Let Your Voice Be Heard with Kean’s Climate Survey

By Andrey Nalbantov | Published March 24, 2022

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Kean officially gave access to the first-ever Campus Climate Survey on Wednesday, March 2 that is available through Friday, April 8. 

The goal of the survey is to gather as much understanding as possible from the experiences of students, faculty, and staff in order to create a better and more inclusive campus environment for everyone here at Kean. 

The results of this survey will be used to assess areas that are working well, and the ones that need improvement. In that way, new policies for inclusion and new clubs for students to join will be formed on campus. All of the improvements will create a better future campus experience.

The survey, estimated to be completed within 20-30 minutes, is set to include both quantitative and qualitative questions for students, faculty, and staff to share in greater detail their experiences. The very robust data set gathered from people’s experiences will help better assess the situation around campus, and pinpoint areas where work needs to be done.

In an email sent out to everyone at Kean, President Dr. Lamont O. Repollet shared his voice on the survey and the opportunities it will create for all of us.

“We seek to create an environment characterized by fairness, equal access, mutual respect, and civil interaction where all members of the community are heard,” wrote Repollet in the email.

The survey, run by Rankin & Associates Consulting, is co-chaired by Executive Director of the DEI Office, Tamika Quick, and Director of the M.A. in Writing Studies, Dr. Mia Zamora. 

Quick believes that the survey will give the DEI office and the university insight into people’s experiences, thus creating the opportunity to assess areas of improvement in a strategic way. She finds it very important for students to know that they are a part of Kean’s community and that they can use their voices to cultivate change.

“I believe in utilizing students’ voices and experiences to create opportunities here at Kean,” Quick said.

And while one of the goals of the survey is to have as many student and faculty members as possible working together, she also has a personal goal that she wants to see become reality. 

“My goal is for the survey to reach as many people as possible,” Quick said.

Her goal can certainly become a reality thanks to the tabling efforts spread all around campus. The tabling efforts not only serve as hubs to promote and encourage others to take the Kean Climate Survey but also provide opportunities for other students who are interested in helping during the camping. According to Quick, students who want to help out should promote the survey, rather than pressuring others into taking it.

Zamora sees the upcoming Fall 2022 results as a new method of forming new policies, clubs, and organizations here on campus. She hopes that at least half of the campus community would participate in the survey. 

“We should take it because this is a community that will shape the future,” Zamora said.

Brandon Machado, a Freshman at Kean, majoring in Writing Studies M.A. agrees with Quick and Zamora about the importance of the Kean Climate Survey. Machado also is an ambassador for the Kean Climate Survey Program.

 He expects that the survey will be not only beneficial in further enhancing the climate at Kean but will also let everyone know their voices for the time ahead.

“Students should complete the survey not only to let their voices be heard but also to ensure a climate more beneficial to their experiences,” Machado said. “As well for incoming students to follow.”

Kathryn Birchfield is a first-year graduate student also majoring in the English Writing Studies Program. She is part of the ambassadors’ team for the Kean Climate Survey. Birchfield believes that students should let their voices be heard if they want Kean’s campus to create accurate and equitable policies. This is where the importance of the survey and its results will come into play.

“The results of this are going toward changing, creating, and keeping policies in place, that’s huge,” Birchfield said.

Birchfield believes that the committee overseeing the survey will do right by campus, and she expects them to follow through with it. 

“The committee that put this together is incredible,” Birchfield said. “They care about the campus and everyone who resides within it.”

Anyone who is afraid to share their experience through the survey should know that their answers will remain anonymous. Zamora explained that experiences people have gone through in their special and unique lives will help others understand them. They should know that their experiences matter.

“You should be able to sit at the table and know that your story is important,” Zamora said.

To encourage the campus community to complete the survey, a video was released by university relations announcing a raffle. In the video, President Repollet explained that those who fill up the survey will have the opportunity to apply for a raffle. The prizes will be one MacBook Pro Air, Barnes & Nobles $500 gift card, and Kean University merchandise. 

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