Frequently Asked Questions

Every undergraduate, graduate and professional student who was enrolled, and staff/faculty member who was employed and resided within the United States at the time of the survey was eligible to participate. All respondents were required to be at least 18 years old to complete the questionnaire. To adhere to international privacy laws in China, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, we are limited survey participation to students, faculty, and staff who were physically located in the US at the time of the survey.

UIHealth employees were not eligible to participate in the survey.

Of the 42974 individuals who were invited and not excluded as ineligible, 7340 responses were collected, yielding an overall response rate of 17.1%.

Campus climate reflects “community members’ attitudes, perceptions, behaviors, and expectations around issues of race, ethnicity, and diversity.” [1] Though initially focused on understanding perceptions and experiences of minoritized students (women in STEM, students of color generally, and Black students in particular),[2] increasingly research on campus climate encompasses a multi-dimensional environmental perspective involving multiple groups (faculty, students, administrators, and staff) and aspects of difference, such as race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, ability status, and more.

[1] Hurtado, S., Griffin, K. A., Arellano, L., & Cuellar, M. (2008). Assessing the value of climate assessments: Progress and future directions. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1(4), 204–221.

[2] Griffin, K. (2018). Addressing STEM Culture and Climate to Increase Diversity in STEM Disciplines. Higher Education Today.

Every undergraduate, graduate and professional student who was enrolled, and staff/faculty member who was employed and resided within the United States at the time of the survey was eligible to participate. All respondents were required to be at least 18 years old to complete the questionnaire. To adhere to international privacy laws in China, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, we are limited survey participation to students, faculty, and staff who were physically located in the US at the time of the survey.

UI Health employees were not eligible to participate in the survey.

No. Participation in this survey was not required, but was highly encouraged. Greater participation provides the university with a more comprehensive understanding of community members’ perceptions and experiences at UIC.

Yes. All eligible participants in the student, staff, and faculty surveys were included in a random drawing to win one of fifty $50 Amazon e-gift cards (thirty $50 Amazon e-gift cards for students, ten $50 Amazon e-gift cards for staff, and ten $50 Amazon e-gift cards for faculty).

The survey was administered by SoundRocket, a Michigan-based social science research firm. UIC hired SoundRocket to allow for confidentiality and to align with similar surveys at other University of Illinois System schools.

The UIC All Campus Climate Survey was launched on October 10, 2024 and closed on December 8, 2024. 

The campus climate survey data will be used to understand and address the critical campus issues identified by our students, faculty, and staff. Once the data are analyzed by the external survey vendor, the results will be disseminated to the campus. Colleges and other campus units will also be able to use the campus climate data to refine their own goals and initiatives.

UIC employed SoundRocket, a survey research firm, to assist with administration of the survey. The other U of I system campuses used the same vendor and survey template. A team comprised of staff from the Office of Institutional Research and the Office for Equity & Diversity made modifications to the survey template based on feedback from students, faculty and staff from across the campus.

SoundRocket develops and delivers innovative, science-guided survey methodologies and services to the global community of social science researchers and those who rely upon such research. More about SoundRocket.

Yes. Individual responses were strictly confidential and were not included as part of any academic, medical, employment or disciplinary record. No individually identifiable information will be reported. This survey was completely voluntary. Individuals who chose to participate could skip any question and exit the survey at any time.

To ensure confidentiality of data, this survey is being conducted by SoundRocket, a survey research firm located in Ann Arbor, MI. SoundRocket is not affiliated with the University of Illinois Chicago.

Individual responses were not linked to the data that UIC received from SoundRocket. SoundRocket broke the link with any identifiable data to protect confidentiality prior to providing any data to UIC. SoundRocket used a unique identifier to identify participants during the course of the study—to ensure that only those eligible participate. Once the study was completed, that link will be broken.

To protect your privacy, no one at UIC will know who completed the Fall 2024 survey. However, SoundRocket and UIC were very sensitive to the possibility that aggregated reports of survey data could unintentionally identify university community members who belong to unique or small demographic groups in their college or unit.

To overcome this challenge, in all reports generated from campus climate assessment, only groups only where 15 or more people are represented in a demographic group are reported. However, the data for this demographic will be reflected in the all campus report for the entire university. This approach allows us to balance understanding the unique perspective of small demographic groups, while also safeguarding confidentiality and privacy.

This survey was reviewed by the IRB and received an exemption. A copy of the exemption letter is available here.

Personalized links were shared with all eligible participants. The survey could be completed on a computer or mobile device.

Participants could skip questions or exit the survey at any time.  

If you would like to speak to someone at UIC about this study, please contact the Office of Equity & Diversity at diversity@uic.edu.