Advisory: As Halifax Water is currently undertaking work at the Fountain campus, we ask our community to not drink the water at the Fountain campus. We will update you as soon as the work has been completed.

Census

This is your NSCAD, make it count! Participate in NSCAD’s 2022 equity census today for a chance to win prizes and create change at NSCAD.

TO COMPLETE THE CENSUS

Please click here to begin the 2022 census.

NSCAD University’s equity census is running from October 11-21, 2022. It takes less than five minutes to complete. The responses collected are completely confidential and will be reported only in the aggregate. If you have any questions or require further information, refer to the FAQ below or email EDI@nscad.ca

Census FAQ

WHAT IS A CENSUS?

A census is a survey used to collect and record details of individuals within a population (in this case, the NSCAD community).

The data will be analyzed and evaluated to help further understand the makeup of our community and the scope of NSCAD’s diversity.

WHY CONDUCT ONE?

The data collected during the census will be used to discover who is part of the NSCAD community, and who is underrepresented. We may not be engaging fully with diverse community groups, and with this information, we will work to remove barriers to participation throughout our programs, services and employment environment. By completing the census annually, we will also be able to measure our growth and successes in promoting equity and inclusion throughout NSCAD.

HOW MANY QUESTIONS WILL BE ON THE CENSUS?

There will be less than 20 multiple choice questions, and the survey should take less than five minutes to complete. You will then be invited to participate in further focus groups or information gathering sessions if you so choose.

WHEN WILL THE RESULTS BE AVAILABLE AND HOW WILL THEY BE SHARED?

When the survey closes on October 21, it will take approximately four weeks to analyze the data. Once that’s completed, a report will be developed and shared with the NSCAD community. We anticipate this will occur in November 2022.

WHY PARTICIPATE?

The more people participate in the census, the better NSCAD will be able to plan and prioritize its EDI efforts successfully and accurately.

WHO IS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CENSUS?

Students (graduate and undergraduate, part-time or full-time), staff (both full-time and part-time), and faculty (both full-time and part-time) will be invited to participate.

HOW WILL WE BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE?

Everyone will receive an invitation to participate in the survey through their NSCAD email.

HOW WILL MY INFORMATION BE PROTECTED?

The census will be sent to the NSCAD community using our survey software Explorance:BLUE (“Blue”). The data will be collected and saved on Blue’s server. Blue is a Canadian company offering best-in-class data privacy and top security.

IS PARTICIPATION MANDATORY?

Participation is voluntary and the amount of information shared is completely your choice. For every question, you may choose not to answer and skip ahead. As mentioned above, the exercise will only be successful if we get a large number of participants. The more people participate, the more accurate the outcomes will be for NSCAD. We’ve heard you; you want NSCAD to continue to make improvements in our equity, diversity and inclusion efforts. Now is your chance to help.

WHEN WILL THE CENSUS TAKE PLACE?

The census will take place between October 11 – 21, 2022.

WHO WILL HAVE ACCESS TO MY DATA?

The information collected will only be available by NSCAD’s FOIPOP Officer. The information gathered will not be tied to any individual, and it will be aggregated before sharing to help ensure the results remain confidential.

IS MY PARTICIPATION CONFIDENTIAL? COULD MY ANSWERS BE LINKED TO ME?

Your participation and your answers will be kept confidential. Only the FOIPOP Officer will have access to the individual responses, and they will aggregate the data before sharing the results with any other group. When you complete the census, you are not required to give your name or email address unless you choose to be contacted to participate in future focus groups. Even if you do volunteer to participate in a focus group, your contact information will be saved separately from your census responses so that they are not linked to you.

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH MY DATA?

The data will:

  • allow for a more accurate understanding of the needs of the NSCAD community
  • inform new processes, like service responses and setting employment equity and recruitment targets, to better serve students, staff and faculty
  • give the ability to consistently and continuously measure and report the successes of NSCAD’s EDI endeavors

If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to reach out to EDI@nscad.ca.