On October 8, look for an email from yourvoice@uw.edu announcing that the survey is live. There will be additional communications from the University and potentially from your unit during the open period, October 8–November 8.
You can take the survey at any time from October 8 through November 8, 2019, at yourvoiceyouruw.org.
Rankin & Associates Consulting is facilitating the study. They have conducted climate studies at more than 190 institutions nationwide. A UW working group of 30 members, who represent the campuses in Bothell, Seattle (including the six health sciences schools) and Tacoma provides guidance for the survey, including determining the questions that will be asked.
The survey is compatible with most desktop and mobile browsers. You will need to have JavaScript updated and enabled.
Most respondents will be able to complete the survey in approximately 20–30 minutes.
To protect confidentiality, the Rankin & Associates survey system does not track survey progress. This means you must finish and submit the survey in one session before Rankin & Associates receives the information. We recommend budgeting time to complete the entire survey at once.
If you do need to step away, be sure to keep the browser window on your computer or mobile device open until you complete the full survey — your responses will be lost if your computer goes to sleep or your web connection is broken.
Paper copies of the survey are available at the following locations for those without access to a desktop computer or mobile device:
Bothell campus: Diversity Center (UW1-73)
Seattle campus: Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, Mary Gates Hall, Suite 320
Seattle health sciences: Health Sciences Building, Room T-301 (contact Butch de Castro)
Tacoma campus: Office of Equity & Inclusion, West Coast Grocery (WCG) Building, #103
Confidentiality and data security
Because of the sensitive and personal topics discussed, confidentiality is vital to the success of campus climate research.
Participation is completely voluntary. The decision to participate or decline is yours alone, and opting out will not have any adverse impacts on your employment and/or academic record.
You do not have to answer every question. You can skip any questions you’re uncomfortable answering, and there’s a content alert before the section on experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
The survey includes questions about potentially triggering subjects, including sexual assault and experiences of bias. During the survey, you’ll be provided links to resources for assistance and support.
Rankin & Associates is taking multiple precautionary measures to protect individual confidentiality and de-identify data.
You will not be asked to provide identifying data like your EID/Student ID number or your NetID. The IP address will be stripped from each survey when it’s submitted.
The UW and Rankin & Associates will not share any personally identifiable information in any publication or presentation resulting from the survey. Qualitative comments will also be separated from demographic information, and Rankin & Associates will redact any identifiable details in those comments before sharing them with the UW.
After completing the survey, you may choose to participate in the incentives drawing. You will need to provide your UW email address to opt in; it will be entered on a different page and server, and your information will not be linked to your survey responses. The incentives drawing is entirely optional.
For detailed information about confidentiality and data security, please visit the Security section of our climate survey FAQ.