Survey does not reflect Class of '08

Sonia Chanda Guest Writer

During the week of Sept. 13, thick sheets of paper were passed out to all of the freshmen. The directions were, 'Fill them out as soon as possible.' My roommates and I spent countless hours filling in little bubbles in six pages of questions. The Office of Residential Life is responsible for this "higher education survey," which they hope will allow them to learn more about our specific freshman class. This 39 year old survey, made by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), is used at colleges across the United States to collect data on entering freshman students and assist colleges with their research and admissions process. However, valid results seem unlikely because few take the time to answer such an exhaustive survey. Many students will fill out random bubbles, causing there to be no clear idea of the student taking the survey and, on a larger scale, the Class of 2008.

Several questions made me raise my eyebrows in confusion. Questions focused on my parents and my religious and spiritual background were the first to make me want to examine this survey more closely. I understand why my parent's income and education are pertinent for the College to know, but why the Office of Residential Life? Spirituality and religion were two issues that were very repetitive within the survey: "Do you wish to discover your own spirituality while at college?" "Have you experienced a moment of deep spirituality?" "Do you believe in God?" "Do you believe in one God or several Gods?" "Have certain events changed your perception of your religion?" I see no benefit for anyone on this campus to know that I believe in God and do not wish to pursue discovering my spirituality. In what sense will the Office of Residential Life be able to better understand the class the 2008 through such information?

Your SAT scores, level of compassion and generosity, and friendship of people of other races are also ridiculous subjects for a ResLife survey. The SAT scores used to gain admission into college--long since forgotten--have come back to haunt us in the questionnaire. By answering such a question, I was immediately brought back to the memories of classes and practice tests which had made up the most important part of my junior and senior years in high school. Such images and feelings are not represented within this survey and therefore, what advantage will knowing our scores alone do for them? The survey also asked a question about having friends of other races. The question seemed to be framed to Caucasians. It was offensive to a minority group member like myself, causing feelings of inferiority. To think that any one person does not wish to make friends with those of other races is heart-breaking and discouraging.

The survey's initial goal is to make a general statement about the Class of 2008. This generalization is to be used by the College in order to recruit prospective students. However, this survey constructed by CIRP is not well-suited for students at Vassar. Our school is not centered around religion and spirituality, which appeared to have been the focus of the six-page survey. Vassar is known for its wonderful arts programs, extra-curricular activities, a talented and active student body, and the diverse population on campus. Perhaps future questionnaires should be directed towards these aspects rather than family educational background, religion, and race.