USG delays publication of COMBO survey results to complete full analysis

USG president Bruce Easop ’13 said the results of the comprehensive survey — which was designed to find links between a student’s ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation and his or her comfort on campus — has been delayed to ensure accuracy and thorough analysis.

“At that meeting [on Sept. 30], we had collected all of the data analysis and were expecting to have the report shortly after, but we were determined to make the strongest report possible,” Easop explained. He said the delay is a result of the USG trying to make “sure we were presenting as much of the data as clearly as possible to the students.”

Shawon Jackson ’15, the Class of 2015 senator in charge of the COMBO survey, explained the USG thought it would be better to spend more time honing in on certain questions and do more data analysis than to release the data early. The USG decided to delay the report because the extra data analysis had not yet been completed.

“It’s just a decision on our end to say even if we can’t get it out right away, we’d much rather release something that is comprehensive and easier to read and something that is accurate,” Jackson said.

Though Jackson could not give an exact date when the report would be released, he estimated it would be released within the next couple of weeks.

An additional reason for the delay, according to Easop, is to maximize publicity of the report’s release. Easop said the USG is now trying to find a good time to release the survey, explaining the USG wanted to wait until excitement for campus activities like the Yale football game and a potential bonfire dissipated so full attention could be paid to the results of the survey.

The COMBO III survey was distributed to the entire student body at the end of the 2011 spring semester. Nearly 1,900 students who evenly represented the demographics of the University, according to Jackson, responded to the 70-question survey.

The USG presented the initial findings of the survey last December. These results showed that female students report feeling more depressed or overwhelmed than male students, religious students are more likely to feel less comfortable with academic and career resources and that black and LGBT students are less likely to join a club because of a lack of sensitivity to diversity, among other factors.

Easop said he hopes students take away two main points from the survey when the results are made public.

“I think one is the realization that everyone has a unique experience at Princeton. Your perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of the University very well may be different than someone else because of what you’ve been involved in,” Easop said. “But also I think it really highlights that there are certain areas of campus where we’re all in this together.”

The COMBO IV survey will be distributed at the end of the 2013 spring semester.