Active Members of the Campus Community Encouraged to Participate in Campus Climate Survey

Caltech invites all active members of the community to complete the Campus Climate Survey. which aims to help the Institute more fully understand the experiences of individuals who work and study on campus. The survey is part of broader efforts to support inclusion and equity at Caltech. "Understanding the nature of your experience at Caltech is an essential element in the Institute's efforts to foster a more inclusive, equitable, and accessible community," Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum wrote in a letter introducing the project.

The survey launches today and will remain open until May 28. Caltech encourages all students, faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and affiliates working at the Caltech Y, the USGS Pasadena field office on Wilson Avenue, the Caltech Employees Federal Credit Union, and the Caltech Childcare Center and Child Education Center to participate. The climate survey should take 20 to 30 minutes to complete and includes questions on demographics, feelings of comfort and discomfort on campus, and whether individuals feel supported in their work and studies, among other topics.

"The campus climate survey will provide us with a baseline understanding of how our community experiences Caltech," says Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux, assistant vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion, and assessment. "Because the data will inform action, we are aiming for 100 percent participation within the community. We want to make sure that everyone's perspectives are heard."

To ensure transparency in the process and to provide external expertise, the President's Diversity Council, chaired by Professor Bil Clemons, engaged the help of Rankin & Associates Consulting, LLC. A Climate Survey Working Group chaired by Vice Provost Cindy Weinstein, Eli and Edythe Broad Professor of English and Chief Diversity Officer; Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux (MS '03), Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Assessment; and Taso Dimitriadis, Director of the Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity (acting) has spent the past few months working with Rankin & Associates to develop the survey.

"The climate survey is critical for us to ensure that everyone at Caltech can be successful as their full selves," Clemons says. "I'm very excited to have clear metrics for improvement across the campus."

To protect the anonymity of respondents, no protected data (for example, Social Security numbers or medical information) will be collected. In addition, data will be reported only in aggregate or summary form. Any comments submitted in response to the survey will be separated at the time of submission so they cannot be attributed to any individual.

When the survey is complete, Rankin & Associates will provide a final report that summarizes and analyzes the data. After review by the Climate Survey Working Group, survey results will be shared with the campus community and will be used to guide and inform future diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives at Caltech, and to establish baselines for progress.

"This is part of our continuing work to build a campus environment in which the contributions of all individuals are valued and the potential of every member who joins our community is realized," Rosenbaum said.

For more information, and to complete the survey, visit inclusive.caltech.edu/survey