A flier for the 2016 KU Climate Study

Of more than 37,000 University of Kansas community members invited to take an online survey for the KU Climate Study, more than 9,500 did, according to the university. That’s a participation rate of roughly 26 percent, by my calculations.

The survey was live from Sept. 13 to Oct. 14. KU announced the participant count this month, along with groups that had the highest participation rates (which, in reward, got cookie receptions, KU said). They are School of Music undergraduate students; School of Pharmacy graduate students; KU Libraries faculty; and — in a tie — professional and continuing education staff at the Edwards campus and the Office of Graduate Studies.

People on campus are eagerly awaiting the results of this confidential survey, including students I’ve heard express frustration about a lack of data on how many peers have been victims of sexual assault or how many feel “unsafe” because of their sexuality or the color of their skin. The survey asks demographic information such as gender, race and financial status, as well as whether participants find the campus welcoming, have seen racism or been the victim of unwanted sexual contact. 

Ultimately, KU says, study results will guide improvements to KU’s living, learning and working environment, which includes future diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

It will be months longer before results are publicly available.

“Data are being analyzed and reports will be drafted and shared with the entire KU community during spring 2017,” Nate Thomas, vice provost of diversity and equity, said in a statement from KU this month. “We appreciate the time people committed to completing the survey as well as all the individuals who helped spread the word and encouraged participation. Across the institution, we saw groups that really rallied together to make sure their classmates and colleagues took this momentous survey.”

• Diversity and Equity Faculty Fellow … and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Research Collaboration/Lab?: KU is hiring a Diversity and Equity Faculty Fellow from among its Lawrence campus faculty ranks, according to a call for applications from the Office of the Provost. It says the two key goals of the program are: “To develop and implement strategies that improve the advancement and success of minoritized students, faculty, and staff across KU units and departments” and “To serve as a professional development opportunity for the Faculty Fellow.”

The fellow will be expected to attend meetings of various KU groups working on diversity initiatives and to “develop and implement a project related to diversifying KU’s students, faculty, and staff,” according to the KU Office for Diversity and Equity job description. The memo says that office is interested in pursuing development of a “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Research Collaboration/Lab,” such as the one at University of Wisconsin.

KU’s Diversity and Equity Faculty Fellow will receive stipends totaling $11,500 for the 18-month term, plus $1,500 yearly for travel to diversity conferences, according to the job description. The description says time required will vary but is expected to average four hours a week this spring.

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• I’m the Journal-World’s KU and higher ed reporter. See all the newspaper’s KU coverage here. Reach me by email at sshepherd@ljworld.com, by phone at 832-7187, on Twitter @saramarieshep or via Facebook at Facebook.com/SaraShepherdNews.