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The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

Survey semantics are important for SLU

Rarely is a survey the subject of fierce debate and legal wrangling. Most often, surveys are just hoops people jump through to earn discounts on their next purchases, or forms students force their friends to fill out for social science projects.

But the survey being discussed at Saint Louis University is far from typical. After all the protests, all the published opinion pieces and all the impassioned speeches, not to mention the standing vote of no confidence, it seems that it has come down to a single survey to assess how students feel about the state of the University. When a survey carries that much weight, wording matters.

So was the survey worded appropriately? Will it gauge what is was intended to gauge? Psychological Associates, the independent company contracted to conduct the survey, was chosen jointly by the Climate Assessment Committee, which consisted of students, faculty, staff and administrators. Yet despite what appears to be an effort at shared decision making, many people have expressed dissatisfaction with the phrasing in the survey.

In particular, several faculty members have pointed out that there was only one question in the survey that directly mentioned President Lawrence Biondi, S.J. It seems likely that the students that participate in the survey will be the ones most informed about the shared governance controversy. These students, recognizing the purpose of this survey, will likely interpret questions about their satisfaction with “the University” as questions about SLU’s current leadership. But what about those who are less informed?

There were also a number of questions about students’ general satisfaction with the University. But the issues of the past year really have nothing to do with students’ opinion of the University as a whole. During their time at SLU, students will spend most of their time working with faculty and other students. These are the relationships that will define their college experiences, not their limited interaction with the administration. Even students who are truly dissatisfied with the current administration might still regard their SLU experience positively.

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And yet despite the fact that student-faculty relationships form the cornerstone of the SLU community, these are not the people making important decisions about the University’s direction. This is exactly the problem that’s caused so much tension over the past year. Just because students have good experiences at SLU does not mean that the administration or the president are leading the University effectively.

But perhaps that doesn’t matter to the Board of Trustees or the administration. If students still speak positively of SLU and encourage people to come here, then why does it matter if the governance issues are resolved? The tuition revenues will be unaffected. A cynic might say that this survey is just a way to determine the damage done by this controversy.

At best, this survey will reveal the student body’s true feelings and might cause the Board to consider making changes. At worst, responses to the vaguest questions will be used as ‘proof’ that all is well at SLU when in fact it is not. There’s been a climate change at SLU over the past year; let’s hope the survey reveals this truth, as inconvenient as it may be for the current leadership.

 

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