In 2018, we won an annual equity survey that is jointly developed and administered between our union and university administration. Unlike other climate surveys, we have meaningful ownership over both the content and results of our equity survey and are thus able to tailor it to our specific contexts and concerns. Further, we have consistently achieved high response rates (~25% in 2018, ~40% in 2019) that empower us with deeply representative and democratic data for pushing for structural change. With the information we gather, we are better able to identify patterns of issues that specifically affect ASEs and Postdocs, and are able to then build concrete demands and strategies for improving equity at UW. 

The survey instrument was developed by members of the anti-discrimination working group in consultation with the UW Grad School, Office of Educational Assessment, and University Labor Relations, and runs every year. It is also an important tool for the Empowering Prevention & Inclusive Communities program, and is integrated with EPIC’s tiered evaluation program. 

For more information and to get involved, email anti-discrimination@uaw4121.org.