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EDI Climate Survey

The Faculty of Science Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) council ran EDI surveys in partnership with each faculty department and school (unit). These measured the current levels of equity, diversity, and inclusion within each unit. All surveys are now closed.

This will help us to ensure that each Faculty of Science unit is a welcoming, safe, and inclusive place to learn and work. The survey reports will guide how we address concerns and plan supports for those who are under-represented within each unit. We want to understand the scope of our diversity and experiences of those within and across each unit to help us plan and implement change. We're working towards an increasingly supportive and inclusive environment for all our members.

If you are faculty, staff, a researcher, an adjunct professor, a graduate or undergraduate student, or just taking your first course – we want to hear from you!

For more information, please check the FAQ below.  

Surveys by Unit

Unit Survey Link Dates
BCMB Survey over Oct. 24 to Nov. 6, 2022
SEOS Survey over Jan. 16 to Jan. 30, 2023
Physics Survey over Jan. 23 to Feb. 6, 2023
Math & Stats Survey over Jan. 30 to Feb. 13, 2023
Biology Survey over Feb. 27 to Mar. 13, 2023
Chemistry Survey over Feb. 27 to Mar. 13, 2023

Note: if you are a member of (or taking courses in) multiple units, please complete the survey for every unit.

Contact

Questions about the survey may be directed to the Dean's office:
Lily Stanton, Science Administrative Assistant


FAQ

What are the Faculty of Science EDI Climate surveys?

Each Faculty of Science EDI Climate survey is a tool to measure the level of inclusion and diversity within each unit at all levels – from undergraduate students to professors to staff.

Who is conducting the survey?

The UVic Faculty of Science EDI Council – through the Office of the Associate Dean Research – is conducting the survey for each unit. The UVic Privacy Office has approved the survey with respect to privacy concerns.

How are you going to protect my privacy?

Protecting your privacy is of utmost importance. The survey has been approved by the UVic Privacy Office. All data collected via Survey Monkey will be analyzed but only reported as aggregated data. To preserve anonymity, when a group includes less than 5 responses/individuals, we will either not report the results or include them within a larger group.

Any "other, specify" or "additional comment" fields (free text) will be manually checked and anything potentially identifying will either be removed or anonymized before anything is reported.

Raw survey responses will only be viewed within the Dean's office for the purposes of anonymizing and aggregating data. No raw survey responses will be available to any member of that unit's survey, including staff and administrators.

What is the goal – why bother collecting this information?

The survey report will not only inform each unit of current EDI levels – it will guide how each unit addresses concerns and plans supports for those who are under-represented within each unit.

The demographics and experiences captured here will help direct us – highlighting areas where we need to address concerns. But the survey report will also provide a baseline, so future surveys can illuminate the impact of policy changes and supportive programs.

We're working towards fostering an increasingly supportive and inclusive environment for all our members.

Who's invited to participate in the survey?

We want to hear from all unit members: faculty, staff, research associates, post-doctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students, and adjunct professors. Each survey is intended for all members – not only those who may identify as diverse. This should provide a current snapshot of who makes up each unit population and what some of their experiences have been.

As a researcher, student, or staff member, am I required to complete the survey?

The survey is completely voluntary. But the more people we hear from, the more complete our snapshot will be. This will better inform us to ensure the Faculty of Science is as welcoming, supportive, and inclusive as possible. Please spread the word and remind your peers that they can complete the survey!

Haven't you already collected demographics?

While some demographic information has been collected the data is limited and incomplete and doesn't include additional details, nuance, or experiences. This survey goes beyond demographics, including member experiences.

How long will the online survey take to complete?

The survey can take from 10 to 20 minutes to finish.

What kinds of questions will I be asked?

Simply put, the survey is about you and each unit you are in. The first section of the survey includes a series of questions about how you identify yourself – ethnicity, gender, orientation, ancestry, and so on. The second section is about your impressions of and experiences within your unit.

By collecting this kind of data, we hope to obtain a picture of how diverse each unit is, but also how included, respected, and supported people within various groups feel.

Why should I participate?

Participating in the survey will ensure that your identity and experiences are included in the data. Your information will help us understand the scope of our diversity and the experiences of those within each unit.

The resulting report will guide how we address concerns and plan supports for those who are under-represented within each unit.

The more inclusive and accepting any community or group becomes, the more comfortable, positive, and productive the group can operate as a whole.

What if I am a member of, or am taking courses in, more than one department?

Because some EDI climate and experiences can vary between units (department/school), we request that you complete a separate survey for every unit relevant to you.

For example, if you are taking courses in math and biology, please complete both the math survey and biology survey. Similarly, if you are a researcher or staff in physics and SEOS, please complete both the physics survey and SEOS survey.

Please report specific EDI experiences in the survey for the unit in which they occurred.

Why are you asking such personal questions?

UVic, the Faculty of Science, and unit members are of many different ancestries, abilities, sexual orientations, and genders. In our society, people experience both conscious and unconscious discrimination based on these and other grounds.

This is why we are making sure to keep the survey results private and only presenting aggregated, anonymized results.

By understanding the scope of our diversity and the experiences of those within each unit, we will be more able to ensure an environment that is inclusive for all.

If you prefer to not answer any question – for any reason – you can select "prefer not to disclose".

When can I complete the survey?

Please see the range of dates for each unit above (on this page).

I have more questions. Who should I contact?

Questions about the survey may be directed to the Dean's office:
Lily Stanton, Science Administrative