This story was updated at 11:20 a.m. Nov. 16 to correct a name spelling. No other information was altered. The Shield regrets any inconvenience the error caused.

The EDIC plans to release an official statement on the results of the 2020 Insight Climate Culture Survey. 

 The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council (EDIC) emailed the 2020 Insight Survey to students, faculty and staff in Feb. The EDIC used the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) to administer the survey. 

The EDIC works to “identify, understand, act upon and evaluate initiatives and opportunities to promote inclusion for representation, involvement, and empowerment of diverse communities across campus,” according to their website.

According to their website, the EDIC plans on publishing the results from the survey and beginning the next step of their process with focus groups.

John Farless, Director of Communications for the university and member of the EDIC Council, said in an email that the council is still in the process of gathering data from the survey. 

“Once that work is complete, the results will be shared with the campus community and next steps will be determined,” Farless said. 

Fall focus groups were delayed due to COVID-19.  Farless said the university is working closely with HEDS to reschedule these fall focus groups. 

“At this time, it’s premature to talk any more about how the survey results will be incorporated into any university plans,” Farless said.

Due to the results not being official yet, EDIC members declined to comment. 

Lydia Moesner, a sophomore nursing major, took the survey over the national quarantine. She said the survey took her 15 minutes and asked questions about the environment.  

Moesner feels that due to COVID-19, this would not be the best year to implement the results from the survey. She feels that the university already does a good job keeping campus environmentally friendly, and that it would take a lot in order to implement any meaningful changes. 

“I think it was a really good opportunity for students to voice their opinions that weren’t mentioned in the survey,” Moesner said. “I really appreciated that option.” 

Moesner decided to take the survey to help the university and for the incentive of $3 in Flex Money. Due to the pandemic, Moesner could not walk down to the Eagle Access Card Office to redeem her incentive. 

“They weren’t banking on a world pandemic,” Moesner said. 

Ryan Memmer, sophomore accounting and finance major, said “It was a long survey that we filled out just asking us various questions about campus culture.” 

Memmer took the survey before quarantine, but never went down to redeem his Flex money even though the Flex money played a large role in his decision to take the survey. 

“I decided to take it mainly for the FLEX money and for the university because I was afraid not many students would take the survey,” Memmer said. 

Memmer said the survey asked him questions about the culture and care the university provides and how it can be improved. 

He thought that we would not see external results because of the challenges the university is facing with the pandemic. 

“COVID threw everything for a one-eighty,” Memmer continued, “Priorities and focus have shifted a lot of things.” 

Memmer thought it was good of the university to get information from the students because they are the actual source. 

President Rochon urged students, faculty and staff to participate in the survey in a video posted on the university’s website. 

Rochon said, “In only fifteen minutes, you can drive meaningful discussions and action. Every voice matters. Your voice matters.”