Nearly 50 percent of students responding to the recent WebCT poll administered by the Undergraduate Council of Students are dissatisfied with sophomore advising, and a large majority supports the creation of a Brown farm.
A total of 1,500 students responded to the poll, which was conducted from Oct. 14 to Nov. 14.
UCS Communications Chair Michael Glassman '09 said the poll was designed to give the council a sense of what changes students want to see on campus.
Questions in the poll ranged from opinions on newspaper availability in dining halls to support for students reporting sexual assaults.
"Responses we get from the poll we give to each committee who will choose to take a course of action based on the responses that they get," said UCS Secretary Lisa Gomi '10. "For example, the results for the question on Bear's Lair goes to (the) Campus Life (Committee)."
There are four committees that receive specific results based on their area of expertise: Admissions and Student Services, headed by Sara Gentile '09; Academic and Administrative Affairs, chaired by Sara Damiano '08; Student Activities, headed by Hugh Livengood '07; and Campus Life, led by Brian Becker '09.
Glassman acknowledged that UCS knows "it is not a scientific poll," but" the council "can still use it in many valuable ways because the sample is large enough."
"We can't generalize, but there are so many people taking the poll that we can gauge things from it very well," Glassman added.
According to Glassman, the poll is a powerful tool for UCS and makes it easier to approach administrators with issues that concern the student body.
"January@Brown is a trial program this year. The program was almost directly out of feedback from last year's poll," Glassman said.
Selected UCS Poll Results
Note: This poll is not scientific; students responded on a voluntary basis. There were 1,500 respondents, representing approximately 26 percent of undergraduates at Brown. Percentages are rounded and may not add up to 100 percent in all cases. Not applicable responses were not used in calculating percentages.
1. If the Bear's Lair (located in Graduate Center) could be renovated, which of the following would you most like to see in addition to existing facilities?
An eatery: 24.9% (369)More study space: 10.6% (157)A lounge area: 14.1% (209)Social space, for example a karaoke bar on Friday and Saturday nights: 26.5% (392)No opinion: 23.8% (352)
2. Each student currently pays $146 per year, which goes into the Student Activities Fund and funds student groups. Many student clubs believe they are under-funded. Are you in favor of increasing the Student Activities Fee for next year?
Yes: 35.3% (521)No: 48.6% (718)No opinion: 16.1% (237)
5. How satisfied are you with first-year advising at Brown?
Very satisfied: 19.5% (254)Somewhat satisfied: 37.3% (487)No opinion: 10.4% (135)Somewhat dissatisfied: 20.1% (269)Very dissatisfied: 12.1% (158)Not applicable: (177)
6. How satisfied are you with sophomore advising at Brown?
Very satisfied: 7.2% (76)Somewhat satisfied: 22.0% (233)No opinion: 21.6% (228)Somewhat dissatisfied: 25.7% (272)Very dissatisfied: 23.5% (249)Not applicable: (410)
7. How satisfied are you with concentration advising at Brown?
Very satisfied: 12.6% (138)Somewhat satisfied: 31.2% (340)No opinion: 22.0% (240)Somewhat dissatisfied: 22.3% (243)Very dissatisfied: 11.9% (130)Not applicable: (377)
8. Is Brown providing enough copies of The New York Times and The Providence Journal in the dining halls?
Yes: 33.9% (500)No: 39.0% (575)No opinion: 27.0% (398)
9. If Brown were to purchase additional newspapers, which should UCS advocate for? (check all that apply)# of responses (respondents could select more than one answer): 1,447
More copies of the New York Times: 47.4% (686)Wall Street Journal: 30.9% (447)Washington Post: 27.5% (308)Boston Globe: 20.0% (290)USA Today: 16.1% (233)No more newspapers are necessary: 17.7% (256)
10. How would you most like to see students more involved in Admissions?
Creating or improving admissions literature (brochures, etc.): 11.2% (164)Participating in discussions regarding admissions standards: 22.4% (329)Conducting interviews of applicants: 14.6% (214)Reviewing applications on the Admissions Committee: 12.4% (182)Brown students should not be more involved with admissions: 23.2% (340)No opinion: 16.2% (237)
11. Does Brown provide adequate support for students reporting incidents of sexual assault or rape?
Yes: 12.4% (181)No: 10.6% (155)No opinion: 76.9% (1120)
12. New student groups currently receive no funding from the Student Activities Fund. Should new student groups receive money from the Student Activities Fund?
Yes: 50.0% (729)No: 27.8% (405)No Opinion: 22.2% (323)
16. Do you have enough time to fully complete end-of-the-semester course evaluations (including departmental evaluations, teaching assistant evaluations and Critical Review evaluations)?
Always: 16.1% (178)Most of the time: 39.1% (433)Sometimes: 26.9% (298)Rarely: 15.4% (171)Never: 2.5% (28)No basis for judgment: 350
17. Would you prefer to complete end-of-the-semester course evaluations online rather than in class?
Strongly yes: 25.7% (374)Somewhat yes: 29.9% (435)No opinion: 15.4% (224)Somewhat no: 16.5% (240)Strongly no: 12.5% (182)
20. Would you support the creation of a Brown Farm to provide hands on gardening opportunities, academic opportunities in sustainable agriculture, and more sustainable foods in the dining halls?
Yes: 56.5% (812)No: 19.1% (275)Yes, and I might become personally involved with the farm: 24.4% (350)
21. How satisfied are you with Ruckus (a free music downloading program for students with PCs on campus)?
Very satisfied: 4.3% (62)Somewhat satisfied: 8.8% (127)Somewhat dissatisfied and I've tried it: 8.0% (113)Very dissatisfied and I've tried it: 8.0% (113)Dissatisfied because I have a Mac: 21.9% (317)Don't know what Ruckus is or haven't used it: 49.5% (717)
22. How satisfied are you with the current image quality of IPTV on your computer screen?
Very satisfied: 13.4% (194)Somewhat satisfied: 27.2% (393)No opinion: 11.6% (168)Somewhat dissatisfied: 11.4% (165)Very dissatisfied: 4.8% (70)Not applicable: (455)
24. If you used Smart Movers for summer storage this past summer, how satisfied were you with the overall experience and service?
Very satisfied: 6.1% (20)Somewhat satisfied: 12.4% (41)No opinion: 12.4% (41)Somewhat Dissatisfied: 11.2% (37)Very Dissatisfied: 57.9% (191)Not Applicable: (1,098)
25. Do you agree with the following statement: "Brown should commit either to purchasing a certain percentage of its energy from renewable sources or to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by a certain percentage, even if doing so bears a significant financial cost that would mean taking away funding from other capital improvements at Brown"?
Strongly agree: 26.9% (391)Somewhat agree: 32.3% (470)No opinion: 14.5% (211)Somewhat disagree: 14.6% (213)Strongly disagree: 11.7% (170)
