Yukon University EDI Climate Survey FAQ
What is the YukonU Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Climate Survey?
The purpose of YukonU’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Climate Survey is to understand the demographic composition of its employee population, employees’ experience of workplace climate, and perceptions of equity, diversity, and inclusion at YukonU. The data collected through this survey will help YukonU identify and address any inequities in employment.
Who will be administering the survey?
YukonU has selected Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA) to conduct its EDI Climate Study and associated survey. The administration of a survey regarding campus climate is likely to yield higher response rates and provide more credible findings if led by an outside agency. HESA will be administering the survey electronically.
What questions does the survey ask?
The survey has two parts: self-identification questions and experience questions. The first part of the survey will ask you to complete self-identification questions across various dimensions while the second part of the survey will ask questions about your experiences as an employee of YukonU, your sense of belonging, and your perceptions tied of EDI at the institution.
Why is YukonU measuring the demographics of its employee population?
YukonU aims to have an employee population that is diverse and inclusive and reflects the wider communities it serves. The data collected through this process will help the institution measure progress in this regard.
We know that systemic barriers exist within institutions for employees from equity groups. These barriers exist in a variety of forms including unconscious biases, institutional policies, and organizational culture. Having a better understanding of the demographics of the employee population will also help the institution design new measures to achieve greater equity, diversity, and inclusion.
How was the survey developed?
The survey was informed by key informant interviews with representatives from YukonU. It also considers best practices from leading subject matter experts in equity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as the Canadian census.
How was the terminology chosen?
The self-identification questions rely primarily on the Statistics Canada terminology, which allows for comparisons to be made between the YukonU community with external communities in Canada. We understand that for certain identities, the terminology is not always universally agreed upon and continues to evolve. As such, the survey is designed so you will be able to select from the categories provided and/or indicate how you prefer to identify.
Is the survey voluntary?
The survey is completely voluntary. If there are any questions that you do not wish to answer, there is an “I prefer not to answer” option for each question.
Is the survey confidential?
The survey is completely confidential. HESA will collect and store the data, and nobody from YukonU will have access to the raw data. The survey report will only communicate aggregated data with the intent of providing the YukonU community with information that is meaningful and helps advance equity, diversity, and inclusion at the university while protecting individual privacy. No personally identifiable information will be reported.
HESA will take multiple precautions to protect individual privacy, e.g., not reporting on any group less than 10 people. HESA will combine groups or take other measures to eliminate any potential of demographic information becoming identifiable. More information on HESA’s privacy policy can be found here: https://higheredstrategy.com/privacypolicy/.
If you have any questions about data collection, use, and/or disclosure of this information, please contact Naomi Nishimura, Research Associate, Higher Education Strategy Associates at nnishimura@higheredstrategy.com
What protections are in place for storage of sensitive data?
HESA has a robust data security description and protocol, which includes specific information on data encryption, the handling of personally identifiable information, physical security, and a protocol for handling unlikely breaches of data security. HESA will destroy the data after six months of project completion.
I want to talk to someone about the survey and/or the results. Who can I contact?
For questions and/or comments about the survey, please contact Naomi Nishimura, Research Associate, Higher Education Strategy Associates at nnishimura@higheredstrategy.com.
