Loyola Launches New Campus Climate Survey

Loyola is conducting an anonymous Campus Climate Survey open through April 18 to garner responses on what to improve on campus to forge a more inclusive and respectful campus.

The climate survey will look at the behaviors and treatment of the student, staff and faculty body to evaluate how the systems in place serve the Loyola community, according to the survey.

“We are committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming campus where everyone feels valued and supported,” the survey said on OIE website. “This confidential survey will help us gather important insights to improve our community and ensure it reflects our values of respect, fairness, and belonging.”

The 15-30 minute survey asks for personal details such as respondents’ experiences with faculty and how they identify, their involvement on campus and their experiences with faculty and academics in the past year.

The company hired to carry out the survey, Rankin Climate, conducts surveys at universities nationwide.

Executive vice president at Rankin Climate and two-time Loyola alumna Victoria Cabal is the project director for Loyola’s survey. She said she was brought in to lead the project in fall 2024.

Rankin formed a climate study working group at Loyola in fall 2024 composed of faculty connected to different parts of the campus and representing various groups. The group held a two-day retreat in the Damen Student Center in the fall and meets monthly to discuss the survey. They helped with crafting the survey and will evaluate the results.

Blase Masini, director of survey administration and analysis in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, has worked with Rankin to produce the survey and acts as a co-chair in the working group.

All Loyola students, staff and faculty are welcome to fill out the survey if they’re at least 18 years old, according to the OIE website. This is the first time Loyola has conducted this survey since 2017 and their first time with Rankin. As of now, Loyola expects to administer the survey every three to five years, according to Masini.

Masini said many organizations were considered for the survey. Rankin was chosen because some Loyola faculty had experience working with them at other institutions.

“We’ve been trying for quite some time to get a climate study of the ground, longer than I’ve been here,” Masini said. “With the new leadership coming in, we knew it was important to do it.”

Cabal said the working group is made of 14 members from different parts of campus but also has input and review from other offices.

“The survey results are intended to provide the campus with insights into how campus members experience various aspects of the campus climate,” Cabal said. “These findings provide campuses with information on strengths to leverage and growth opportunities.”

Shannon Howes, director for assessment and assistant to the Vice President for Student Development, is also on the working group representing students. Howes said she thinks Loyola is a great place and wants to continue to uphold that standard and make the appropriate changes for everyone.

“I think there’s collective, university-wide investment in just learning about the experiences and what is the environment, the culture like here,” Howes said.

Howes said one of the survey’s purposes is to gather more information about people’s experiences at Loyola in order to get them to stay.

“We work hard already if we’re aware of concerns to try to address them already,” Howes said. “But if we don’t have the information, we can’t do anything about it.”

For the survey to be reflective of community wants, Masini said the participation goal must reach 10% of the student body, or 1,600 students. Masini said participation so far is lower than expected.

The survey is completely confidential, according to Masini. Rankin will code the qualitative responses before sending them to Loyola in a thematic report.

Once completed over the summer, Rankin will compile the results in a written report and interactive dashboard distributed first to senior administration and working group members before later becoming public, according to Masini. Cabal said the results will be available in fall 2025.

“So I think the real goal is to make change based on the feedback, and that’s why we were so excited about the opportunity and hoping that we get good participation because we want all the different perspectives to be heard,” Howes said.

Howes said while their responding actions are still unknown, they’re excited for the results. 

“I think we have really great conversations, collaborative conversations, and I think we’re all looking forward to gathering information because we care,” Howes said.

The university added additional questions specific to Loyola to Rankin’s standard question set, including ones about interactions between students and staff, not just students and faculty, according to Masini.

“We want this to be a place that people feel is home,” Howes said.
Respondents can skip any question they don’t want to answer. The survey provides links to connect people with resources like the Office for Equity and Compliance. Once completed, the survey has an optional separate form to fill out for the chance to win $50 Visa gift cards.