On November 15, NYU President Andrew Hamilton and Chief Diversity Officer Lisa Coleman sent out an email to the entire student body with the Being@NYU Assessment of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

The survey takes about twenty minutes to complete and contains a wide variety of questions. In the beginning of the survey, the program provides the user a list of definitions for all terms contained in the survey.

The assessment aims to evaluate students’, staff, and faculty’s experience with the the climate at NYU. The survey is anonymous and confidential, encouraging everyone to participate; however the survey is not mandatory. As the university notes in the assessment’s FAQ, “Students, faculty, administrators, and staff have all pointed out that organizations only manage what they measure. By conducting the assessment, NYU hopes to create a baseline against which future improvements can be measured, with a specific focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion.”

Associate Dean of Students David Pe believes this assessment is especially important for NYU Shanghai students to complete.

"As NYU Shanghai is still in its early stages of development, this is the perfect time for us to assess how students, faculty, and administrators feel about being a part of this community. The more we know, the better we can address the concerns and opportunities of creating an inclusive environment,” Pe said.

As seen with events such as Ally Week, NYU Shanghai students are extremely proactive in creating an inclusive, welcoming environment. However, there’s always room for improvement. This is why NYU developed the assessment.

“In the future, when students want to come to discuss a complaint/concern, I am going to ask back, did you fill out the climate survey? This is your opportunity to have your voice and story be a part of the whole picture," Pe said.

The survey is live until December 14th. This article was written by Isabel Adler. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Being@NYU