Student surveys changing campus

The next time you get a student survey in your e-mail, don't be so quick to delete it-your response actually matters in more ways than you may think. Nathan Lindsay and the Division of Student Affairs have recently launched an initiative to show students that their input in student surveys makes a huge difference in the way things are done around campus. While most students may feel their voice doesn't matter, Student Affairs is here to show you that it does make a difference, and in a big way.

Sophomores Elizabeth Payton and Hannah Lee both had something to say about student surveys.

"I usually don't do them because I feel my answers won't actually make a difference," said Lee.

"Generally when I see an inbox [message] from UNCW I usually just delete it because I feel most surveys are a waste of time and won't affect me," said Payton.

Nathan Lindsay, director of Student Life Assessment here at UNCW, is the man in charge of determining how students feel about life on campus outside of the classroom, and what kinds of changes students want. If you have ever received an e-mail asking you to fill out a survey about your experiences here at school, it most likely came from his office.

After the tremendous amount of student feedback from surveys in the past few years, Lindsay and his office wanted to demonstrate their appreciation to all students by showing them how their survey answers were actually changing things. This sparked them to start an initiative know as "We've Heard Your Voice."

The initiative, which started this past summer, shows students examples of things being changed on campus because of student input. This includes plans for a larger recreation center, changes in the tutoring center, and changes in the career center.

Currently, there are over 60 changes that the Division of Student Affairs has implemented just from reading student surveys. These changes can be seen on flyers hung around campus that outline what students have said on the surveys, and how these offices have responded to the feedback by making improvements.

Lindsay noted that collecting feedback from students is an ongoing process. "We compare our services and programs in national surveys to services and programs across the country, and the results consistently show that our offerings outside the classroom rank very highly," said Lindsay. Lindsay attributes much of this success to the willingness of students to provide feedback through surveys and focus groups.

From more math tutors in the math lab, to more channels on the cable T.V in the dorms, offices across campus are listening to what students have to say and taking the necessary steps to getting things changed. Another notable change was based on the student feedback for more eco-friendly student housing. This was taken into consideration with the construction of the new Seahawk Crossing, helping it receive the LEED certification for sustainability.

Lindsay and his office want to make sure if students have any frustrations about anything on campus, to let them know. You can be sure that "your voice will be heard" and that services and programs outside of the classroom will be improved.