Survey: What is your experience with Radboud University’s diversity policy?
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Illustratie: Eveline Schram
Measures to improve diversity and inclusivity at universities: it seems everyone has an opinion. Some think it’s too much, others too little. We’ve set up a survey to see how students and employees at Radboud University feel about the issues.
According to Dilan Yesilgöz, Minister of Justice and Security, woke-ism is a threat to the rule of law, as stated at the recent HJ School lecture. She also disapproves of safe spaces at universities because these would exclude ‘any form of supposedly confronting information’.
The term ‘woke-ism’ is intrinsically connected with the pursuit of more diversity and less racism in society, a topic at the centre of attention at most Dutch universities right now. But at the same time, it has devolved to a swear word: someone said to be ‘woke’ supposedly cancels any opinion they don’t agree with.
Diversity days and gender-neutral bathrooms
Magazines from universities and colleges across the Netherlands, including Vox, have set up a survey to investigate how students and employees feel about their institution’s diversity policies. What is their experience? And how far should those institutions go when it comes to diversity politics? At what point do those policies conflict with academic freedom?
Survey stopped
UPDATE 19 October: The survey on diversity and inclusion at Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences has been stopped. The reliability of the new data can no longer be guaranteed, after media outlet GeenStijl asked its readers to fill in the survey.
We want to know what students and employees at these institutions feel should be prioritised when it comes to diversity and inclusivity. Additionally, what do they think about the measures implemented so far, such as anti-discrimination courses, diversity days, and gender-neutral bathrooms? Are there students or employees who feel excluded or discriminated against?
Joint research
The 19 magazines, united in Kring van Hoofdredacteuren Hoger Onderwijs Media, will be working together on this research. That will allow us to compare results. Our call to students and employees: please fill out the survey; it should only take roughly 10 minutes.
For this survey we will be collaborating with research bureau Newcom. Responses will be processed anonymously. If they want to, participants may leave their contact information to discuss the themes with a journalist.
This survey is part of a broader research project into diversity and inclusivity at higher education institutions. The collaborating magazines received over 100,000 euros from the Incentive Fund for Journalism for this purpose.
As a student or employee at Radboud University, you can talk to a confidential adviser about experiences with undesirable behaviour, such as bullying, aggression or abuse of power.
Arnoud Lagendijk schreef op 19 oktober 2022 om 07:39
The challenge of making a DEI-savvy DEI-survey – the first few pages of this survey were clearly not DEI-proof. Choosing either research OR teaching. No opt-out for asking personal details …. Rating items like ” “I think great diversity is important in general” .