Communication and Culture Graduate Student Association

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Equity Audit 2010

What is "equity" anyway? Equity may be viewed as an evolving set of standards by which ComCult? students measure or describe their experience in terms of fairness, inclusiveness, sense of justice, representation, recourse for change, etc. We hope this survey can inform the on-going development of such a standard by helping to identify key areas where intervention is required. Of course, a survey is only one tool in better understanding equity; therefore, we welcome your input in other forms as well: face-to-face, email, vlog, or other media. Please email Aleksandra Bida <aleksandra.bida@ryerson.ca> or Matt Feagan <mfeagan@ryerson.ca> with any comments or questions. Thank you!

Notice of confidentiality:

None of these questions is mandatory and all information will be kept confidential.

There are 32 questions in this survey; we expect it to take approx. 15-20 mins to complete it.

1. Please indicate your degree and year of study

MA
PhD
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Year 7

2. Please indicate your university affiliation and student status

Ryerson (full-time)
York (full-time)
Ryerson (part-time)
York (part-time)

3. Do you self-identify as a member of a minority or disadvantaged group (including race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation, the disabled, or invisible minority)?

yes
no
prefer not to answer

4. I came to ComCult from

Toronto
Ontario
Canada
US
Abroad

5. In your experience as a student in the ComCult program, have you witnessed/experienced examples of inequity? Please describe.

6. Have you experienced an improvement in the equity of your experience as a student in ComCult? Please describe.

7. Where do the biggest equity issues reside for you?

in relations among students
in relations between students and the administration
in relations between students and faculty

8. FUNDING. For the 2009/10 academic year, I have:

internal grant/scholarship/fellowship
external grant/scholarship/fellowship
mixed internal (e.g. employment + tuition funding such as TA/GA//RA)
tuition waiver
self-funded
private/bank/personal loans or credit
prefer not to answer

9. My student debt to date (including federal, provincial, bank, and family loans) is:

$0
less than $5000
$5001 to $10 000
$10 001 to $20 000
$20 001 to $30 000
30 001 to 50 000
more than $50 000
prefer not to answer

10. Please rate the following: Has the reality of your funding package met your expectations so far? 1 means "strongly disagree", 3 means "neutral", and 5 means "strongly agree"

11. If you ranked the previous question 1 or 2 (i.e., Funding did not meet your expectations), please comment.

12. When did you become aware of funding differences?

I knew before entering the program
I found out after entering the program
I didn’t know until now

13. I am aware that funding packages can differ according to (check all boxes that apply):

University
Cohort
Year in program
Individual
I was not aware that funding packages can vary

14. Do you have any additional comments regarding funding?

15. Have you experienced any equity/parity issues in your role as a TA/GA/RA/etc?

16. RESOURCES. Please rate the following: Resources like lab space, media equipment, work space (i.e., carrels/offices) are equally available to me on BOTH campuses, regardless of the university in which I am registered. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

17. It has been easy to borrow equipment or gain access to facilities at the university at which I am NOT registered. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

18. When at the campus at which I am NOT registered, campus administrators/librarians/staff readily recognize my status as a student in a joint program and getting what I need is easy. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

19. SPACE. Generally speaking, the university at which I am NOT registered addresses my spatial (space, facilities, mobility and access) needs as a graduate student. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

20. Please rate the following: Generally speaking, the university at which I am registered addresses my spatial (space, facilities, mobility and access) needs as a graduate student. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

21. When working as a TA/GA, I have always had access to adequate on-campus space and resources. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

22. ACADEMIC ISSUES. Please rate the following: The number and variety of courses actually offered each term has so far met my expectations. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

23. My academic interests have been supported by staff at the university I am registered. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

24. My academic interests have been supported by staff at the university I am NOT registered. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

25. Finding a supervisor for my project has been a straightforward process facilitated by my faculty advisor and/or program director. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

26. The program has facilitated my undertaking of interdisciplinary work. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

27. OTHER INFORMATION. Please rate the following: I like the overall campus atmosphere at York and find spending the day at York to be a positive experience. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

28. I like the overall campus atmosphere at Ryerson and find spending the day at Ryerson to be a positive experience. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

29. I feel like a student of both universities of this joint program. 1 means "strongly disagree," 3 means "neutral," and 5 means "strongly agree"

30. GENERAL COMMENTS. Name two changes that would greatly enhance equity in the ComCult program:

31. Identify one or more ways in which you have made the ComCult program a more equitable experience.

32. We would really appreciate your feedback. How could this survey be improved in the future?