Living on Central isn’t as bad as some students may think.
For the first time, Campus Council conducted a Central Campus Satisfaction Survey, and generally respondents indicated that their experience living on Central was positive. About 70 percent of respondents agreed or agreed strongly that they would chose to live on Central again if they were to live on campus next year.
The survey was formulated by sophomores Ashley Alman, an at-large representative on Campus Council, and Jeremy Ruch, chair of the Council’s public relations committee.
“Overall it seems that the residents that responded to the survey had a positive experience, and many seemed pleasantly surprised with the outcome,” Alman wrote in an e-mail Sunday.
The survey was e-mailed to more than 1,000 Central residents, out of which 233 responded. The survey asked residents to respond to a series of statements with four ratings: strongly agree, agree, disagree and strongly disagree. Among its statements were “I am happy with the condition of my apartment,” and “I feel safe on Central Campus.”
The survey was deliberately conducted around the time of RoomPix in order to give upperclassmen the opportunity to know what Central Campus is like according to its residents, Alman said. She added that the survey aimed to reverse the skewed perceptions students have of Central.
“We wanted to see how people enjoyed their experience and we wanted to share their experience [with]... people living there next year,” Alman said.
Ruch said the survey revealed drastically different views held by Central compared with stereotypes held by many non-Central residents.
In addition to addressing stereotypes, the survey also assessed the newest installations on Central, including the opening of Mill Village and the Devil’s Bistro in April 2010. Respondents on average agreed that the addition of the Mill Village has improved their living conditions.
The two largest complaints respondents listed in the optional comments section of the survey involved the bus routes between West and Central campuses and the lack of lighting. Nearly 71 percent of respondents disagreed or disagreed strongly that bus routes between West and Central are “convenient and consistent.”
Still, others contributed endorsements of Central, including one respondents described Central as “an amazing place to live.”
Alman said the fact that many of Campus Council’s members live on Central will help the group improve the campus and address concerns.
“If we can hammer down on those two issues, then the most common problems associated with living on Central will be rectified,” Ruch said.
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