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CU-Boulder Campus Climate Survey: Fall 2001

Results by Ethnicity/International Student Status - Graduate Students Only

These results were prepared and added to this site in May 2003, subsequent to the posting of the original results.

Because small numbers of African-American, Hispanic, and Native-American graduate students were surveyed, their data have been pooled together, and results are reported for this combined group of racial/ethnic minorities. Results are reported separately for Asian-American and white graduate students. The following table shows the numbers of students in each of the subgroups.

In general, there was little variability among the subgroups with respect to their average responses to the survey items. Graduate students typically reported that the campus climate is friendly both inside and outside of the classroom; that they feel welcome, valued, and accepted; and that they are satisfied overall with CU-Boulder. The largest differences among subgroups pertained to items that asked students how likely they would be to challenge others about derogatory comments or behaviors. International graduate students' reported likelihood of such behavior was noticeably lower, on average, than that of other subgroups.

Graduate students indicated that incidents of hearing CU-Boulder faculty make disparaging remarks about members of certain groups were infrequent. In addition, they reported that faculty value diversity as much or more than do students, administrators and staff, and the Boulder community. Incidents of hearing students make disparaging remarks were infrequent, but somewhat less so than they were in the case of faculty. The hearing of such remarks was reported more often by graduate students in the combined ethnic/minority subgroup than in the other subgroups.

International graduate students' reported overall satisfaction with CU-Boulder was higher than that of other subgroups. In addition, international students gave the highest ratings of campus friendliness both inside and outside of the classroom. They provided the lowest ratings concerning whether the out-of-class environment is racist, homophobic, or sexist. International students reported that they would be comfortable using the Recreation Center, but reported the least levels of hypothesized comfort of any subgroup when asked about "hanging out" at the UMC and looking for a place to rent.

Graduate students in the combined racial/ethnic subgroup indicated a relatively high level of hypothesized comfort in challenging others on derogatory comments toward underrepresented groups. They reported hearing disparaging remarks made by either students or faculty more often than did the other subgroups. In addition, students in the combined subgroup view the out-of-class environment as more racist, homophobic, and sexist than do the other subgroups. They reported feeling more different and left out, and less valued, welcomed, and supported than did other graduate students. They also reported relatively less contact with non-native English speakers. Their ratings of overall satisfaction were, however, nearly identical to those of white graduate students and somewhat higher than those of Asian-American graduate students.

Graph of scale scores by ethnicity

Campus Climate Survey 2001 Table of Contents

l:\ir\survey\climate\climate01\report\ethnic_grad_summary.htm last updated 5/16/03

Last revision 05/21/03