and “open” in some write-in answers).
Are students of color engaging with the LGBTQ community?
A slight majority of students of color (57%) have attended a program or event that focuses on the LGBTQ community. Also, although 23 students of color identified themselves as LGBTQ in the earlier question, only 14 students indicated that they were members of an LGBTQ organization on campus. (However, it should be noted that 10 people skipped this question, which could explain the gap.)
How do students of color view the LGBTQ people of color community?
How do students of color view the LGBTQ people of color community?
Most students of color who wrote-in answers said it was hard to know if there was community among the LGBTQ faculty and staff of color. Additionally, some students expressed that while there was an active community among the LGBTQ students of color, it seemed as though the sense of unity was exclusive, clique-ish, and less welcoming to others.
77% of students stated that LGBTQ people of color face different challenges than LGBTQ people who are white. The overwhelming majority of the write-in responses expressed that this was due to issues surrounding LGBTQ acceptance/rejection in communities of color, culture, intersectionality, religion, white privilege, and racism.
What do students of color think should be done to help LGBTQ people of color feel included on campus?
77% of students stated that LGBTQ people of color face different challenges than LGBTQ people who are white. The overwhelming majority of the write-in responses expressed that this was due to issues surrounding LGBTQ acceptance/rejection in communities of color, culture, intersectionality, religion, white privilege, and racism.
What do students of color think should be done to help LGBTQ people of color feel included on campus?
Several students suggested in the write-in answers that the campus needs to hold more programs discussing the unique challenges of LGBTQ people of color, including incorporating discussion about those unique challenges in the Safe Zone training. Also, multiple students positively mentioned the work that the Office of Intercultural Affairs and the student organization Affinity (a group for LGBTQ people of color) have done in raising awareness and supporting LGBTQ people of color. Some students mentioned the need for LGBTQ people of color to work with the predominantly-white LGBTQ group on campus (Collective) and other ethnicity/race-focused groups on campus in order to build solidarity. Also, students mentioned the need to combat slurs and insensitivity on campus, and work with offices like the Admissions Office who may be reluctant to acknowledge the existence of the LGBTQ community on campus.
Faculty/Staff Survey Findings
What can you tell me about the faculty and staff members who took your survey?
Faculty/Staff Survey Findings
What can you tell me about the faculty and staff members who took your survey?
74 faculty and staff members started the survey, and 67 finished it. 29 people identified themselves as faculty members, and 43 people identified themselves as staff members. Most of those surveyed said that they have been at Agnes Scott for either 0-5 years (33), 5-10 years (19), or 10-15 years (12); however, eight other faculty and staff members said that they have been at Agnes for a longer period of time. The vast majority of faculty and staff members surveyed were white (57), with 13 other people who identified as either black (10), Latina/Latino (2), or Asian (1). Most of the faculty/staff members identified as heterosexual (59); however, 17 people identified as bisexual (3), lesbian (4), gay (6), or queer (4). In identifying their gender identity, 61 people identified as women, 12 people identified as men, 1 person identified as transgender, and 1 person identified as genderqueer.
How comfortable do faculty and staff members feel on campus?
How comfortable do faculty and staff members feel on campus?
When compared to the students, the faculty and staff members seem to be more comfortable; however, there are still people in the faculty/staff survey who have indicated that they are “not comfortable at all” and/or “a little comfortable” when it comes to their race/ethnicity, gender identity, and/or sexual identity.
Are faculty and staff members engaging with the LGBTQ community?
Are faculty and staff members engaging with the LGBTQ community?
It is concerning that the percentage of faculty and staff who have been Safe Zone trained is only 50%, especially since faculty and staff work with many students each day.
Do faculty and staff members believe that the treatment of LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff has changed over the years?
While it is great that things seem to have not gotten worse for LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff, it is interesting that the majority of faculty/staff have not noticed any changes in the treatment of LGBTQ faculty and staff over the years. Also, a slight majority seems to believe that treatment of LGBTQ students has improved over the years. Many of the write-in responses mention the belief that the Safe Zone program has led to a positive difference in campus climate around LGBTQ issues (namely, raised awareness and acceptance); however, other comments seem to suggest that the positive differences seem to only affect individuals and not the whole LGBTQ group. Also, multiple responses mention discrimination against LGBTQ staff, specifically the problem of being overlooked for promotions and other opportunities to aid professional advancement. Survey takers also mentioned institutional problems like inadequate healthcare plans for transgender people. Many responses mentioned not noticing anyone on campus being verbally and/or physically harassed for being LGBTQ and/or holding hands with a same-sex partner.
How do faculty and staff members view the LGBTQ people of color community?
How do faculty and staff members view the LGBTQ people of color community?
Also, a majority of faculty members (67%) acknowledged that LGBTQ people of color face different challenges than white LGBTQ people. Many of the write-in responses mentioned intersectionality. Other responses expressed a belief that there were differences for LGBTQ people of color, and expressed a desire for Safe Zone and campus events to incorporate that discussion so that more learning/awareness about those differences in experience can take place.
What do faculty and staff members think should be done to help LGBTQ people of color feel included on campus?
Many responses expressed an appreciation for the work that groups like Affinity and the Office of Intercultural Affairs have done in raising awareness of the experiences of LGBTQ people of color. Multiple answers stated that Safe Zone and other faculty workshops need to incorporate more information about the differences in experiences of LGBTQ people of color. The need for cross-curriculum integration of cross-cultural LGBTQ issues, more funding for student organizations, consistent offerings of queer theory courses, and a focus on intersectionality and personal stories was also suggested.
Conclusion
Were there any common perceptions that you noticed in both the students of color survey and the faculty/staff survey?
Yes; while there were some offensive, insensitive comments in the write-in responses of both the students of color survey and the faculty/staff survey, that kind of sentiment was few and far between. The vast majority of students of color and faculty/staff surveyed seemed tolerant, if not outright accepting and supportive, of the LGBTQ community on campus. Also, there seemed to be a sense of pride in the fact that Agnes Scott College has been taking steps to create a safe space on campus for LGBTQ students. However, in both surveys it was acknowledged that the campus needs to do a better job of supporting LGBTQ faculty and (especially) staff, and LGBTQ students of color through both increasing educational/intercultural programming and making institutional changes to back up the college’s rhetoric about LGBTQ acceptance.
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