Climate surveys give students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to provide feedback regarding their varied experiences at the university including where there are areas of climate strength, as well as challenges.
The University of Michigan contracted with Rankin Climate, an external and independent firm, to conduct a system-wide assessment of campus climate in the winter/spring 2024 using the Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) survey – the Campus Climate Survey Related to Sex and Gender. The ARC3 survey instrument was developed by a collaborative of national leaders, researchers, and higher education professionals in 2014 in response to the White House Task Force on Keeping Students Safe on Campus Report. 1
The university’s 2024 ARC3 Campus Climate Survey Related to Sex and Gender assesses the current climates, educational programs, the prevalence and nature of sexual harassment and misconduct on our campus, and the effectiveness of our responses to these issues on each of our campuses and Michigan Medicine. In turn, this shapes future university policies and programs for safer and more inclusive campus communities, and contributes to broader conversations about these issues within higher education.
Campus Climate Matters
- Each individual at the university has a right to an experience free from discrimination and harassment, and the opportunity to fully benefit from the university’s programs and activities.
- People who feel connected and supported within their campus communities have a higher likelihood of success in all areas of their lives. Sexual harassment and misconduct significantly disrupts that sense of connection.
- Climate surveys have been identified as a best practice for universities to assess and better understand sexual harassment and misconduct on their campuses.
- Gathering data about student, faculty, and staff experiences, as well as perceptions of these issues and awareness of resources informs our institutional efforts to address sexual harassment and misconduct at the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses and Michigan Medicine.
Survey Methodology
There are several primary reasons for surveying representative subgroups through stratified sample survey design:
- To bring equity to the data collection process and reliability to the findings. Certain demographic groups are over-represented within our campus communities and are more likely to respond to an invitation to participate, skewing survey findings.
- To account for the unique characteristics and contexts of different campuses within a large university system. This requires the utilization of the same methodology to collect data on individual campuses.
Read more about the methodology in the FAQ section.
Survey Findings
This survey will:
- Identify varied experiences of the university’s students, faculty, and staff on the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses and Michigan Medicine.
- Reveal factors that impact experiences of sexual misconduct, campus reporting, and resource utilization when applicable.
- Highlight areas of climate strength as well as opportunities for growth.
- Inform collaboration and drive data-informed strategic actions.
Findings from the 2024 U-M ARC3 Campus Climate Survey Related to Sex and Gender will be available to the university communities in fall 2024. Information gathered through the process will inform future efforts to enhance campus climate, and inform university prevention and response efforts.