Santa Fe College received the results of a racial equity survey this fall. Overall, the college earned a three out of four.
The National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climate (NACCC) is an anonymous survey that was emailed to Santa Fe College students in the Spring. It was developed by the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, said Cheryl Calhoun, the dean of access and inclusion at Santa Fe College.
More than 67 percent of students at Santa Fe are white. Seventeen percent are black, 6 percent are Hispanic or Latinx and the rest are Asian, Hawaiian and Native American.
USC’s Race and Equity Center also rated UF last Fall –– but it received an F in racial equity. UF is also a predominantly white institution, with 52 percent of students being white. Nineteen percent of students are Hispanic and Latinx, 7 percent are Asian and 6 percent are black.
“We want to close the inequitable gap that occurs for students of color as compared to white students in their success rates in college and their access of college,” Calhoun said.
Santa Fe received four of four ribbons for appraisals of institutional commitment, two of four for racial learning and literacy and three out of four ribbons for the other categories.
Calhoun said that Santa Fe’s faculty are looking at the academic curriculum to ensure that students learn about racial inequity. She said the college plans to participate in the survey every two years to see if changes implemented benefit students.
“Our goal is to make sure that all of our students succeed and that all of our students feel they belong,” Calhoun said. “What we learned from the survey will help us look at our programs and services and look at the way we’re interacting with our students.”
Steve Alcime, a 23-year-old Santa Fe College organizational management senior, participated in the survey because he felt it was important for him to give the college his opinion, as he is a student and an employee for the college.
Alcime is Hatian and said that the racial climate at Santa Fe is on the positive side.
“I feel like Santa Fe College does a great job of letting their students know that they’re all cared for,” he said. “I love the college.”
Meghan McGlone is a UF junior majoring in journalism and English, and this year she’s the City and County Commission reporter. In past years, she’s served as the University Editor, the Student Government reporter, and other positions. Her favorite past time is eating gummy worms and reading a good book.