The Tufts Community Union Senate Administration & Policy Committee is releasing a survey intended to provide a comprehensive understanding of the student experience at Tufts.
The survey is intended to “encompass the entirety of the student experience here at Tufts,” with questions spanning dining, academics, facilities, residential life and campus culture, according to Administration & Policy Committee Chair Spencer Kluger, a sophomore.
The committee hopes the consolidated data will help both TCU senators and university administrators better understand student needs and guide future initiatives. Class of 2029 Senator Hailey Renick said the survey will help senators broaden their view beyond their own experiences.
“Each of the senators — we have our own experiences and understandings of being students at Tufts,” Renick said. “By having this survey, we’re better able to understand exactly what all of our peers want and … more adequately and effectively represent the entire student body.”
Kluger echoed this sentiment, noting that the survey will allow senators to obtain a more holistic picture of student life on campus.
“As Senate, a lot of the work that we do is not actually directly intertwined with what classes you’re taking and how your day to day as a student looks,” Kluger said.
A primary goal of the survey is to produce organized, digestible data that can be presented to both the Senate and the Tufts administration. This effort, Kluger said, will help “bridge the gap that exists between students and administration” and foster a more “mutually beneficial relationship.”
He added that administrators often ask senators how students are doing on particular issues, and having concrete, representative data will improve those conversations. The survey is also intended to guide project-based Senate work by identifying clear areas where change or support is most needed.
“I think this is a great opportunity to find what projects are really needed, or to see what is not working for students, [so] that we can step in and help,” Kluger said.
Looking ahead, Kluger hopes the survey will become a recurring tool for the Senate.
“Having a survey that is comprehensive and targets several different parts of the student experience at Tufts is something that’s really helpful to have institutionalized,” Kluger said. “My goal is to have this survey analyze the results … and then, looking forward towards the future, to potentially have mid-semester and end-of-semester surveys.”
Releasing the survey mid-semester reflected an effort to hear from students after they have settled into campus life, according to TCU Vice President Alexander Vang, a senior.
Several senators encouraged students to fill out the survey, saying it would ensure that student needs were heard and acted upon. Kluger noted that the survey was designed to be efficient and easy to complete.
“It’s not supposed to be a burden, but rather something that students can feel good about submitting, knowing that their time and effort they put into it has done something that will have a benefit on the student body,” Kluger said. “All the questions are anonymous. None of them are mandatory. … It’s a survey by students, for students.”
