Following interest expressed within their five-year plans by several departments, the college is developing a climate survey with the expectation that in future years eventually all CALS programs will participate. The survey, which will be piloted in a small number of programs, is currently under development. The pilot will allow college leaders to test the tool, learn and make improvements before it is deployed across all programs.

An advisory committee comprised of faculty, university staff and academic staff representing department chairs, the college’s Equity and Diversity Committee (EDC) and Committee on Academic Staff Issues (CASI) is consulting on development of the tool in collaboration with the Office of Strategic Consulting and in consultation with the UW Survey Center.

“We expect the aggregated results of the survey to help inform additional conversations about inclusion and climate,” says Senior Associate Dean Mark Rickenbach. “Moreover, they will help us determine how we can continue to make our community as welcoming and productive as possible. I would like to express my thanks in advance to the members of the committee who are working with me and the Office of Strategic Consulting.”

Committee members:

• Tricia Check, department administrator, department of horticulture, university staff member
• David Eide, professor, department of nutritional sciences, faculty member and department chair
• Laura Hernandez, associate professor, department of dairy science, Equity and Diversity Committee member
• Dan Veroff, demographic Extension specialist, Applied Population Laboratory, department of community and environmental sociology, CASI member

Survey results cannot serve the same purpose as direct reporting of violations to UW–Madison policies related to Title IX, hostile and intimidating behavior or bias incidents. Options for reporting:

Hostile and intimidating behavior

• Information for students: https://doso.students.wisc.edu
• How students can report: https://doso.students.wisc.edu/bias-or-hate-reporting  (Note:  hostile and intimidating behavior is included in bias and hate reporting.)
• Information for faculty and staff: https://hr.wisc.edu/hib/campus-resources
• How faculty and staff can report: https://hr.wisc.edu/hib/addressing-hib/reporting-options

Sexual harassment and assault (Title IX)

• Information: https://compliance.wisc.edu/titleix
• How anyone can report: https://compliance.wisc.edu/titleix/reporting-response-options

Mental health resources

• Information for students (University Health Services): https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/mental-health
• Information for faculty and staff (Employee Assistance Office): https://hr.wisc.edu/employee-assistance-office

Additional details about the survey tool will be included in future editions of eCALS.

Use these links to learn more about diversity and inclusion committees, programs and efforts in CALS:

• CALS’ Equity and Diversity Committee (EDC)
• EDC Lunch and Learn schedule
• Department diversity representatives
• Science/Medicine Graduate Research Scholars (Sci/Med GRS)
• Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS)
• Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• African, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American (AHANA) Pre- Health Society