Student Worker Diversity Assessment

N = 101

This assessment was developed for the Diversity Team. The questionnaire was distributed through the Job Placement office to supervisors of Student Workers in the Spring of 2004. Supervisors administered the survey and asked Student Workers to complete. These results of the survey will be used to develop a greater understanding of diversity and the campus climate at GRCC.

Gender

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	5	5.0	5.0	5.0
	Female	53	52.5	52.5	59.4
	Male	43	42.6	42.6	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

GRCC – 2003 Fall Enrollment (50.8% Female, 49.2% Male)

Ethnicity

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Caucasian	57	56.4	56.4	56.4
	African American	12	11.9	11.9	68.3
	Hispanic	7	6.9	6.9	75.2
	Native American	1	1.0	1.0	76.2
	Asian/Pacific Islander	13	12.9	12.9	89.1
	Other/unknown	11	10.9	10.9	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

GRCC – 2003 Fall Enrollment (79.3% Caucasian, 9.6% African American, 4.9% Hispanic, 2.9% Asian, 0.9% Native American, Unknown/other 2.4% )

Age

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	17-19	28	27.7	27.7	27.7
	20-24	50	49.5	49.5	77.2
	25-34	18	17.8	17.8	95.0
	Over 34	5	5.0	5.0	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

GRCC Average Age of Students = 24.7 (Fall 2003 Enrollment Report)

Semesters Worked

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	1^st Semester	29	28.7	28.7	28.7
	2-3 Semesters	51	50.5	50.5	79.2
	More than 3 Semesters	21	20.8	20.8	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Respect for all

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Always	87	86.1	86.1	86.1
	Sometimes	14	13.9	13.9	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Encourages Racial/ethnic diversity

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	1	1.0	1.0	1.0
	Always	79	78.2	78.2	79.2
	Sometimes	17	16.8	16.8	96.0
	Seldom	1	1.0	1.0	97.0
	Don’t know	3	3.0	3.0	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Encourages Gender Equity

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Always	85	84.2	84.2	84.2
	Sometimes	13	12.9	12.9	97.0
	Seldom	1	1.0	1.0	98.0
	Don’t Know	2	2.0	2.0	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Respect for different sexual orientations

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	2	2.0	2.0	2.0
	Always	67	66.3	66.3	68.3
	Sometimes	13	12.9	12.9	81.2
	seldom	2	2.0	2.0	83.2
	Never	2	2.0	2.0	85.1
	Don’t know	15	14.9	14.9	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Work with students different then self

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	2	2.0	2.0	2.0
	Always	71	70.3	70.3	72.3
	Sometimes	20	19.8	19.8	92.1
	Seldom	2	2.0	2.0	94.1
	Never	4	4.0	4.0	98.0
	Don’t Know	2	2.0	2.0	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Multiple worldviews supported

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	3	3.0	3.0	3.0
	Always	69	68.3	68.3	71.3
	Sometimes	21	20.8	20.8	92.1
	Seldom	1	1.0	1.0	93.1
	Don’t Know	7	6.9	6.9	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Campus supports racial diversity

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Always	86	85.1	85.1	85.1
	Sometimes	12	11.9	11.9	97.0
	Seldom	1	1.0	1.0	98.0
	Never	1	1.0	1.0	99.0
	Don’t Know	1	1.0	1.0	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Campus supports ethnic diversity

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	1	1.0	1.0	1.0
	Always	87	86.1	86.1	87.1
	Sometimes	9	8.9	8.9	96.0
	Seldom	2	2.0	2.0	98.0
	Never	1	1.0	1.0	99.0
	Don’t Know	1	1.0	1.0	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Campus supports different sexual orientations

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	2	2.0	2.0	2.0
	Always	69	68.3	68.3	70.3
	Sometimes	18	17.8	17.8	88.1
	Seldom	3	3.0	3.0	91.1
	Never	1	1.0	1.0	92.1
	Don’t Know	8	7.9	7.9	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Staff models respect

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	2	2.0	2.0	2.0
	Always	77	76.2	76.2	78.2
	Sometimes	19	18.8	18.8	97.0
	Seldom	2	2.0	2.0	99.0
	Don’t Know	1	1.0	1.0	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Respect for differing religious viewpoints

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	6	5.9	5.9	5.9
	Always	66	65.3	65.3	71.3
	Sometimes	15	14.9	14.9	86.1
	Seldom	1	1.0	1.0	87.1
	Never	1	1.0	1.0	88.1
	Don’t know	12	11.9	11.9	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Confidence level of students as a result of work experience

		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Valid	Blank	2	2.0	2.0	2.0
	Very Confident	72	71.3	71.3	73.3
	Somewhat more confident	27	26.7	26.7	100.0
	Total	101	100.0	100.0

Student Worker Diversity Assessment Survey

Open Ended Responses

Spring 2004

My work at GRCC has changed my understanding of diversity in the following way(s):

Ø Some people have different/new things to offer.

Ø I met other students that are cool and have different thoughts.

Ø No comment.

Ø Learned how to work with all kinds of different people that have different ethnicity, race, religion and increasing my respect for all of them.

Ø Different cultures demand adjustment. The work environment is the same everywhere only cultural and technological differences

Ø Life is much more interesting and enriched from working with a diverse population.

Ø Artists come from all walks of life, religion, sex and race create more art through more turmoil in life.

Ø Knowledge/understanding

Ø Humans are humans; we all share the earth though we all differ from one another. We must produce absolute respect for our differences in order to successfully live in our human civilization.

Ø Yes, I have because I study many experience for myself.

Ø It really hasn’t changed my understanding because I have and will keep understanding diversity.

Ø Learning disabilities are evident in all nationalities.

Ø I have had more exposure to different cultures.

Ø It really hasn’t. I have always respected different diversities.

Ø I always like to work with different people with different cultures as I like to learn about different cultures.

Ø It helped me know different people of different cultures and gave me an opportunity to work with them. And helped me learn a lot of new things.

Ø Through media, also through the understanding that at GRCC the student impact is always placed ahead of everything else, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity.

Ø That we don’t always have to like it, but we should at least respect it.

Ø I have come to appreciate the different cultures and backgrounds of the student I work with.

Ø That even though we may be from different cultures or backgrounds we’re all students and we all have the same goal to achieve some sort of degree or just more education.

Ø All people are the same and deserve to be treated with respect.

Ø I am able to understand and work better with students that are different from myself. I can appreciate better what different racial and ethnic groups have to offer.

Ø I do not really feel this is a big issue. Everyone is the same catering to one peoples needs over the other is just dumb. Don’t worry so much about diversity it will take care of it’s self.

Ø Knowing different cultures more understanding about computers.

Ø Allowing me to understand that people are not always whet you think and/or observe.

Ø That we are all here to learn and experience new things no matter how one chooses to live their life or what their background is.

Ø I learn more when I help others.

Ø I work with many more people then I normally would encounter on a day to day basis. It is nice and refreshing.

Ø Diversity should be accepted, but can still be disagreed within regards to belief systems.

Ø Working here has challenged me to think outside of the box because there are so many foreign students who need help. It is a challenge to not only understand what they are saying but to clearly explain solutions to their problems

Ø Give myself more knowledge, and helping people is the nicest thing to do.

Ø My work helps me understand the way to work in group and in the community. In the way, I learned a lot of things and got some experiences for my future, my major.

Open ended responses (Continued)

Ø It really hasn’t changed my understanding of it, more or less it has exposed me to diversity. It has helped me to see a real example of it rather than reading about it in a textbook.

Ø It has helped me realized how diverse Grand Rapids is and gave me a better understanding of differences in people.

Ø GRCC has welcomed and helped adjust to a new country. I have never felt discriminated against in these four years.

Ø Besides the rich cultural and ethnic diversity present on campus, working with student san co-workers that have disabilities provides exposure to an important part of a diverse population that not only teaches me to appreciate individuality, but also broadens my awareness of other people’s differences.

Ø I have come to know that we as students are all different but are working toward the same goal. Knowledge. I have learned about the many ways that students learn and ways to help them.

Ø My work at GRCC has not changed my understanding of diversity.

Ø My experience here has opened my eyes up a lot and shown me more than I ever knew, not just about culture, diversity, religion, gender, ethnicity but mostly about people in general.

Ø Meet a lot of new faces.

Ø It has broadened my view because of the great amount of diversity.

Ø I have experienced working with many different cultures, religions, and backgrounds. This has broadened my understanding about those cultures.

Ø Lots.

Ø Don’t be afraid to stand up for who you are and what you believe – people will get used to it.

Ø I understand diversity well enough already so there has not been a major change.

Ø I get to work and meet many people from all walks of life. Different cultures religion race, and language.

Ø I treat people like I want to be treated.

Ø I began working when I was 14 – by choice to learn responsibility and how to save money. I’ve worked with a staff of all African Americans for as long as I could remember. It wasn’t until I began working at GRCC that I began working with people of all ethnicities.

Ø Reaffirmed my understanding and respect for diversity by creating an accepting and positive work environment.

Ø I now have a set schedule outside of classes. I learned to be more professional to all.

Ø It was an awesome experience as far as I concerned. Even though I already had a tolerant understanding of diversity, working at GRCC makes me realize that our diversities, when put together can achieve tremendous changes.

Ø I have learned so much information from a variety of people who I did not expect to learn from. I have seen how wrong it is to judge a book by it’s cover.

Ø Diversity as worldview vs. ethnicity/race.

Ø Working in admissions office let me interact with people from all walks of life. For myself, I learned a lot with regards to dealing with diverse group of people.

Ø I have gotten to know a couple people very well, who are from another country and other students who have an entirely different background. It has been a very pleasant experience.

Ø I have a lot more understanding and respect for the learning disabled.

Ø Not only are we diverse in ethnic and racial aspects, but also in a lot of thinking and the way we express it.

Ø It is not just the diversity of American culture, but also people who don’t speak English as well as I.

Ø When we add our diversities together we can do miracles. This is what I learned.

Ø The way people interpret their own relative diversity has a significant affect on the way they interact with/treat those who are not in the minority. This is especially evident for me in racial and political differences.

Ø All people are people no matter how they act, look or believe.

Ø It is very important to come into contact with people different from myself, we can help each other.

Ø My opinions remain unchanged – and they are my private business.

Open ended responses (Continued)

Ø Because I don’t know what disability the student has I have to make sure that what I do can be understood by anyone.

Ø Just exposing myself to the new environment and working with different people.

Ø I have learned a lot about respecting different ethnicities.

Ø I saw a lot of different cultures here.

Ø Just made me more aware of the importance of diversity on campus.

Ø I can learn what cultures and traditions they have versus what I have. They teach me their values. It is all very interesting to me.

Ø Just ignoring it doesn’t help it any, its something you should recognize and enjoy.

Ø That everyone should be treated the same regardless of what race/ethnic diversity they are. I’m more comfortable being around different kinds of people.

Ø Culture difference is not a big issue in getting along with others even though we learn a lot in a diverse environment.