“With the passage of House Bill 2 by the N.C. General Assembly last week, we’ve decided to temporarily postpone the survey until we better understand how this legislation will impact the campus and affect the survey instrument,” said Jim Gregory, UNC spokesperson, in an email.
UNC spokesperson Michael John said students and staff will be surveyed about inclusion and diversity to gain a more accurate picture of what it is like to live, work and study at the University.
“This information should be used in a responsible manner that could potentially foster the development of new initiatives, programs and even the overall culture at Carolina,” Student Body President Houston Summers said.
Rumay Alexander, the special assistant to the chancellor on diversity issues, said the anonymous survey samples from different demographics.
“So even though we do not know their names we will have some sense if they are undergraduate students, graduate students or staff,” Alexander said. “One question asked is for people to identify how they place themselves in a racial and gender category. We don’t make assumptions — we fully believe people have to tell us who they are.”
Chancellor Carol Folt announced the survey on March 21 in a campus-wide email. The survey is being administered by the Higher Education Research Institute, which gathers information about individual campuses.
“I think it’s a good first step into finding out how people feel while maintaining anonymity for those who are not as vocal about their opinion,” said Obinna Ejimofor, a senior biology major. “However, the central issue of racial inequality on campus needs to be addressed in a more direct manner.”
Ejimofor said a more effective alternative would be holding town meetings, similar to Carolina Conversations.
