Please Complete This Survey

by Abigail Wisniewski

Please participate in this survey:

Have you received an email in the past month asking you to participate in a survey?

-Yes

-No

Of the surveys you received, how many did you participate in?

-All of them

-A few of them

-None of them

How important do you feel it is to participate in surveys sent out to students?

-Very important

-Somewhat important

-Not important

No matter how you answered the above questions or how you feel about surveys in general, the mass emails we all receive do in fact serve a purpose in gathering information that will be useful to Concordia as a whole.

In November, students received emails with links to surveys asking about their cable usage, their thoughts about the possibility of having pet fish and their feelings about the election.

Surveys are sent out to the Concordia community because, as members of that community, we have something valuable to the institution: feedback.

“It helps to help us help the students,” Director of Student Life, Rehema Kavugha said. “As administrators we don’t always get to be in the nooks and crannies of an everyday student, but we’re here to serve you. So whatever feedback you can give us can only make us better, or at least start a conversation to get us on the right path.”

The development of technology has helped the university to collect a greater amount of feedback from students than they did through paper ballots. This has been useful in collecting resident assistant evaluations and general student input such as  the selection of homecoming king and queen, which received a record number of 400 votes this year.

Still not into answering surveys? Think of it as a way to exercise your giving spirit this holiday season.

Many students send out surveys to gather information for class assignments and Capstone projects. Other surveys are developed by the Student Senate—students with a desire to improve life for Concordia students based on the feedback those students are giving them.

“Think about that assignment as a group project but they need all students to be part of the group,” Kavugha said. “Think about (if) you needed help. You’re helping a classmate out.”

As the end of the semester draws closer, more surveys are bound to be sent out, asking for reviews of professors and thoughts about various subjects for students completing projects. As you inwardly sigh when you receive these emails, take a moment to remember that you are helping out a fellow classmates and your school.

Furthermore, remember the importance of your voice. You are part of the Concordia community, and as part of that community, you have valuable input. Even if you are just using your voice to answer “Yes, I use the cable in my room,” you are providing information that the university can use to improve and maintain life at Concordia.