A Survey of Spring 1995 Undergraduate Students at Texas A&M University: Quality of Learning Environment


Prepared by Sylvia G. Roch and Mark E. Troy


Measurement and Research Services Research Report 103


Table of Contents









EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Relationships with instructors:
58% of students report that rarely or never do instructors set unreasonable standards.
92% report that their instructors treat them fairly.
58% report that it is not hard to get help from faculty outside of class.
86% say that their instructors give them the same credit they give others doing the same work.

Academics
25% of students report rarely or never falling behind in class.
68% report that help with their studies is often or always available.
90% report that they can hold their own academically with other students.

Support
53% report that their instructors encourage them to succeed.
97% of students report that their family and friends encourage them to succeed.

Advising
52% of students see an academic advisor before making decisions about their program of study. Females are significantly more likely than males to see an advisor, and African Americans are significantly less likely than any other ethnic group to see an advisor. Considerable variation was observed across colleges.
81% of students think they have sufficient information to decide what courses to take.
78% think they have sufficient information to select a major or program of study.
69% think they have sufficient information to decide what they want to accomplish with their lives.

Administration
76% of students report rarely or never suffering problems from an administrative error or delay.

Campus Climate
Overall, 64% of students reported rarely or never hearing disparaging remarks about their political or social views. However, the percentage of African Americans (39%) was significantly lower than the other groups.
Overall, 58% report that the students they have met have values similar to their own. There is considerable variation among ethnic groups on this item.
84% report that they rarely or never feel pressure from peers to avoid appearing intellectual.
68% of students report never or rarely hearing disparaging remarks about womenÕs behavior or career interests. Women were significantly more likely than men to hear such remarks.
42% of students report never or rarely hearing disparaging remarks on campus about ethnic minorities. Put another way, well over half (58%) of students report that it is not rare to hear such remarks. Only 9% of African Americans rarely or never hear disparaging remarks.
58% of students have never or rarely heard comments on campus belittling their gender. There were significant differences between men and women on this item. There were also significant differences among ethnic groups.
73% of students have never or rarely heard comments on campus belittling their ethnic heritage. There were significant differences between ethnic groups on this item.
51% of students report that they are always or often comfortable expressing their own views on campus, even though they may be controversial.
48% of students report always or often feeling comfortable on campus challenging points of view they disagree with.

Personal Problems
22% of students report almost never or rarely experiencing personal problems in college. With regard to gender, females are more likely to report experiencing personal problems; with regard to ethnicity, African Americans are more likely to report personal problems.
Only 38% of students who experience personal problems report that their problems rarely or never interfere academically. Put another way, 62% say their personal problems sometimes, often or always interfere academically. Personal problems have the greatest impacts on the academic performances of women and African Americans.
20% of students experiencing personal problems often or always discuss them with a counselor.
48% of students who discussed their problems with a counselor report that the advice was always or often helpful to them.








INTRODUCTION

The Office of Measurement and Research Services (MARS) has instituted a system of surveys of Texas A&M University students as part of the University's commitment to outcomes assessment. This is the seventh annual survey. The surveys provide faculty and administrators with information about students' behaviors, attitudes and perceptions of their learning environment.








PURPOSE

This survey was designed to aid Texas A&M University administrators and faculty members in understanding the needs and concerns of Texas A&M University undergraduate students. The information obtained from this survey should help Texas A&M University to develop programs and services responsive to those needs. It also gives students the opportunity to express their opinions about some important aspects of their college environment: instruction, academic support, goals, counseling, and administrative affairs.








INTERVIEW PROCEDURES

A computer assisted telephone interview system developed by MARS was used for the survey. The system handles tasks of sample management, automatic dialing, item presentation to the interviewer, response recording, etc. Through the use of the system, the interview process has become more efficient and the potential for data entry errors has been greatly reduced.

A random sample of 3632 undergraduate students was drawn from the total undergraduate populations (27,713). The sample was stratified across class, ethnicity and gender. African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Others each comprised 12% of the sample. For those groups, this amounted to an oversampling of 9%, 6%, and 17% respectively (see Table 1). At least three attempts were made to contact the students in the sample before classifying them as non-participants. For those students who have wrong telephone numbers listed in the SIMS system and those who were contacted but refused to participate in the survey, no further attempts were made. The total number of undergraduate students who were successfully contacted and who participated in the survey was 2902, for an actual contact rate of 80%. The demographic information of the total sample as well as the contacted sample is presented in TABLE 1 .








NON-RESPONSE BIAS

In order to assess the potential bias due to refusal for participating in the survey, the refusal rates for gender groups, ethnic groups and classes were examined. The data on refusals are presented in TABLE 2 .

Chi-square tests were performed on the refusals by gender, ethnicity, and class. None of these Chi-squares were significant (alpha = 0.05).

Also of interest were wrong telephone numbers. These probably result from the students' failure to update their personal information in the TAMU University SIMS system. The data on wrong phone numbers are presented in TABLE 3 .

Chi-square tests were performed on refusals by gender, class, and ethnicity. The Chi-squares by gender and by class were not significant (alpha = 0.05). However, the Chi-square by ethnicity was significant ( p < .01). Anglo Americans had a larger percentage of wrong numbers than the other ethnic groups. It may be that Anglo Americans are more mobile than the other ethnic groups.








ANALYSIS

For analysis, data were collapsed to yield a single score according to the following decision rules. First, the two extreme categories from one end or the other end of the scale, excluding the middle, were summed. Second, on positively worded item, the categories, often or almost always were summed: on negatively worded item, the categories, almost never or rarely, were summed. Thus, regardless of the wording, higher scores (percentages) indicate more favorable outcomes.








SCALES

Respondents made judgments regarding the frequency of each item.1 It is assumed that respondents understood the ordinal progression implicit in the scale categories (almost never, rarely, sometimes, often, and almost always). Psychologists have long held that people are reasonably accurate in making comparative judgments of this type.








RESULTS

Results by gender, ethnicity, class, and college are presented for each item in the following tables.








ITEM 1

Item 1: I have had instructors who set unreasonable standards of performance in their courses.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
59.0 57.2 52.7 59.0 53.3 59.8 64.7 56.8 54.6 57.7 58.1
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
54.6 60.9 57.1 61.0 56.0 71.9 62.9 59.0 59.5 57.5 58.1

Approximately 58% of the respondents reported that they rarely encountered instructors who set unreasonable standards. Freshmen reported that they were less likely to have encountered unreasonable standards than the other classes. It is not surprising that the percentage is highest for freshmen because freshmen have taken fewer class and are less likely to have encountered unreasonable standards. A second explanation is that freshmen look uncritically at professors, but as students gain more experience in classes, they develop a consumer viewpoint. These two explanations are not mutually exclusive.

Furthermore, there was also a significant effect according to college. The College of Geoscience had the highest percentage of respondents who reported that they almost never or rarely had instructors who set unreasonable standards and the College of Agriculture had the lowest.








ITEM 2

Item 2: My instructors have treated me fairly.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
92.4 91.1 86.4 91.8 88.9 93.3 93.3 92.4 89.9 91.8 91.7
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
93.2 87.5 92.5 87.9 89.9 90.6 91.8 95.1 93.9 91.2 91.7

Almost 92% of the respondents believe that they have been treated fairly by their instructors. The analysis by ethnicity shows that 93% ±1% of the Anglo Americans and 86% ±4% of the African Americans reported that they have been treated fairly by their instructors.








ITEM 3

Item 3:I have felt like I was falling behind in class.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
21.0 22.3 18.6 19.1 22.6 22.6 23.6 20.8 17.5 24.2 21.7
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
24.4 28.1 21.2 24.1 19.3 21.9 20.7 20.7 24.6 20.4 21.7

Only 21.7% of the students reported almost never or rarely falling behind in class. Conversely, 78% of the students reported that it is not rare to fall behind in class. There were no significant differences across gender, ethnicity, year in college, or college.








ITEM 4

Item 4: My instructors have encouraged me to succeed.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
53.4 52.1 39.3 48.3 53.9 55.9 52.5 50.7 51.4 55.0 52.7
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
62.6 71.9 51.5 54.8 47.7 46.9 48.2 52.8 55.0 47.8 52.7

Overall, almost 53% of the respondents have felt that their instructors almost always or often encouraged them to succeed. However, only 39.3% of African Americans reported the same degree of encouragement. This percentage was significantly lower than all other ethnic groups. Furthermore, respondents in the College of Architecture reported the highest degree of encouragement and respondents in the College of Geosciences reported the lowest degree of encouragement. This difference was significant.








ITEM 5

Item Item 5: Help with my studies has been available whenever I have needed it.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
67.0 68.0 62.0 68.2 64.2 69.1 72.3 71.3 68.3 61.9 67.5
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
69.7 71.9 68.7 60.5 66.1 53.1 68.2 70.0 67.2 70.8 67.5

Overall, 67.5% of the respondents agree that help was readily available. There were no significant differences in response pattern across gender, ethnicity, and college. However, seniors were significantly less likely to report that help was available than the other students.








ITEM 6

Item 6:I have found it hard to get help from faculty members outside of class
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
59.8 56.4 59.3 58.1 57.2 58.0 58.7 60.4 55.8 57.9 58.0
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
60.3 61.0 57.5 60.1 53.9 43.8 64.7 60.1 57.3 58.4 58.0

Fifty-eight percent of the respondents reported that it was almost never or rarely difficult to get help from faculty members outside of class. There were no significant differences in response patterns across gender, ethnicity, year in college, or college. However, it should also be noted that 49 students in the survey never tried to get help from faculty members outside of class.








ITEM 7

Item 7: My family and friends have encouraged me to succeed academically.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
98.8 95.8 96.7 96.3 95.9 97.8 97.9 98.6 97.3 95.9 97.2
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
96.4 98.4 95.9 98.7 96.1 96.9 99.4 97.8 98.5 99.1 97.2

The vast majority of the respondents reported that their family and friends have encouraged them to succeed academically. However, significantly more females than males reported that they were encouraged to succeed academically by family and friends. The other response patterns did not yield significant differences.








ITEM 8

Item 8: I feel my instructors do not give me the same credit they give others doing the same work.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
87.6 85.4 80.2 85.0 81.9 88.8 89.6 85.2 86.8 85.1 86.4
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
84.9 78.1 86.7 86.0 87.5 93.8 85.9 86.9 90.1 83.2 86.4

Students who respond almost never or rarely to this item are indicating that they receive the same credit as others for doing the same work. As the results show, 86% of the students feel that they are given the same credit as others. The response patterns were not significantly different across any of categories except ethnicity. Eighty-nine percent ± 1% of the Anglo Americans and 80 ± 4% of the African Americans indicated that they almost never or rarely feel that their instructors do not give them the same credit they give others doing the same work.








ITEM 9

Item 9: I have experienced problems because of an administrative error or delay.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
79.8 73.6 74.5 76.8 70.0 78.1 80.3 79.2 75.8 73.2 76.5
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
78.4 73.4 75.1 77.9 74.4 71.9 84.1 69.7 82.4 85.0 76.5

The longer students have been in the university, the more likely they have experienced some administrative error. Of the freshmen class 80% reported that they never or rarely experienced problems compared to 73% of the seniors.

Significant effects occurred in both the gender and ethnic categories. Across ethnic categories, Anglo-Americans were least likely to report encountering administrative problems and respondents in the Other category were most likely to encounter problems. Females reported that they encountered fewer administrative problems than males.








ITEM 10

Item 10: I have heard disparaging remarks about my political or social views.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
63.5 64.0 39.1 64.8 65.8 67.9 66.3 67.0 63.0 60.8 63.7
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
68.0 67.2 67.0 67.2 62.9 56.3 67.1 55.4 58.8 69.9 63.7

A sizable proportion of respondents (64%) reported that they almost never or rarely heard disparaging remarks about their political or social views. However, the percentage of African Americans who responded almost never or rarely was significantly lower than the other groups. This indicates that African Americans were more likely to hear disparaging remarks.








ITEM 11

Item 11: The students I have met have values similar to my own.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
59.2 57.4 40.3 55.8 47.7 64.2 56.5 59.4 58.9 58.1 58.3
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
65.6 56.3 60.9 60.8 54.5 59.4 57.1 59.6 55.0 49.6 58.3

This item addresses, in part, one of the factors which heavily influence retention of students, i.e. belongingness. A high degree of belongingness is indicated by a response of almost always or often. Belongingness is more difficult to achieve for minority students than for majority students. This is highlighted by the patterns of responses in which Anglo Americans, who make up the largest percentage of the student body have the largest percentage of students who reported a high degree of belongingness. The difference in percentage between Anglo Americans and each of the other groups is significant. The percentage of African Americans who reported a high degree of belongingness is significantly lower than Hispanic Americans and Anglo Americans.








ITEM 12

Item 12: Academically, I can hold my own with other students.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
90.3 88.9 89.7 89.1 83.1 90.8 86.0 88.5 87.5 93.7 89.6
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
88.0 90.6 88.7 88.0 90.0 96.9 84.1 91.4 93.9 92.0 89.6

A large percentage of students (90%) have confidence that they can hold their own among their peers. This belief is fairly consistent across gender and college. However, there were significant differences among class and ethnicity. A smaller percentage of the Other category reported that they can hold their own academically with other students than the other ethnic groups. Since the Other category includes most of the international students, the low percentage may be a symptom of language difficulty. Seniors reported that they can hold their own with other students more frequently than the other classes.








ITEM 13

Item 13: I have felt pressure from peers to avoid appearing intellectual or participating in class.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
85.6 82.7 84.8 88.8 74.3 84.9 86.2 82.8 84.3 83.9 84.2
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
83.9 88.6 82.7 87.8 80.1 72.7 83.5 87.6 86.7 90.8 84.2

The majority of the students (84%) reported that they almost never or rarely felt pressure from peers to avoid appearing intellectual or participating in class. The only significant differences were found between Others and African Americans, Others and Hispanic Americans, and Others and Anglo Americans. In each case, a smaller percentage of Others reported feeling no pressure to avoid appearing intellectual or participating in class.








ITEM 14

Item 14: I see an academic advisor before making decisions that affect my program of study.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
60.6 43.1 38.6 55.1 51.5 53.9 53.3 48.3 44.3 57.8 51.5
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
54.8 33.3 51.1 76.0 38.8 100 59.3 42.9 55.0 50.0 51.5

Only about half the students see an academic advisor before making decisions which affect their program of study. Females were significantly more likely to see an advisor than males. African Americans were significantly less likely to see an academic advisor than Hispanic Americans, Others, or Anglo Americans.

The greatest variation occurred across colleges. Differences in academic advising may be a result of policy differences within each college. These policy differences can affect not only the rate at which students see an advisor but also their interpretation of what constitutes advising. Thus, the observed differences in gender and ethnicity may be confounded with policy differences on the one hand and differential enrollment patterns on the other.








ITEM 15

Item 15: I have experienced personal problems in college.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
19.1 24.7 11.4 18.3 19.6 25.3 23.5 20.8 22.0 21.5 21.8
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
16.8 25.7 24.3 20.4 25.3 9.1 15.5 20.9 24.0 25.0 21.8

Only 22% of the students reported experiencing no personal problems in college. The only significant differences were for gender and ethnicity. Females were significantly more likely than males to report experiencing personal problems. Considering ethnicity, African Americans were most likely to report experiencing personal problems and Anglo Americans were least likely to report experiencing personal problems.

If students responded that they sometimes, often, or almost always experienced personal problems in college, the interviewer continued with items 16 through 18. Otherwise, the interviewer skipped to item 19.








ITEM 16






Item 16: My personal problems have interfered with my academic performance.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
35.9 40.2 24.1 34.9 33.1 42.7 42.4 35.3 39.3 36.5 38.0
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
39.6 42.9 44.1 37.8 40.6 27.3 29.1 33.9 38.7 31.6 38.0

Seventy-eight percent of the students reported experiencing personal problems, and 62% of the students reporting personal problems reported that it is not rare for these personal problems to interfere with their academic performance. Thus, 48% of the student body reported that it is not rare for personal problems to interfere with their academic performance. The impact of personal problems is felt most strongly by females on one hand and African Americans on the other In the case of gender, females reported personal problems interfering with their academic performance significantly more than males. In the case of ethnicity, the differences between African Americans and Hispanic Americans, African Americans and Others, and African Americans and Anglo Americans were significant.








ITEM 17

Item 17: I have discussed my personal problems with a counselor.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
25.5 15.4 25.6 18.4 9.4 21.7 11.4 30.0 18.0 20.4 20.3
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
14.3 44.4 15.9 36.0 14.9 28.6 29.6 26.5 21.1 0 20.3

Only about 1/5 of the students who reported personal problems discussed these problems with a counselor. The term counselor was not limited to the staff of the Student Counseling Services, but included any professional counselor (clinician, social worker, physician) or clergyman. Significant differences were found for gender, ethnicity, and class. Females were more likely than males to discuss their personal problems with a counselor. Although significant differences existed in regard to college, college differences in sample size made estimates unreliable. With regard to ethnicity, Others were less likely than everyone else to discuss their personal problems with a counselor. Lastly, with regard to class, freshmen were less likely than the other classes to discuss their personal problems with a counselor.

If the student responded rarely, sometimes, often, and almost always to this item, the interviewer continued with question 18. If the student responded with almost never, the interviewer skipped to item 19.








ITEM 18

Item 18: The advice of a counselor has been helpful to me.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
47.2 48.3 31.8 57.1 48.5 49.1 44.4 50.0 48.1 47.7 47.8
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
50.0 44.4 48.9 52.0 44.8 28.6 63.0 51.4 35.0 37.5 47.8

Of the students who spoke to a counselor regarding their personal problems, nearly half reported that the advice of the counselor was helpful. Among African Americans, however, only 32% reported that the advice was helpful, and this percentage was significantly lower than the percentages for all of the other ethnic groups.








ITEM 19

Item 19: While on campus, I have heard disparaging remarks about women's behavior or career interests.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
65.3 71.1 58.1 71.4 53.1 72.9 75.0 71.7 70.5 62.0 68.3
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
64.3 55.6 75.0 60.0 67.2 42.9 70.4 70.6 73.7 81.3 68.3

Over 2/3 of the student body reported almost never or rarely hearing disparaging remarks regarding women's behavior or career interests. However, about 35% of the women reported sometimes or often hearing disparaging remarks. However, less than 30% of the men reported hearing disparaging remarks about women's behavior or career interests. This difference was significant.

A large percentage of African Americans and Others (over 40%) indicated that they sometimes or often hear disparaging remarks about women's behavior or career interests. In contrast less than 30% of the Hispanic Americans and Anglo Americans reported sometimes or often hearing disparaging remarks. This question was designed to explore a woman's issue and, at this time, the reason for the ethnicity effect is not apparent.








ITEM 20

Item 19: While on campus, I have heard disparaging remarks about women's behavior or career interests.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
39.0 45.0 9.3 32.7 46.9 52.4 50.0 45.0 42.3 37.0 42.1
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
40.5 55.6 50.0 32.0 37.3 42.9 55.6 44.1 26.3 43.8 42.1

Forty-two percent of the student body reported almost never or rarely hearing disparaging remarks regarding ethnic minorities. Conversely, 58% of the students reported that it is not rare to hear disparaging remarks about ethnic minorities on campus.

Striking differences among ethnic groups are apparent in the results. For ethnic minorities in general, less than half reported that it is rare to hear disparaging remarks but for African Americans the percentage dropped down to 10%. The only non-significant comparison between ethnic groups was between Other and Anglo Americans. Females were significantly more likely to report hearing disparaging remarks than males.








ITEM 21

Item 19: While on campus, I have heard disparaging remarks about women's behavior or career interests.

Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
52.0 49.7 42.1 49.4 44.2 54.0 55.4 51.4 48.0 49.9 50.8
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
55.2 53.1 47.7 45.6 50.3 53.1 53.6 51.1 47.7 55.8 50.8

About half of the students reported feeling comfortable almost always or often expressing their own views even controversial ones. The only significant difference in the pattern of responses was for ethnicity. The differences between African Americans and Anglo Americans, on one hand, and between Other and Anglo Americans, on the other, were significant with greater numbers of Anglo Americans reporting that they almost always or often feel comfortable expressing their own views, even though they may be controversial.








ITEM 22

Item 22:While on campus, I have heard language,humor, or comments that belittle my gender.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
50.0 64.9 38.6 61.2 33.3 66.5 53.3 51.7 60.8 60.6 57.7
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
61.9 66.7 73.3 44.0 50.8 57.1 44.4 60.0 50.0 75.0 57.7

This item is similar to item 19 except item 19 specifically mentions disparaging remarks about women's behavior or career interests. This item is more inclusive and more general. As a result , the overall percentages tend to be lower for the item than for item 19. Fifty-eight percent of the respondents to this item reported that they almost never or rarely hear language, humor or comments that belittle their gender. In contrast, 68% of the respondents to item 19 indicated that they never or rarely hear disparaging remarks regarding women's behavior or career interests. The pattern of results from this item mirrors the results from item 19 except that the gender gap has widened and the ethnicity effect has increased. The reason for an ethnicity effect for this item is not clear.








ITEM 23

Item 23:While on campus, I have heard language,humor, or comments that belittle my ethnic heritage.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
71.5 74.2 30.0 43.5 59.9 89.8 73.9 71.5 73.0 73.2 72.9
Response College Total
Almost Never or Rarely (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
80.0 73.4 75.3 70.3 69.4 84.4 67.9 74.4 71.5 71.7 72.9

Overall, 73% of the students reported almost never or rarely hearing remarks which belittle their ethnic heritage. However, striking differences are apparent when examining ethnicity. All comparisons by ethnicity are significant.








ITEM 24

Item 24:While on campus, I have felt comfortable challenging points of view I disagree with.
Response Gender Ethnicity Class Total
Almost Always or Often (%) F M Af. H. O. An. U1 U2 U3 U4
46.1 49.0 44.6 48.3 43.0 48.9 51.7 46.5 45.0 47.9 47.6
Response College Total
Almost Always or Often (%) AG AR BA ED EN GE GS LA SC VM
50.8 46.9 43.6 41.8 47.8 50.0 47.0 52.6 51.5 44.3 47.6

Less than half of the students reported feeling comfortable almost always or often challenging viewpoints with which they disagree. There were no significant differences according to gender, ethnicity, class, or college.

The responses for the next three questions were merely Yes/No. These responses are reported in the following table as percentages of Yes answers.








Item 25: Do you think you have sufficient information to help you decide which courses to take each semester?
Item 26: Do you think you have sufficient information to help you select a major or program of study?
Item 27: Do you think you have sufficient information to help you decide what you want to accomplish with you life?
ITEM 25 ITEM 26 ITEM 27
College % of Yes % of Yes % of Yes
Agriculture 84.0 82.4 71.6
Architecture 84.4 85.9 75.0
Business Administration 84.3 77.9 68.3
Education 79.1 77.9 71.5
Engineering 83.2 76.5 66.3
Geosciences 90.6 81.3 62.5
General Studies 73.4 69.8 66.3
Liberal Arts 74.8 77.8 65.0
Science 80.8 79.2 68.5
Veterinary Medicine 85.0 84.1 77.9
Ethnicity % of Yes % of Yes % of Yes
African American 75.8 71.7 59.2
Hispanic American 76.7 73.3 68.1
Other 77.8 73.7 60.1
Anglo-American 84.0 81.3 72.1
Class % of Yes % of Yes % of Yes
Freshmen 77.3 78.7 71.6
Sophomore 81.3 78.8 68.8
Junior 81.6 80.4 69.8
Senior 83.4 76.0 65.8
Gender % of Yes % of Yes % of Yes
Female 79.3 76.7 66.8
Male 83.2 79.6 70.2
Total % of Yes % of Yes % of Yes
81.3 78.2 68.6







TABLE 1

Sample of Breakdown by College, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender
Total Sample (3632) Contacted (2902) Student Population (27,713)
College Freq.% Freq. % Freq. %
Agriculture 429 11.8 348 12.0 3654 13.2
Architecture 132 3.6 104 3.6 1078 3.9
Business Administration 598 16.5 483 16.6 4662 16.8
Education 290 8.8 233 8.0 2186 7.9
Engineering 891 24.5 703 24.2 6342 22.9
Geosciences 51 1.4 41 1.4 349 1.3
General Studies297 8.2 242 8.3 2048 7.4
Liberal Arts 508 14.0 407 14.0 3861 13.9
Science 221 6.0 179 6.2 1601 5.8
Veterinary Medicine 213 5.9 161 5.5 1919 6.9
Ethnicity Freq.% Freq. % Freq. %
African American 437 12.0 341 11.8 824 3.0
Hispanic American 439 12.1 359 12.4 2981 10.8
Other 425 11.7 339 11.7 1570 5.7
Anglo-American 2331 64.2 1863 64.2 22338 80.6
Class Freq.% Freq. % Freq. %
Freshmen 686 18.9 538 18.5 5246 18.9
Sophomore 772 21.3 613 21.1 5918 21.4
Junior 938 25.8 761 26.2 6986 25.2
Senior 1236 34.0 990 34.1 9267 33.4
Gender Freq.% Freq. % Freq. %
Female 1709 47.1 1380 47.6 12578 45.4
Male 1923 52.9 1522 52.4 15135 54.6







TABLE 2

Refusal Rates for Different Groups (%)
Refusal (%) Female Male African American Hispanic American Other Anglo American U1 U2 U3 U4
7.1 6.8 8.8 7.2 8.3 6.3 6.3 6.9 6.4 7.8







TABLE 3

Wrong Phone Numbers for Different Groups (%)
Wrong Number (%) Female Male African American Hispanic American Other Anglo American U1 U2 U3 U4
22.4 22.9 18.8 17.6 19.8 24.9 21.2 21.5 25.5 22.0