Meredith Stafford, staff writer 

A Berry committee, composed of faculty members, has studied results of the Diverse Learning Environments (DLE) survey administered by Higher Education Research Institution (HERI) and plans to release their findings to students and staff through two main events. The faculty and staff will hold the Fireside chat on March 2 at 4 p.m. at the Oak Hill Pavilion. The student Fireside chat is March 3 at 11 a.m in the Intercultural Center (ICC). 

The DLE survey focuses on exploring aspects related to diversity on campus and speaking to issues such as race, gender, sexual orientation and sexual assault. The survey administered at Berry included a module on spirituality amongst students. 

According to Sarah Allred, associate professor of sociology, the Berry committees had been discussing the survey informally, but Berry formally chose the HERI survey early in the spring semester of 2021. 

“There had been ongoing discussion, to my understanding, well before any of our ad hoc or more permanent DEI committees had been convened, just knowing we needed a standardized, external entity to help us just, kind of, keep a pulse on how things are going for students,” Allred said. 

Allred mentioned that the standout committees included a mixture of administration, faculty, staff and students. She also said that they received a large response from students compared with the national experience to the survey. 

“I think that’s a result of several things, not just one thing,” Allred said. “It just spoke volumes to what they could promise us, what we knew was important that we had to work through and talk about and receive confirmation about. It spoke to students’ appreciation for that safe context. I think it elevated peoples’ comfort level.”

According to Bryce Durbin, director of institutional research and registrar, approximately 76% of Berry students participated in the survey. Durbin mentioned that many people on campus were interested in learning from the results.

“What I’m hoping is that people are interested in finding out about this survey and coming to this meeting: the two Fireside chats, the faculty-staff one and the student one,” Durbin said. “I’m really hoping there will be a lot of engagement in that process and that these conversations can really move Berry into a really great place where we can talk about things effectively and meaningfully.”

Durbin encouraged students to get involved in the process of discussing the data.

“The process has been a very serious one that this community has done and continues to do and so I hope that students will engage with that and be a part of the conversation,” Durbin said. 

Samantha Nazione, associate professor of business communication, said that the purpose of the survey was for Berry to receive student feedback on areas that they could improve. According to Nazione, it was important that the survey was anonymous for students. 

“We were really interested in knowing how students felt and knowing that the feedback that we got was valid because it was anonymous, because they didn’t have to tie their own name to discussing grievances that they might have,” Nazione said.

Nazione said that Berry was originally supposed to receive the data over the summer, but that COVID-19 delays at HERI postponed the date to the fall semester. Faculty were separated into groups to look at the quantitative and qualitative data separately. The findings and initial look into the information will be presented by the groups.

“We divided up into a quantitative and qualitative [group] to really look at what the survey’s telling us, because this is all about the pulse of the students and what the students have to say and so we’re really trying to capture that,” Nazione said. 

In discussing this survey’s effect on Berry, Nazione said that the committee was committed to hearing the voices of students and making the necessary changes on campus in order to be welcoming for all students. Collecting the data about students was an important first step, Nazione emphasized, but taking action and putting the data to use will be the next stage. 

“I hope that it supports the relationship between students, faculty and staff; that, even though this has taken longer than we would like, that we are dedicated to hearing what students have to say,” Nazione said. 

Allred said that the process of gauging aspects of student life is an ongoing need. According to her, the results are a part of a broader, more collaborative conversation at Berry.

“We’re not there to give the answer, in terms of what it means, we’re here to share the results,” Allred said. 

Allred also encouraged students to attend the Fireside chat and said that this survey is an opportunity for self-reflection at a collective scale and mutually beneficial for all individuals. 

“In a way I feel like that’s supporting each other as students,” Allred said. “It required a significant investment of student time to fill that out and we want to honor that investment by doing what we can to encourage people to come and listen to what they had to say and to come and talk with us about what you think it means and what sorts of things do you think this communicates about next steps. We really want students to do that for each other.”