More than half of Ohio State Hispanic/Latin@ faculty and staff express some degree of satisfaction with their experience at this university, according to a survey sponsored by the Hispanic Oversight Committee (HOC) and the Organization of Hispanic Faculty and Staff (OHFS).

The survey, conducted during Autumn Quarter 2005 and carried out in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, polled 71 faculty and 224 staff members, obtaining a response rate of 71.8 percent from faculty and of 25.9 percent from staff.

“It is important to understand the needs and concerns of Hispanic/Latin@ faculty and staff,” said HOC Chair José Castro. “This survey will serve as the basis which we will use to ask for certain commitments from the Provost for the Hispanic/Latin@ community.”

With regard to the general work environment at OSU, the survey of Hispanic/Latin@ faculty, professional and civil service staff revealed that more than 50 percent of respondents are either satisfied or very satisfied with the friendliness and cooperation of co-workers; the support received from colleagues; the flexibility of their schedules; their job security; and their work load.

However, the survey of faculty members revealed lower levels of satisfaction (less than 50 percent of respondents) with regard to the ethnic/race diversity of co-workers.

Also in terms of career advancement, most faculty and staff (more than 50 percent of respondents) reported satisfaction with their work loads; the support they receive in balancing professional and personal concerns; the amount of positive feedback they receive for jobs done well; positive and constructive job reviews; and being given opportunities to communicate ideas and concerns.

“This survey will serve as the basis which we will use to ask for certain commitments from the Provost for the Hispanic/Latin@ community.”

Dr. José Castro, HOC Chair

But one of the concerns noted by both faculty and staff was salary levels. Only 44 percent of faculty respondents said they were satisfied with their pay. Among OSU Hispanic/Latin@ professional and civil service staff, only 34 percent said they were satisfied with their salaries. These results suggest that despite positive job reviews and the experience of having equal opportunities for advancement, OSU Hispanic/Latin@ employees, in general, feel that they are not being satisfactorily remunerated for their contributions.

In the category titled “University Culture and Hispanics”, the survey’s scores for both faculty and staff suggest the need to increase diversity within several units, and to continue promoting and implementing Hispanic/Latin@-related programming. This includes both cultural and professional activities that explore the needs of Hispanics/Latin@s in different disciplines in an effort to build a diverse community.

Respondents also articulated the need to eliminate subtle and overt discrimination against Hispanics/Latin@s. In this category, 24 percent of staff disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement: “Discrimination against my ethnic group is not a problem at OSU.” Another 27 percent of respondents had a “neutral” response to that statement. Though lower, faculty scores on this question reflected the same pattern.

Finally, faculty and staff reported their concern about the overall greater Columbus area atmosphere for Hispanics/Latin@s, and survey results suggest that the OSU community would welcome university outreach efforts to explore ways of enhancing the life of Hispanics/Latin@s in Columbus.