Report on Administrative Communications with the Student Body: Milton S. Eisenhower Library, Hopkins Student Center, and Board of Trustees
March 4th, 2024
Director of Research, Jason Shumsky Student Body President, Ryan Chou Student Body Vice President, Jackson Morris
Recently there have been two large construction projects discussed around campus: the Milton S. Eisenhower Library (MSE) renewal and the Hopkins Student Center (HSC) building. In listening to student opinions, the Student Government Administration (SGA) has noticed a disappointment in the communications from official administrators with the student body on these topics. In preparation for the upcoming Board of Trustees meeting, the SGA sought to define the extent of this problem. To study how informed the Johns Hopkins student body feels on these topics, a survey focused on investigating how and when students were informed, their feelings towards these communications, and their familiarity with the Board of Trustees structure was developed. The survey received 468 responses. 158 responses (33.8%) were from Freshmen, 155 (33.1%) were from Sophomores, 88 (18.8%) were from Juniors, 54 (11.5%) were from Seniors, and 13 (2.8%) were from Graduate students. Additionally, 207 (44.2%) respondents were from the Whiting School of Engineering, 257 (54.9%) respondents were from the Krieger School of Arts and Science, 3 (0.6%) respondents were from the Peabody Conservatory, and 1 (0.2%) respondent was from the Bloomberg School of Public Health. These demographics relatively represent the makeup of the student body, with a slight skew towards the Freshmen and Sophomore classes.
Majority of respondents do not feel informed about MSE and HSC construction status: 420 respondents (89.7%) indicated that they do not feel informed about the construction status of the simultaneous closure of the MSE library and the Student Center.
Majority of respondents do not feel informed about new alternative spaces for students: 436 respondents (93.2%) indicated that they do not feel informed about the University's plans to provide social and academic spaces/services for students during the simultaneous closure of the MSE library and the Student Center.
Majority of respondents were informed about HSC delays and MSE closure through non-official or administrative communications: 403 respondents (86.1%) indicated that they were first informed of the HSC construction delay through non-official means. 260 (55.6%) first heard through word-of-mouth among students, 80 (17.1%) first heard from the SGA, and 48 (10.3%) did not know prior to completing the survey. 438 respondents (93.6%) indicated that they were first informed of the MSE construction delay through non-official means. 326 (69.7%) first heard through word-of-mouth among students, 46 (9.8%) first heard from the SGA, and 6 (1.3%) did not know prior to completing the survey.
Majority of respondents are unaware of the JHU Board of Trustees, what it does, and its past & current projects: 264 (56.4%) of respondents indicated that they were unaware of the existence of the JHU Board of Trustees. 427 (91.2%) of respondents indicated that they were not familiar with the role of the JHU Board of Trustees in University governance. 456 (97.4%) of respondents indicated that they were not familiar with the projects of and decisions made by the JHU Board of Trustees prior to the 2023-2024 academic year. 445 (95.1%) of respondents indicated that they were not familiar with the projects of and decisions made by the JHU Board of Trustees during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Majority of respondents are unfamiliar with the Ten for One plan: 381 (81.4%) of respondents indicated that they were not familiar with the University’s Ten for One plan.
Survey first draft was prepared by Jason Shumsky Survey revisions were prepared by Jackson Morris, Jason Shumsky, and Ryan Chou Survey distribution was performed by Jackson Morris and Ryan Chou Data analysis and report preparation was done by Jason Shumsky