As Temple continues to research and explore the impact of the proposed multipurpose facility, including an on-campus football stadium, gathering student and faculty feedback is an essential part of the process.

Last month, Temple Student Government (TSG) collaborated with Institutional Research and Assessment to distribute a survey so students could share their thoughts about the proposed development. Also, the Faculty Senate took a vote on a three-part resolution.

Here, we take a look at the results from the student survey and the faculty vote. One point to note in both results: Only a small percentage of students and faculty responded to their peers’ call for feedback. 

STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS 
The survey was sent to nearly 38,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students at Temple’s U.S. campuses. At the survey’s close in mid-April, in response to a question about support, 87.6 percent of students (33,077) did not respond, 6.6 percent (2,504) do not support building the multipurpose facility, 3.6 percent (1,356) do support it and 1.3 percent (506) are neutral. Less than one percent (324) of students chose not to answer this question, but answered other questions on the survey. 

The greatest concern among students who oppose the project is how this development would affect neighbors. Nearly 70 percent of that group are concerned about the impact the proposed multipurpose facility could have on the communities surrounding campus.

Also, approximately 61 percent of survey participants somewhat disagree or strongly disagree that Temple students have a good relationship with their neighbors. A majority of students think they could be more mindful about trash and noise levels in the community that Temple shares with longtime residents. 

Creating the best student experience—on and off campus—is a priority. Through the survey, the university was able to discover which aspects of the proposed facility students think would be most beneficial for campus life and the university. 

Students were asked to rank various reasons for supporting the facility from one to five—a majority shared that their top two reasons are that the development would be more cost-effective than playing at Lincoln Financial Field, and that football game attendance would improve. Students also think campus visits would increase. 

Learn more by viewing the full survey report. 

FACULTY SENATE VOTE 
The Faculty Senate is a group of full-time faculty and librarians from all the university’s schools and colleges. The group acts as advisors to the administration and the Board of Trustees, and the president and provost are ex-officio members. 

In late February, the group hosted a special meeting during which President Englert presented information and answered questions about the proposed multipurpose facility. 

The Faculty Senate passed a resolution:

• They’re requesting the Board of Trustees changes its decision to apply for project approval through the Philadelphia Planning Commission.
• They want more information about the project to be available to all members of the Temple community and neighbors.
• They would like to see a joint faculty and administration task force created to review potential health risks that football players may face. 

There are 2,292 full-time faculty and librarians across the university. Of this total, approximately 495 members, or 22 percent, submitted ballots.

The results show that 375 (16.4 percent) of members supported the resolution, 106 (4.6 percent) did not, 14 members (0.6 percent) voted to abstain, and the largest number, 1,797 (78.4 percent) did not vote. 

As the university continues to solicit feedback from all members of our community, you are encouraged to be a part of the ongoing conversation about the proposed facility. 

To share your thoughts on the project, email officeofthepresident@temple.edu.