Frequently Asked Questions

Michigan State University is committed to providing the best possible environment for all individuals throughout the community. An important step in creating a welcoming university is to understand student, staff and faculty perspectives and experiences related to their work and study at MSU.

The Office for Inclusive Excellence and Impact is sponsoring the survey to assess how the university’s values of inclusion, access and opportunity are reflected in the daily experiences of students and employees. The responses will establish a baseline understanding of how various groups experience the university.

• Why is Michigan State University launching a campus survey?

  Surveys are a common tool for learning about organizational culture and individual experiences. The purpose of Michigan State University’s campus climate survey is to measure the culture of safety, satisfaction and trust on campus for students, staff and faculty.

  The climate survey is designed to help MSU gauge progress toward its access, opportunity and excellence priorities and identify where continued effort is needed.

• Why should I participate?

  MSU is conducting a university climate survey to better understand the campus climate, using industry-standard data-collection methodologies. By participating, you will help improve programs and policies that support a welcoming and inclusive environment.

• Who will be surveyed?

  All MSU undergraduate students, graduate/professional students, support staff, and faculty and academic staff will be invited to complete the survey. Participation in the survey is voluntary.

  Eligible participants must be 18 years of age or older, currently enrolled or employed by MSU and within the U.S. Any student, staff or faculty member qualifies, including remote employees and online students. By choosing to participate, individuals provide voluntary consent when they begin the survey.

• Who developed the survey questions?

  The questionnaire was developed by SoundRocket, a research organization located in Ann Arbor, MI. SoundRocket has developed standardized surveys for university campuses and specializes in climate assessment in higher education.

  The format allows for institutional comparisons while also tailoring it to help MSU understand our university climate. The climate survey planning committee reviewed the original instrument and adapted several questions to suit MSU’s needs. The study is designed to minimize biases related to the questionnaire, sampling and reporting.

• What will be surveyed?

  Your feedback is valuable. By sharing your experiences, MSU will gain insight into areas such as satisfaction, belonging, commitment to inclusion, and whether an individual feels valued, has potential for growth, finds a sense of community, experiences discrimination, or engages with inclusion-related efforts.

• How will I know my responses are confidential and not tied to me?

  All information collected through this survey will be kept confidential in accordance with legal and ethical guidelines. Additionally, because SoundRocket has been contracted to administer the survey and analyze the results, no MSU administrator will have access to individual responses.

  Due to the voluntary, confidential nature of the survey, respondents are not required to answer any sensitive questions. The final report will present results by category (e.g., population and demographics), and only de-identified, aggregated data will be included in the report submitted to the university after the analysis is completed. To preserve confidentiality, responses from groups of fifteen (15) or fewer individuals will be suppressed and not depicted.

  Will results be shared with my instructor, supervisor, chair or other university leaders?

  No. Results will not be tied to individual participants. Responses from groups of fifteen (15) or fewer will not be shared.

  Will results be reported to officials?

  No. Submissions in this survey will not result in a report to the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance and Education (OCR). If you would like to file a report or learn about MSU’s reporting processes, visit civilrights.msu.edu.

• How will the survey data be used?

  The data is vital for continuing to strengthen an inclusive culture at MSU. It will take four to six months to fully process and analyze the data and generate a final report.

  Once the report is complete, MSU will share the results so that individuals, units and leaders can use them, combined with their local knowledge of these experiences, to develop meaningful interpretations and actions.

  The results will inform and shape program and policy development, as well as resource allocation decisions.

• How do I take the survey? Who do I contact if I have problems accessing or completing the survey?

  The survey runs from March 9 to April 9. Participants will receive an invitation from SoundRocket (surveys@srsrv.com) to take the survey. Emails will be sent to remind students, staff and faculty to start or complete the survey. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete.

  If you have difficulty accessing or completing the survey, email support@srsrv.com and the SoundRocket team will be available to assist you.

For additional questions, email inclusion@msu.edu