In Fall 2020, Meredith College released the Campus Climate Survey to collect data on student attitudes toward bias, discrimination and inclusion on campus. In April 2022, The Herald published an update to the survey outlining the findings. The Herald reached out again this month to DEI Coordinator Liliana Madrid for any updates to the qualitative data portion of the survey, to which she said that there are no updates and that the money was allocated towards DEI education for faculty and staff at Meredith.
When asked if there are any updates to report, Madrid stated, “I was not able to build a qualitative assessment team to ensure there was qualitative quality. [...] I recognized that the best approach would be to ensure that qualitative assessment is incorporated into the next campus climate survey.”
Madrid told The Herald that she was not a part of the survey creation process in 2020. However, through the help of student Rayna Maleki, Class of 2023, Madrid did facilitate an in-person discussion of the results of the survey.
Madrid continued by discussing future climate surveys, saying, “Part of what I hope to help coordinate is the process of not only survey participation but also the sharing of the survey results with the Meredith community and the dialogue of reviewing those results and coming together in community to discuss.”
In conclusion, Madrid said, “I weighed the cost of what it would be to put together a qualitative coding team versus the expenses I earmarked for 2022-2023 [with] bias training for the bias response team and accessibility training for employees, and I moved forward with hiring a consultant to help put together the program for employees to help address some of the issues discussed in the climate survey”.
The aforementioned program includes a series of 5 modules discussed throughout the 2022-23 academic year including the following topics: The History of Disability and Disability Culture at colleges/universities in NC, Attitudinal Barriers, Digital and Technology as well as Physical Barriers.
Questions and concerns regarding the Campus Climate Survey and new accessibility training can be directed to Liliana Madrid at lamadrid@meredith.edu.
By Freya Dahlgren, Features Editor