1. Who can take the Penn State Community survey?
All students, faculty and staff members at every campus, including Penn State World Campus, can take the survey. 

2. How do I complete the survey?
Students, faculty and staff at every campus will receive an email from pennstate@hedsconsortium.org to your Penn State email address with your own unique link to take the survey — which can be completed on a smartphone or any internet-connected device. A third-party organization, Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) is administering the survey.

3. When can I take it?
The survey will be open from February 3 to 28, 2020. You’ll get an email invitation with your survey link on February 3, followed by a couple reminders throughout the month.

4. How long will it take?
The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete.

5. Why should I take the survey?
We know that you have strong opinions, and we want to hear them. The Penn State Community Survey is an opportunity for every person at the University — representing many experiences and perspectives — to provide their feedback and help make Penn State an even stronger and more welcoming community.

6. Who is administering the survey?
HEDS, an independent nonproft organization, is administering the survey, which is used by colleges and universities across the country. You can learn more about HEDS at hedsconsortium.org.

7. How will my privacy be protected?
Protecting the privacy of survey respondents is Penn State’s priority. As a third party, HEDS will administer the survey and provide Penn State with a data file of responses stripped of individual identifiers such as names, IDs, or email addresses. Only a limited number of Penn State staff dedicated to the study and bound by research ethics, laws, and federal regulations will have access to this data file for the purpose of producing summary reports. All reports will use only grouped or aggregated data. For more information about confidentiality, visit the Confidentiality page of this site.

8. I heard I could win a prize?
Yes, every 100th survey respondent will win an Amazon or Starbucks gift card. At the end of the survey, you will have the option to click on a link where you will be taken away from the survey to a different website and form not attached to the survey. It is on this separate form where you will have the opportunity to register that you are interested in a prize. Registering for a prize will not be tied to your survey responses. 

9. How is this different than other surveys I’ve taken at the University?
Penn State consistently looks at ways to understand our strengths and opportunities for growth in this space and to provide helpful services and resources. You may have taken surveys particular to your campus or college in the past, but this survey will give all students and employees across the entire University the opportunity to share their perceptions and experiences related to community, inclusion and diversity at the same time. 

10. How will results be reported?
After being analyzed, responses will be grouped together or aggregated, and results will be shared with the Penn State community across various distribution channels. 

11. When will the results be ready?
We anticipate receiving the University’s data from HEDS in July, and will begin creating reports thereafter. Early in the fall of 2020, unit heads will be able to use survey results to create initiatives as a part of their strategic plans.

12. How will survey responses be used?
Survey results will help inform the University’s knowledge of opportunities and areas for growth and guide action plans that align with Penn State’s Strategic Plan. We anticipate receiving the University’s data from HEDS in July, and will begin creating reports thereafter. Early in the fall of 2020, unit heads will be able to use survey results to create initiatives as a part of their strategic plans.

13. How can I get involved after the survey?
After the survey, there will be opportunities for students, faculty and staff to get involved. If you’re interested in learning more about future opportunities, please complete this online form. For now, the best way to help the survey be successful is to take it — and encourage your peers, colleagues or students to do the same!

14. How often will this survey be administered?
The plan is to administer this survey to the Penn State community every three years. However, as we move forward, we will continue to learn more about our community and may adapt the survey timeline accordingly. By regularly hearing from students, faculty and staff over time, we’ll be able to continually measure progress and identify opportunities for growth.

15. Should I use the survey to report incidents of bias?
Please report incidents of bias involving students at equity.psu.edu/reportbias. Incidents of bias involving employees should be reported to the Affirmative Action Office.

16. What if I have a technical difficulty when completing the survey?
If you experience a technical issue with the survey, contact Adrea Hernandez, director of Survey and Institutional Research at HEDS, at ahernandez@hedsconsortium.org. 

17. Who can I talk to at Penn State about the survey?
If you have a non-confidential question about the survey or working group, please contact project co-chairs Sonia DeLuca Fernández and Karen Vance at communitysurvey@psu.edu. 

18. What do I do if I deleted my survey invitation email? Reminder emails will be sent on Tuesday, February 11, and Monday, February 24. If you had not yet submitted your survey responses, you will be able to use the link provided to you in the reminder.

19. I didn’t receive an email invitation with a link to the survey. What should I do? Check your spam folder. If you forward your Penn State email to another email client (like Google) your link to the Penn State Community Survey might have landed in a spam or junk folder. Retrieve your link to the Penn State Community Survey by logging in to your Penn State email. Search for the message you received on February 3 from Marcus Whitehurst and Lance Kennedy-Phillips at pennstate@hedsconsortium.org. If you still can’t find it, contact communitysurvey@psu.edu.

20. Did this study receive approval from the institutional review board (IRB)? No; this project is considered program evaluation (i.e., the systematic collection of information about the activities, characteristics, and outcomes of programs to make judgments about the program, improve effectiveness, and/or inform decisions about future program development) and is not considered research. Penn State’s Office for Research Protections was consulted to ensure proper interpretation of regulations. For additional information, see the Federal Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects, or “The Common Rule.”