Lake Land College student, Blessing Nzeribe participating in the Evaluating Cultural Wealth survey. Photo by Deanna Clark.
Mercury Bowen, Coordinator for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) unveiled the Cultural Wealth Student Survey Project on Wednesday, Oct. 18, during the Student Activity Board (SAB) event, advisement, and free pizza. The survey was set up in the Luther Student Center (LSC) by the main entrance and will remain there until Nov. 18. Students were encouraged to put stickers on the poster board survey in any box that they identified with. The boxes included things like “One or more of my parents went to college,” and “There were more than 50 books in my house growing up.” Bowen expressed that one of the goals of the survey was to “create a sense of understanding and camaraderie among shared experiences.”
Bowen explained the other goal of the survey was to collect data on the Lake Land College (LLC) student body, “to get perspective on how to better serve students and use that information going forward.” They wanted to have a variety of questions to show students that some things such as having more than 50 books in your house is considered a privilege. “Some small things like that aren’t always seen as privileges.” They said, “Some statements are positive while others are negative, to best represent our student body.”
Along with the poster board, the survey was conducted as a Google form. There were paper QR codes that students could take and use to fill out the online survey. It featured the same statements but gave students the option to anonymously share their personal experiences related to each statement in detail.
The supervisors and staff of Student Services also had plans to participate in the survey to be able to better discuss and understand the student responses. Bowen expressed great enthusiasm for the possibility of helping students with the answers to the survey.
For questions about the survey, contact Mercury Bowen at [email protected], and don’t forget to stop by LSC to fill out the survey before it is too late.
