Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff Members,

We are writing to ask you to share your perspective on our campus culture and climate by completing Swarthmore’s Campus Culture and Climate Survey. Reflecting the goals outlined in the College’s strategic plan, Swarthmore Forward, this survey is an opportunity to share your perspective on living, learning, and working here and to lend your insight on ways we can strengthen our campus environment. More specifically, we would like to learn how you perceive Swarthmore’s campus culture and climate and the College’s support for a diverse and inclusive community. It is also important for us to understand how often campus community members have experienced discrimination or harassment at Swarthmore. 

The Culture and Climate Survey will be administered by the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). HEDS is a tool used by many colleges and universities to help assess strengths and areas for improvement in their campus environments to inform their support, policies, and practices. 

Later today, you will receive an invitation from HEDS with your unique survey link. The link you receive will only work for you, so please do not forward it to anyone else. (Please note that only students, faculty, and staff members over the age of 18 will receive a link to take this survey.) Your responses will be anonymous.

The survey should take you around 15 minutes to complete, and you can do so any time starting today until Wednesday, April 30. We recommend that you take it in one sitting so you do not lose your previous responses. You may stop taking the survey at any time or choose not to answer particular questions. 

We plan to share findings from this survey sometime during the next academic year. 

To learn more about the Culture and Climate Survey, we invite you to join members of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team at a kick-off event today between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the DCC’s Kemp Family Commons. There will be food, activities, gift bags, raffles, massage chairs, a photo booth, and much more. In appreciation for completing the survey, you will have the option to enter a drawing to win one of six prizes: two winners will receive a $250 Amazon gift card, two will receive a $150 Target gift card, and two will receive a $100 Swarthmore Campus & Community Store gift card.

Thank you for your willingness to participate in this important survey and share your experiences with us. If you have questions about the topics addressed in the survey, please direct them to culturesurvey@swarthmore.edu. For questions about how the College will manage the data we collect, you may reach out to Swarthmore’s Institutional Effectiveness, Research & Assessment Office at iera@swarthmore.edu.

Sincerely,

Val Smith
President

Brooke Vick
Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion