Nearly two-thirds of the 299 University of Northern Iowa faculty members who responded to a campus climate survey in the fall said they had “seriously considered leaving UNI” — citing an array of reasons including low pay, growing workload, and unwelcoming “climate in the State of Iowa.”
Of the 613 UNI staff members who responded, 53 percent said they too had considered leaving, according to the fall 2022 survey that netted 3,329 total respondents, amounting to 31 percent of the campus’ faculty, staff, and student population.
About half of UNI’s 602 total faculty; 54 percent of its 1,135 staff; 28 percent of the campus’ 7,739 undergraduates; and 19 percent of its 1,210 graduate students completed the survey — which looked at a broad swath of issues, including sexual assault on campus; harassment and discrimination; compensation; political tension; workload; and general degree of acceptance.
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Beyond the number of those who had “ever” considered leaving UNI, 44 percent of faculty and 26 percent of staff said they were — at the time they took the survey — seriously thinking about leaving, percentages that amounted to a total 291 people.
“One theme that emerged from respondents concerning why they considered leaving UNI involved being overworked and burnt out,” according to the survey, reporting 657 respondents provided comments on why they thought about leaving.
One person said, “The workload has gotten overwhelming. We are short staffed, and job duties just keep getting added without a pay increase.”
Findings from the nearly 500-page report were presented during two UNI town hall meetings this week, and officials said its findings generally were consistent with higher education institutions nationally.
⧉ Related article: University of Iowa survey finds half of responding employees recently considered leaving
“This study is particularly important as university leadership seeks to better understand the perceptions of the many interactions with our university and campus community following the major disruption that was COVID-19,” according to a UNI news release.
About 14 percent — or 462 survey respondents — said in the last year they had experienced exclusionary, intimidating, offensive, or hostile conduct that had interfered with their ability to live, learn, and work at UNI.
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About 18 percent — or 601 people — said they’d observed others experiencing exclusionary, intimidating, and bullying behavior.
“I have witnessed students and professors at UNI dismiss certain people because of their conservative beliefs.”
Another respondent wrote, “Conservative ideas are silenced at UNI. From getting bad grades to hostile comments in group discussions, it’s best to keep your mouth shut if you aren’t a liberal.”
Among undergraduate respondents, 12 percent — or 252 students — said they personally experienced the harmful conduct and named among top reasons: mental health or psychological disability; gender and gender identity; sexual identity; and political views.
In analyzing comments from UNI respondents who elaborated on their experiences, the survey identified several themes — including gender discrimination, racism, religion-related harassment, political bias, and issues with roommates, colleagues, and supervisors.
Looking at off-campus experiences, 1,008 respondents shared feedback, including one Black student who wrote: “On two separate occasions, someone has driven near me yelling some sort of obscenity. The first incident, an individual drove up to me while I was walking, stuck their arm out of the window, and yelled, ‘white power.’”
www.thegazette.com
Of the 613 UNI staff members who responded, 53 percent said they too had considered leaving, according to the fall 2022 survey that netted 3,329 total respondents, amounting to 31 percent of the campus’ faculty, staff, and student population.
About half of UNI’s 602 total faculty; 54 percent of its 1,135 staff; 28 percent of the campus’ 7,739 undergraduates; and 19 percent of its 1,210 graduate students completed the survey — which looked at a broad swath of issues, including sexual assault on campus; harassment and discrimination; compensation; political tension; workload; and general degree of acceptance.
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Beyond the number of those who had “ever” considered leaving UNI, 44 percent of faculty and 26 percent of staff said they were — at the time they took the survey — seriously thinking about leaving, percentages that amounted to a total 291 people.
“One theme that emerged from respondents concerning why they considered leaving UNI involved being overworked and burnt out,” according to the survey, reporting 657 respondents provided comments on why they thought about leaving.
One person said, “The workload has gotten overwhelming. We are short staffed, and job duties just keep getting added without a pay increase.”
Findings from the nearly 500-page report were presented during two UNI town hall meetings this week, and officials said its findings generally were consistent with higher education institutions nationally.
⧉ Related article: University of Iowa survey finds half of responding employees recently considered leaving
“This study is particularly important as university leadership seeks to better understand the perceptions of the many interactions with our university and campus community following the major disruption that was COVID-19,” according to a UNI news release.
Intimidating, offensive, hostile
About 14 percent — or 462 survey respondents — said in the last year they had experienced exclusionary, intimidating, offensive, or hostile conduct that had interfered with their ability to live, learn, and work at UNI.
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About 18 percent — or 601 people — said they’d observed others experiencing exclusionary, intimidating, and bullying behavior.
“I have witnessed students and professors at UNI dismiss certain people because of their conservative beliefs.”
Another respondent wrote, “Conservative ideas are silenced at UNI. From getting bad grades to hostile comments in group discussions, it’s best to keep your mouth shut if you aren’t a liberal.”
Among undergraduate respondents, 12 percent — or 252 students — said they personally experienced the harmful conduct and named among top reasons: mental health or psychological disability; gender and gender identity; sexual identity; and political views.
In analyzing comments from UNI respondents who elaborated on their experiences, the survey identified several themes — including gender discrimination, racism, religion-related harassment, political bias, and issues with roommates, colleagues, and supervisors.
- One undergraduate student said a staff member at a dining hall was “very verbal about sexual intentions toward myself and other women working there.”
- Another student said a faculty member yelled “after I told her that I was experiencing mental health issues.”
- A staff member said, “I have learned that it doesn’t benefit me to report harassment, a hostile working environment, and/or retaliation to HR or OCEM because they don’t do anything.”
- A student said a “group of presumably drunk people yelled a homophobic slur from their car at me and my friend when we were walking.”
- One trans student said a professor misgenders all the time and asked in a group setting, “Is that your real name?”
- An employee said, “I have had co-workers joke about people’s gender identity and question immigration status simply because they are from Mexico.”
Looking at off-campus experiences, 1,008 respondents shared feedback, including one Black student who wrote: “On two separate occasions, someone has driven near me yelling some sort of obscenity. The first incident, an individual drove up to me while I was walking, stuck their arm out of the window, and yelled, ‘white power.’”
Survey: Hundreds of Northern Iowa faculty, staff ‘seriously considered’ leaving
Nearly two-thirds of the 299 University of Northern Iowa faculty members who responded to a campus climate survey in the fall said they had “seriously considered leaving UNI” — citing an array of reasons including low pay, growing workload, and unwelcoming “climate in the State of Iowa.”
www.thegazette.com
