Pages 1--13 from Microsoft Word - PAC-W (The President's Advisory Council on Women and Staff at the University of North Dakota )

Please send inquiries to Wendelin Hume, Chair of PAC-W Director of Women Studies, Chair of Criminal Justice    Email: wendelin_hume@ und.edu Phone: (701) 777-4115

The President's Advisory Council on Women at UND conducted research in 2002-2003 to assess the institution's climate for women faculty and staff. The project was not undertaken lightly. It reflected the University's commitment to improving the campus climate (one of seven priority action areas of the 2001-2002 Strategic Plan) and to
enforcing a zero-tolerance policy on harassment and discrimination (identified as an objective in the Strategic Plan). It reflected the Council's mission of monitoring women's
concerns on campus, serving as a type of clearinghouse on data about the status of women on campus, and advising the President on matters of concern to women. In 2001-2002, the
Council's efforts to collect data on campus from relevant offices about women were not productive. In addition, concerns expressed by women to members of the Council about
their individual work situations raised questions for us about the extent to which these were isolated problems or a more systemic situation on campus. We determined that a
survey of all women faculty and staff would give women across the campus a voice about their experiences of the workplace, positive or negative. Because of the potentially
sensitive nature of the issues being explored, we felt it was critical to have the assistance of a consultant with expertise on women's climate issues. 1 We planned to explore the issues,
share research findings, and benefit from the expertise of our consultant at a conference on campus March 11, 2003, "Campus Climate and Complexion," planned jointly by PAC-W
and the cohort of previous participants in the President's Leadership Program.
The survey instrument was designed after a review of other campus climate surveys. Topic areas came from issues raised by women who have contacted PAC-W and
from various faculty and staff across campus. Co-Chairs (Rakow and Hume), who have backgrounds in quantitative research and survey methodology, completed the human
subjects research certification course. With Dr. Jean Chen, an Institutional Review Board proposal was submitted for review and approved with no modifications.

The survey, two double-sided pages with an explanation cover letter and a preprinted intercampus return mail coversheet, was sent out in January 2003 to 1,800
female employees representing all full-time and part-time classification levels from staff, administrators and faculty, to graduate assistants. Follow-up postcards, announcements in

1 The consultant, Bernice R. Sandler, Senior Scholar, Women's Research and Education Institute,
Washington, D. C., has provided her findings and recommendations in her "Report for the President's Advisory Council Women," May 15, 2003, Grand Forks: University of North Dakota. 1
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the University Letter, and group e-mail announcements were used to encourage participation. As a result, a total of 516 complete surveys were collected by the March 7,
2003 cut-off date. Given the possibly sensitive issues touched on in the survey, PAC-W members were pleased with the 29% response rate and the almost 20 pages of single
spaced, typed comments. (Comments, sanitized to protect confidentiality, have been given to the President.)

Prologue
A discussion of the results of this benchmarking survey follow. While the work was time-consuming and sometimes difficult because of the painful nature of evidence in
the responses of some respondents, we hope we are able to bring light to issues that often are dismissed or denied. We have felt compelled and challenged to give a voice to those
who entrusted us with their opinions, experiences, and stories. We thank all respondents for their thoughtful comments and their willingness to share their work-life experiences
with us. While some respondents feel it is too late for changes,
"Any changes will be too late for many of us as the damage is already done!"

and some others have given up hope,
"I am pretty apathetic about believing I would be helped at this point. I cannot imagine a more
awful work environment." . "I have totally lost trust with UND."

we believe that with good leadership
"From the top down there needs to be a clear message that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated no matter who you are"

UND can become an even better place to work and learn. Thank you for your support.
"I am too new to comment, but it sounds like just the fact you have this committee and knowing somebody realizes there are issues is a positive thing." . "PAC-W should be commended for
finally addressing the work climate on the UND campus." . "Keep campus climate issues on the table--this survey is a good idea."

We hope we protected your anonymity:
"Would like to say more but I am scared of giving information that would identify and lead to negative results and retaliation based on information"

while allowing your various voices to be heard:
"This survey was very difficult to fill out but it was amazing to actually be asked for my thoughts on this subject." . " It's quite evident that there is not freedom of speech on the UND campus." .
"Sweeping problems under the rug (" ostrich management") does not resolve anything!" . "I cannot think of one thing for improvement. I love my job, my supervisor, my co-workers, and I feel
privileged to work where I do. I thank God every day for my job." 2
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Demographics
The first section of the survey (Section One) gathered demographic data. Demographically, respondents identified themselves as White/ Caucasian (93.4%),
American Indian (2.7%), Asian (1.7%), Hispanic (0.4%), African-American (0.2%), other race (0.6%), and unknown (1.0%). Nearly 3 percent of the respondents reported that they
have disabilities and require accommodations. Eighty-four percent of the respondents are full-time and 16% are part-time employees.

Salaried staff was the largest group of respondents, reflecting their proportion of campus employees. Respondents reported their primary positions as hourly staff (47 or
9%), salaried staff (319 or 63%), administrators (38 or 7%), faculty (88 or 17%), and graduate assistants (19 or 4%) while 5 respondents did not indicate their positions. Among
88 faculty respondents, 16 are lecturers or instructors, 26 are assistant professors, 32 were associate professors, 9 are full professors, and 5 respondents did not indicate their
academic ranks. Further, 21 faculty respondents are tenured, 12 are on tenure-track, 29 are non-tenured, and 26 faculty respondents did not indicate their tenure status.

Years at UND are fairly evenly distributed among respondents. About a third reported that they have been employed at UND for less than 3 years, about a fourth
between 4 and 10 years and another fourth between 11 and 20. Additionally, 82 respondents (16%) have devoted more than 20 years and 13 (2.5%) have devoted more
than 30 years to employment at UND. Most respondents are over 35 years of age. After adjusting for the 39 respondents who did not indicate their age, 36 respondents (7.6%) are
in the 18-25 year group, 85 (17.8%) are in the 26-35 year group, 202 (42.3%) are in the 36-49 year group, 151 (31.7%) are in the 50-65 year group, and 3 (0.6%) are in the over 65
year group.
Fourteen percent of the respondents graduated from high school while 6 percent have either post-secondary vocational training or some college education. Eighty percent
of the respondents have a college degree or beyond: 13% an associate degree, 30% a bachelor's degree, 23% a master's degree, and 15% a doctorate or professional degree (such
as JD or MD).
Work Conditions
Respondents were presented with a set of 27 statements (Section Two), some worded in the positive and others in the negative to reduce response bias. While it would

be ideal, if somewhat idealistic, for all but an inevitable few to be satisfied with the campus climate at UND, little more than half felt this way.

Overall Satisfaction Strongly Disagree/ Disagree Neutral Strongly Agree/ Agree
Overall, I am satisfied with the campus climate at UND 23. 9% 19. 8% 56. 3% 3
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Fifty-six percent of the respondents (60% of the staff, 69% of the administrators, 40% of the faculty, and 42% of the graduate assistants) indicated their overall satisfaction
with the campus climate at UND. Interestingly, tenure-track (67%) and non-tenured (52%) faculty reported much higher levels of satisfaction than their tenured peers (14%).
Respondents holding doctorate or professional degrees and respondents with post-secondary training or some college experience indicated lower levels of satisfaction
than their UND peers with associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees. Moreover, White/ Caucasian respondents (57%) demonstrated a higher level of satisfaction than their
non-White peers (48%).
The results on this question provide an important benchmark for future climate surveys to chart the progress of UND at improving the climate for women faculty and
staff. The high number of neutral responses, a pattern reflected throughout the close-ended questions, suggests at least in some cases mixed feelings about how the individual is
treated and what is observed about the treatment of others,
"The overall climate is good but there are certain specific instances where female employees have not been treated respectfully by administration."

as well as mixed experiences in different areas of the University:
"I have had three jobs here at UND. Two experiences have been good. One was less positive. It is not my current job, so the survey result is better than it would have been when I had the previous
job."

To understand the specific conditions that produced responses to the overall satisfaction ranking, let's start with the items with the highest positive ratings by 60% or
more of the respondents.

The Strengths at UND Strongly Disagree/ Disagree Neutral Strongly Agree/ Agree
I am treated with respect by people I work with 11. 5% 10. 8% 77. 7%
I trust the Campus Police to address my safety concerns 12. 0% 18. 3% 69. 7%
I feel appreciated for the work I do 15. 8% 17.6% 66.6%
I am treated fairly here 16. 4% 20. 5% 63. 1%
My work performance is evaluated by the same standards as others who do jobs like mine 18. 0% 19. 6% 62. 4%

I am aware of procedures for how to file a formal complaint or grievance 25. 2% 14. 4% 60. 4%
If I had a work-related problem at UND, I believe it would be handled appropriately 21. 4% 18. 6% 60. 0%

Good practices in departments where women feel treated with respect by those with whom they work and feel evaluated fairly and appreciated for their work deserve further
research so that those positive conditions can become common across departments and for 4
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all individuals within departments. Where women are not feeling treated and evaluated fairly, the results show there is work to be done to ensure that women feel avenues are
available for addressing those issues and having them handled appropriately. The strengths that some areas of the University exhibit are tempered by challenges indicated by over a
third of the respondents.

The Challenges at UND Strongly Disagree/ Disagree Neutral Strongly Agree/ Agree
Favoritism is shown to some on this campus 11.1% 16.5% 71.4%
There is a "good old boys' network at UND 13.6% 21.8% 64.6%
I am aware of people who have violated UND policies or procedures Without consequences 27.2% 15.7% 57.1%

I feel I am paid fairly compared to men in similar positions 43.0% 20.8% 36.2%
I have witnessed bullying behavior at UND 48.0% 11.6% 40.4%
I have seen women who file complaints or grievances at UND be retaliated against 37.4% 23.3% 39.3%

At UND, women are given advancement and promotion opportunities comparable to men 34.8% 33.8% 31.4%

These figures represent a high level of reports about favoritism (over 70%), a "good old boys' network (almost 65%), violation of UND policies (57%), bullying behavior (over
40%), retaliation (almost 40%), and unequal opportunities for advancement and promotion (over 31%). A few of the comments which focus on these challenges include:

Favoritism: "Campus climate could also be improved if all employees were given the same privileges and
evaluated equally." . "I think there is general favoritism toward faculty over staff campus wide."

Good Old Boys:
"Get rid of some of the 'good old girls as well as boys." . "My department head shows implicit favor towards men." . "Irregardless of the changes UND is trying to effect in the promotion and

hiring of women, the 'good ole boy' network is still running rampant in departments. It's who you know--not what you know--that will get you a job at UND. If you're a man you will be hired at a
higher salary than a woman." . "UND and its 'good ol' boy' network are alive and well and I will do anything in my power to put an end to it!" . "Work to eliminate the old boys network that has

become stronger of late." . "There appears, from my experience, to be a very inconsistent policy towards women— some are promoted without merit, while others are held down by the 'old boys'
network. '"

Lack of Accountability:
"Departmental chairs should have standards and be held accountable for implementing and enforcing equality and fairness in the workplace." . "I know of several employees at UND,

'department heads' and upper level management staff, who have been slid into 'made up' positions which took away their authority over staff or decision making for a department, simply because
their superiors did not want to deal with the issues of discipline/ reprimand with them or because the 5
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person 'knew too much' of the superior's or organization's previous 'misuse' of UND's policies and procedures. So the person would be given a job, at the same salary, and continue to be ineffective
and useless to UND." . "All my answers are based on the actions of two employees in our school. One who likes to hug too much and makes female employees uncomfortable and one who cuts
down employees and has no respect for UND policies. UND must enforce policies— too many people are abusing their travel privileges and cell phones for personal use and when questioned by
an employee, that employee is treated with no respect!" . "There is a lot of dead wood in supervisory positions. They do not get removed for nonperformance."

Bullying and Retaliation: "I am too intimidated to file a grievance for hostile environment." . "Start a program that 'stamps
out bullies, ' and really help these people, and mean it." . "I would not feel safe and I do not believe I would be helped by going anywhere because of the good old boys network and retaliation.
I have witnessed retaliation when unfair work practices were brought up so I keep my mouth shut. There needs to be a shakeup of the good old boys network." . " My experience came from a past

position at UND. It too me six months to a year to recover from the emotional abuse . . ." . "I have had Deans tell me 'do not grieve, it will become part of your personnel file. ' I have often wondered
where I would go for help." . "My faculty chairperson is controlling, verbally abusive to others, and sets up a divisive environment."

Fair Pay and Opportunities: " This campus expects much more from its female employees than its men. We do far more work at
less pay/ respect." . "Women work harder to get ahead but get paid less. Equal pay and treat women fairly." . "The extra workload that falls on the shoulders of many women and minorities in
terms of committee service and advisement should be acknowledged and rewarded." . "I work with a male— same job— he's paid over five dollars an hour more than myself . . ." . "The pressure to
out produce and work extra hard is placed on women on this campus. However, I see male co-workers better able to set limits and take time off with little negative consequences. Not true for
women. It seems that when a pay scale is, let's say 23, 000-27,000, the female is offered 23, 000 with an explanation that there's no more money in the budget. But if a male is offered the position,
someone always seems to find the extra money and he is offered 27, 000. Funny how that works!" . "In most places women are hired for traditional roles and not encouraged to go for the other roles."
. "Need women and minorities at highest levels of University. Still pockets (engineering) where
women faculty need to be recruited." . "Advertise associate provost positions. None have been open to search."

Other statements ordered from least perceived as a problem to most problematic show related concerns. Less than half feel women are treated fairly at UND, that they have
a voice about things that affect them, and that honest efforts are made to hire and recruit women. A disturbing 30% would be afraid to file a complaint or grievance and 26% report
being mentally or emotionally harassed by others at UND. Almost 21% report their health has been negatively affected by their work situation. Over a fourth indicate appearance or
size is a factor in how people are treated. While only 10% report they have been sexually harassed, almost 20% believe it is a problem, suggesting either that sexual harassment may
be underreported because of confusion over its definition or that cases of sexual harassment are more widely known than only to the victim. (Explicit examples of sexual
harassment are provided in written comments.) Fifteen percent report a current problem with their work situation. 6
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Other Statements Strongly Disagree/ Disagree Neutral Strongly Agree/ Agree
Women faculty and staff are treated fairly here 23.7% 29.0% 47.3%
I feel I have a voice about things that affect me at UND 29.3% 26.6% 44.1%
There is an honest effort here to recruit and hire women where they are under-represented 23.7% 38.3% 38.0%

I have been sexually harassed at UND 82.5% 7.7% 9.8%
Other Statements (continued) Strongly Disagree/ Disagree Neutral Strongly Agree/ Agree
At times I fear for my physical safety on campus 78.2% 10.3% 11.5%
I currently have a concern about how I am treated at LIND 69.0% 15.7% 15.3%
My health has been negatively affected by my work situation at UND 65.4% 13.7% 20.9%
I have been mentally or emotionally harassed by others at UND 63.6% 10.2% 26.2%
My workload is unrealistic for one person 55.5% 22.6% 21.90%
People are treated differently here because of their appearance or size 52.0% 22.5% 25.5%
I would be afraid to file a complaint or grievance 48.8% 20.7% 30.5%
Sexual harassment is a problem at UND 46.6% 34.4% 19.0%

Discrimination
The next section of the survey (Section Three) presented various types of discrimination and asked respondents if they had ever witnessed or experienced the stated
behaviors. In order of most problematic statements to the least:

Experiences and Observation of Discrimination Never and Seldom Occasionally Frequently/ Always
I have witnessed or experienced racism 69.0% 19.0% 12.0%
1 have witnessed or experienced sexism 62.5% 27.9% 9.6%
I have witnessed or experienced ageism 78.7% 16.3% 7.0%
1 have witnessed or experienced religious intolerance 85.9% 9.1% 7.0%
1 have witnessed or experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation 75.8% 17.6% 6.6%

I have witnessed or experienced discrimination based on disability 87.9% 9.8% 2.3%

Racism, followed by sexism, was reported as the type of discrimination witnessed or experienced most frequently. Non-white respondents reported higher rates than
White/ Caucasians (more than one-third compared to 11%). When combined with occasional behaviors, the numbers are 37.5% reporting sexism and 31% reporting racism.
Ageism and discrimination based on sexual orientation and on disability also were noted. Fourteen percent of the respondents with disability have witnessed or experienced
discrimination based on disabilities compared to only 2 percent of those without disability. 7
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Department Climate
Section Four of the survey focused on climate specifically within the respondent's department or unit. A list of nine traits was offered along with a scale to indicate whether
favorable or negative aspects of these traits were present. As shown below respondents were more concerned about fairness, treatment of various groups, inclusiveness, and stress
than for their actual safety, although some have this concern.

Scale of Department Climate Negative Neutral Positive
Unsafe to Safe 7% 10% 83%
Racist to Anti-racist 10% 19% 71%
Disrespectful to Respectful 13% 17% 68%
Hostile to Supportive 15% 19% 66%
Unfair to Fair 20% 17% 63%
Gender biased to Gender equitable 18% 20% 62%
Homophobic to Gay Friendly 11% 31% 58%
Exclusionary to Inclusive 22% 24% 55%
Tense to Relaxed 26% 21% 53%

Features of Employment
Section Five of the survey provided two identical lists of ten aspects of employment. In the first list respondents were to check those they consider positive aspects
while in the second list they were to check those they consider all negative or missing aspects of their employment.

Ratings of Employment Positive Negative
Salary 35.6% 54.9%
Facilities 52.8% 19.1%
Benefits 84.1% 8.5%
Flexible schedule 68.7% 13.2%
Job security 52.4% 19.7%
Opportunities for advancement 20.7% 47.0%
Relationships with co-workers 77.2% 12.4%
Relationships with supervisors 57.7% 19.3%
Accommodations for disability 24.2% 7.1%
Accommodations for family 40.9% 11.0% 8
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Among ten indicators, benefits, relationships with co-workers, and flexible schedule were shown to be the top three positive features, while salary, opportunities for
advancement, and relationships with supervisors were rated as the top three negative features to UND respondents.

Sources of Help
The final page of the survey was dedicated to exploring options available on campus to deal with climate concerns as well as dealing with possible programs which
PAC-W or others could implement in the future. The first question explored respondent feelings of safety in going to a variety of possible sources for help. In order of highest
feelings of safety to least, the responses were as follows:

Dealing with Work Situation Would Feel Safe
My supervisor/ department head 67.7%
Affirmative Action Office 40.9%
Campus Police 38.0%
Women's Center 37.4%
Personnel Services 36.8%
University Legal Counsel 26.0%
President's Advisory Council on Women 22.6%
Other 21.2%

The only source of assistance identified by a majority of respondents as a safe place to go for help with a work situation were supervisors, but 32% did not indicate they would
choose this source for help. Since UND discrimination and harassment policies require an employee to start the process of redressing concerns with the supervisor, this finding may
signal a reason that women express concerns about resolution of workplace issues, a particular problem if the issue concerns the supervisor him or herself. The ratings of other
University offices echo concerns in other findings and in written comments, such as this one:

"I feel there is NOT any safe place to go to and I do not trust anyone for fear of being fired."
Building on concerns about safety in seeking help, a second question probed feelings of adequacy of the same possible sources to provide assistance. As shown below,
less then half of the respondents felt they would be helped by any of the current resources available on campus other than their supervisor. 9
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Dealing with Work Situation Would Be Helped
My supervisor/ department head 59.3%
Affirmative Action Office 39.2%
Personnel Services 31.9%
Women's Center 31.7%
Campus Police 26.6%
University Legal Counsel 25.8%
President's Advisory Council on Women 23.2%
Other 10.0%

Most of the written comments dealing with these concerns reflected a feeling that campus sources of assistance were in place to serve the institution, not the employees of
the institution.
"The University protects the University not its employees." . "I find that the people who are the 'problems' have the power and they hold the keys to disciplinary/ termination procedures and you
have no one to turn to! Fire half of the staff and rehire!" . "I would never be going to those offices or the legal counsel office--they are paid by UND! Duh!" . "UND should provide assistance for
people filing grievances and not the UND general counsel office, affirmative action, or personnel office because none of these are for faculty or staff to have protection from termination or character
assassination or destroying someone because there is NOTHING to protect the faculty, staff, and students. I would feel safe and helped going outside the University to the NDPEA or hiring an
attorney. I think that even filling out this survey could be unsafe for faculty and staff so anything worse would be very unsafe for job security. I think there should be someplace off campus that is
safe for people to file grievances. There should be someplace off campus that people can talk with other employee's ( faculty, staff, and students) that is safe from retaliation from UND. People are
isolated by the administration and told not to talk to anyone about the problems and if they talk they are singled out for harassment and termination" . "We need some place to go that would actually

deal with the problem." . "All staff know that university council is there to keep watch out for the university's best interest and that the U's best interest usually lies with the powerful (deans, chairs).
It costs a lot to bring them here and they sue bigger and smarter than a staff person might. At best, a staff person can hope to be moved from an intolerable situation but only after putting up with it for a
considerable period of time, to get solid evidence to 'prove' their case." . "I find it rather interesting that [___] is the hearing officer for hearings for termination of staff members. I would
consider this conflict of interest. [He] was Director of Human Resources for many years at UND. He retired and is now the Hearing Officer. He's getting his retirement checks and is also getting paid to
be UND's hearing officer. How did he get appointed to this position? There needs to be a person in this position that has no ties to the state system . . . . There is widespread harassment at UND, I'm
talking mental not sexual that I have witnessed and been a part of unfortunately. This is prevalent on the UND campus. There is favoritism shown to certain individuals in many of the offices/ depts. on
the UND campus. When this has been addressed to the Dean of the dept. he/ she fluffs it over and says it has been a misunderstanding. There is nowhere on the UND campus for someone to go for
guidance/ support when someone needs help with workplace problems. Human Resources & Affirmative Action are there for the benefit of UND's administration. I addressed this question to the
director of Human Resources and she agreed that there is not a place at UND for a person to go for support with work place problems. I had another person with me at the time and heard her state
that." . "I don't feel there is any true and effective recourse that I would feel safe going to . . ." . 10
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"Supervisors, department heads, affirmative action, personnel, and legal counsel put the University's welfare first— not the employees. It is therefore hard for me to trust those entities'
advice— or for that matter whether they would keep our conversations private. I'm afraid complainant's information is shared with others."

Since the Affirmative Action Office is the primary resource on campus designated to address discrimination and harassment issues affecting women, we asked respondents if
they have used the services and if they were satisfied with them. Seventeen percent of the respondents reported their use of the services of the Affirmative Action Office at UND and
about one-half of the users indicated their satisfaction with the services provided by this office.

The members of PAC-W have felt the need for a more formalized way of assisting women who turn to them for guidance; respondents were asked first if they would be
willing to assist PAC-W provide help for other women with appropriate orientation and training, and secondly if they would use such services if needed. Nearly one-third of the
respondents indicated their willingness to serve as a support for women through the PAC-W program if asked, while 43% of the respondents reported a likelihood to use the
PAC-W services. Feedback to PAC-W, which has had a variety of members and chairs over the past few years, indicates it is apparently not well known, and has had a difficult
time improving the campus climate for women, included:
"I wasn't aware that PAC-W existed and I do not know how to contact them. You are a little-known resource, especially to new employees." . " I don't think PAC-W is taken seriously. The president
should be more active in providing opportunities for women and should take a more vocal stand." . "I might be willing to help PAC-W but I haven't seen where this group has really made any
difference. I would probably not use PAC-W services unless I could be convinced that now it is different and it could make a difference. I was very involved with this committee for a long time
but I never saw anything concrete happen."

Written Comments
Two final questions asked for other comments and suggestions. Of the 516 returned surveys, 207 included written comments. While we all would like to be in a situation
where the comments could be positive, such as these
"Satisfied with UND policies and procedures, seems fair to me." . "UND is a great place to work." . "I think we have a great campus."

unfortunately, the large majority of comments indicate the respondents feel they are not. Despite the widespread nature of concerns, a few were quick to label those who do not
work in supportive environments and those who bring attention to the issues:
"Don't present the negatives. As a woman I don't want to be associated with 'whiners' but 'doers." . "Stay positive!" . "Don't make women sound so pathetic and needy." . "I feel some women
choose to be 'victims' of their circumstances and don't take action to change their situation." . "Less whining would be nice." 11
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Comments ranged from one line to multiple, typed pages attached to the returned survey. Several themes emerged from comments, themes which resonant with responses
given to close-ended survey questions and which were included where appropriate in the above discussion. Some of the 207 comments contained more than one theme; themes
totaled 325. Of these, 17 were positive about UND's climate or expressed satisfaction with their workplace; 12 were negative about conducting the survey or about women who
are negative or dissatisfied with the climate, and 19 urged the Sioux logo be changed. Well over half (190), however, dealt with concerns about:

. handling of workplace complaints at UND and the lack of effective avenues for
dealing with workplace problems; . criticism of specific UND administrators and/ or of the administration generally for

their treatment of women; . harassment, bullying, retaliation, and negative climate issues (some references were
to poor treatment of men as well as women); . salary issues, some expressing concerns not simply that salaries are low, but about
workloads, performance, or seniority not being matched to salaries; . favoritism, double standards for women or some employees versus others, and
problems of lack of accountability; . lack of efforts to hire and promote women and the need for more women in certain
departments and in upper administrative levels; . concerns about the role or effectiveness of the Affirmative Action Office;
. particular issues for women staff, including salary, respect, voice on campus, and
the negative impact of broad banding changes.

Some writers noted their concerns also affected men, that their concerns were connected to race, age, or status as a lecturer, and that women supervisors can be part of
the problem, too. Concerns also were expressed about benefits (seven with another 3 expressing something positive), physical safety (6 comments), the Personnel Office (6
comments, with another 1 positive comment), the University's Legal Counsel (4), the effectiveness and visibility of PAC-W (4), and accommodations for families (4 with two
other positive comments), with 2 positive comments about the Affirmative Action Office (in addition to the negative points mentioned above). A few comments were negative about
efforts or lack thereof to change the Sioux logo or about addressing issues of minority group members. Some addressed problems of lack of response to and accommodation for
disabilities. Miscellaneous concerns dealt with issues such as parking, problems with students, and physical facilities and equipment.

Besides offices, several departments and units were mentioned by name in written comments as having particular problems. Especially troubling and noteworthy were long
stories from different individuals in a particular unit.
Some suggestions for improving the climate included management & personnel training, and education in workplace and women's issues for administrators & employees;
removing individuals from key offices that impact women's employment and treatment; 12
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creating effective and safe means for bringing problems forward without fear of retaliation; improving evaluation processes; "cleaning house"; and focusing on the positive.
Summary
Close and open-ended survey answers suggest, at best, a mixed assessment by respondents of the campus climate for women faculty and staff at UND. While some
women are very positive about their work situation and may feel attention to these issues is unwarranted, a significant portion is mixed in its review and another significant portion is
concerned or dissatisfied. Results suggest the following:
. Differences exist in climate for women within departments (where problems for
women are identified as favoritism, bullying, and unfair treatment and evaluation) and between departments (some departments are better places to work than others).

. The strongest ratings were given by women for treatment by co-workers, for
feelings of safety, and for feeling appreciated for the work they do. . Respondents reported disturbing levels of favoritism, bullying, retaliation, and

mental and emotional abuse. . Respondents identified substantial concerns about fair pay, fair evaluation, and lack
of or unequal promotion and advancement opportunities; . Serious concerns were identified about processes for handling disputes and
complaints, with no source but immediate supervisors identified by a majority as providing a safe or effective place for help with a workplace issue;
. Respondents identified lack of accountability, a "good old boys network," and
concerns about upper administration as related to reasons for problems.

Recommendations
These findings are supported by the separate work of our consultant. We urge the President to respond to these concerns of women by implementing recommendations made
in her report:
1. Appointment of an ombudsperson 2. Appointment of Advisory Committees to increase accountability and transparency.
A. Sexual harassment B. Sexual assault
C. Grievances D. Affirmative Action
3. Review of effectiveness of offices assigned relevant responsibilities; A. Affirmative Action Office
B. University Legal Counsel 4. Review of personnel practices, hiring and appointment patterns and practices, and
salary patterns. 5. Resolution of outstanding complaints. 13

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