Transcript Human Diversity - City Colleges of Chicago

Human Diversity
At Kennedy King College
Fall 2012
Prepared by Robert Rollings, spring 2014
DRAFT - FOR DISCUSSION ONLY
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Human Diversity
is defined by distinctions including..
Age
Citizenship
Education
Ethnicity
Gender
Health
Language
Marital status
National origin
Physical attributes
Disabilities
Race
Religion
Sexual orientation,
Socio-economic status
Veteran status
Political beliefs
…and many other differences in
cultural expression and tradition.
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Human Diversity
In Fall 2012, Kennedy King College conducted an
online survey to measure success in its general
education goal of student understanding of and
respect for human diversity.
751 students participated
The objective of this report is to locate problem
spots and possible methods by which KKC can
improve its operations and outcomes with regard to
Human Diversity.
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Students overall perceive KKC as slightly less discriminatory than
their previous experience.
How often have you encountered discrimination based on your… (n=739)
Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
Race/Ethnicity
Gender
Sexual
Orientation
Economic
Background
Before Enrolling at KKC Mean Response
Religious
Beliefs
Age
Primary
Language
Style of Dress
Style of
Communication
Since Enrolling at KKC Mean Response
Responses to these questions interpreted in isolation would
also seem to indicate that overall student experience with
discrimination is quite low.
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This remained the case when minority group responses were
isolated by pertinent kinds of discrimination
How often have you encountered discrimination based on your…
Never
Occasionally
Frequently
Always
Black students
re.
Race/Ethnicity
(n=598)
Non-Black (of
which 59%
Multiracial) re.
Race/Ethnicity
(n=69)
Hispanic re. Men re. Gender
Women re.
Transgender re. LGB re. Sexual 40 Years & Older
Race/Ethnicity
(n=210)
Gender (n=467) Gender (n=7)
Orientation
re. Age (n=138)
(n=50)
(n=63)
Before Enrolling at KKC Mean Response
Since Enrolling at KKC Mean Response
The only exception was transgender students regarding gender
discrimination. The College should have increasing non-traditional
gender identities in the 21st century on its radar.
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Average Responses to “How would you rate yourself in the following areas:”
Major
Strength
Somewhat
Strong
Average
Somewhat
Weak
Major
Weakness
KKC students overall rated themselves extremely highly in diversity and tolerance.
However, nearly all of them described themselves as strong in everything!
Math ability and knowledge about the cultural background of others were the
only areas in which over 10% of students admitted any weakness. The survey
did not query how students rated themselves in honest self-assessment.
Self-description relates to experience in complicated ways.
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Percent of Respondents who Agree
THE SOCIAL SYSTEM PREVENTS PEOPLE OF COLOR FROM
GETTING THEIR FAIR SHARE OF GOOD JOBS AND BETTER
PAY.
70%
OUR SOCIETY HAS DONE ENOUGH TO PROMOTE THE
WELFARE OF DIFFERENT RACIAL AND/OR ETHNIC
GROUPS.
29%
MANY PEOPLE LACK AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE
PROBLEMS THAT PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT RACIAL
AND/OR ETHNIC GROUPS FACE.
76%
RACIAL AND/OR ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION IS NO LONGER
A MAJOR PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES.
17%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Students report only occasional discrimination on average, but they may have been interpreting
that question to mean overt individual discrimination. An array of other responses suggest a
clear conclusion:
KKC students experience subtle and institutional
discrimination as an everyday part of their lives.
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Percent of Respondents who Agree
IN MY ENCOUNTERS WITH KKC ‘S SERVICE DEPARTMENTS (THE
FINANCIAL AID OFFICE, REGISTRAR’S OFFICE, ADMISSION’S OFFICE,
LIBRARY, SECURITY DESK, ETC.) I HAVE EXPERIENCED
DISCRIMINATION BASED ON MY RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, AGE OR
VISIBLE DISABILITY.
35%
I FEEL I NEED TO MINIMIZE VARIOUS CHARACTERISTICS OF MY
RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, AGE OR VISIBLE DISABILITY IN ORDER TO
FIT IN.
38%
AT KKC I FEEL THERE ARE EXPECTATIONS ABOUT MY ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE BECAUSE OF MY LANGUAGE, SOCIAL ECONOMIC
STATUS, OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION.
46%
AT KKC I FEEL THERE ARE EXPECTATIONS ABOUT MY ACADEMIC
PERFORMANCE BECAUSE OF MY RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, AGE OR
A VISIBLE DISABILITY.
56%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Over 1/2 feel there are expectations about their academic performance based on some aspect of their identity.
Over 1/3 feel a need to minimize some unchangeable aspect of themselves to fit in.
Over 1/3 and report discrimination from our own offices.
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Our own categories of administration can be discriminatory or
exclusionary in ways we do not intend
Results from KKC Survey
Official KKC Statistics from District Office
Ethnicity
White
3%
Hispanic
4%
Are you Hispanic/Latino?
89%
Black
Native Amer.
1%
Asian
1%
0%
93%
No
Yes
7%
Race
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Over 6% of survey respondents identified as
multi-racial, but official CCC statistics only
allow students to select one Race.
Official CCC statistics make the choice of
being Hispanic exclusive of being Black,
White, or any other group.
How do the limited options for ethnicity
constrain and create identities for our students?
Multi-racial
White
6%
3%
90%
Black
Pac. Islander
0.00%
Asian
0.40%
Native Amer.
1%
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Our own categories of administration can be discriminatory or
exclusionary in ways we do not intend
Official KKC Statistics from District Office
Results from KKC Survey
Gender
Please Indicate Your Sex:
Male
Female
Transgender
36%
64%
Male
Female
Over 1% of survey respondents
identified as transgendered rather than
male or female, and more may have
identified with other labels which have
increased in visibility in recent decades
had they been available on the survey.
1%
31%
68%
However, such categories do not exist in
current CCC statistics. Human Diversity
survey results suggest that our data
collection standards may be eliding
certain minority groups from visibility.
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How much interaction do you have with people in each of
the following groups now?
People who are substantially different in age than you
15%
People for whom English is not their first language
40%
International students or non-USA citizens
29%
People with disabilities
30%
Little to No Interaction
34%
25%
59%
People with religious beliefs other than your own
Lesbian / Gay / Bisexual / Transgender / Questioning
68%
17%
33%
Some Regular Interaction
22%
18%
24%
25%
22%
48%
45%
45%
Substantial/Regular Interaction
Percent of Respondents who Agree or Strongly Agree
Contact with individuals of cultures other than my own is
valuable.
I am open to developing friendships with people from cultures
other than my own.
There is a gulf between student openness to difference
and actual experience with difference.
90%
91%
How much interaction do you have with people in each of the
following groups now?
Multi-racial
31%
White
27%
Pacific Islander
Black
26%
43%
29%
44%
79%
7%
7%
Asian
Native Amer.
Little to No Interaction
11%
10%
86%
74%
13%
81%
Some Regular Interaction
13%
9%
10%
Substantial/Regular Interaction
7% of respondents reported little or no interaction with Black or African
American people at KKC.
Considering that only 10% of all respondents were non-Black,
what does this say about racial interactions on campus?
All or nearly all people of color
How would you describe the racial and/or ethnic makeup of the
following: [Average of Responses]
Mostly people of color
Half white & half
people of color
Mostly white
All or nearly all white
Neighborhood where you grew High school that you graduated Your friends before coming to
up
from
KKC
Your friends since coming to
KKC
The ethnic composition of where respondents grew up, where
they went to high school, their friends before KKC, and their
friends since coming to KKC remains staggeringly consistent.
Each of these responses correlates directly with the other three with a p<.00000001
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Students who report having had more hostile interactions with or felt threatened or
insulted by persons from other ethnic or racial groups answered questions indicating
that they are less comfortable and familiar with human diversity in general.
More specifically, they are more likely to…
…report little to no interaction with Blacks
…report more frequent experience of discrimination based on all aspects of their
identity
…report more frequent discomfort with people of every axis of difference surveyed,
including race, sexuality, religion, language, and age
…believe that emphasizing diversity contributes to disunity on campus
…express an inability to remain friends with someone who came out with a different
sexuality
…believe that women should not be taken as seriously as men in the classroom
…believe that speaking languages other than English should not be encouraged in the
U.S.
…report that KKC students resent others diverse from themselves and that KKC does
not promote respect for diversity
…believe that discrimination based on diversity is no longer a problem in Chicago
p<.01 for all correlations
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These same students report feeling pressured to participate in diversityrelated activities.
Attempting to induce these students to attend such activities may thus be
a poor strategy.
These same students are also less likely to have ever participated in social clubs or
other forms of students engagement.
Although several causal interpretations are possible, it is reasonable to hypothesize that
participating in clubs or any student activity will expose students to people different from
themselves, and these experiences lead students to be more accepting and understanding
of difference.
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Kennedy King College’s initiative toward student engagement may
therefore be an initiative toward respect for diversity as well.
Average Responses to “Indicate how frequently you engaged in each of the
following before attending Kennedy-King College:”
Participated in activities to clean up the environment
Participated in an academic honor society
Studied or worked with someone from a racial/ethnic group other
than your own
Engaged in volunteer work
Participated in clubs
Discussed racial and/or ethnic issues
Discussed politics with peers
Daily
A few times
per week
A majority of students report participating in clubs or volunteer
activities no more than a few times a year prior to enrolling at
KKC. A third reported having never participated in clubs.
Student engagement is a measurable variable around which
actionable strategies can be formed.
A few times
per month
A few times
per year
Never
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Students who have completed more credit hours at Kennedy
King College correlated with higher…
…desire to learn about other groups, to teach about their own, and to
bridge gaps among groups
…enjoyment of classes that emphasize contributions from other cultures
and agreement with the Human Diversity course requirement
…time spent among a broader array of ethnic, religious, and age groups
p<.05 for all correlations
It is unclear to what extent students have become more attuned to issues of diversity by
attending KKC and to what extent those hostile to diversity are less likely to continue
their studies. However, we can forward the more optimistic proposition that students
learn more tolerant attitudes at this college as a testable hypothesis, to be gauged by
questions in the next Human Diversity survey.
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Actionable Steps
• Promote student engagement in activities among diverse groups in order to
facilitate discussion and learning among them
• Consider means by which to measure the gender, racial, and other categories
which current metrics may elide from visibility
• Determine strategies to decrease student perception of expectations put on them
because of invidious distinctions
Questions to Ask for the Next Study
• Over 1/3 of respondents report discrimination from our offices; what kinds of
discrimination are they experiencing, and what can we do about it?
• Do experiences at KKC create measurable differences in attitudes toward diversity?
• Do Human Diversity classes in specific create measurable differences in these
attitudes?
• Where prejudice exists, what causes or correlated factors can KKC identify and address
through teaching or other institutional resources?
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What are
Your Ideas?
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