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Highlights 

Below are key findings and action opportunities based on 2024 LENS Survey data. The Survey Group has shared these findings with University leaders and are engaged in ongoing conversations to integrate these opportunities to improve the student experience in policy and practice. 

Life at Columbia 

• Faculty play an important role in students’ lives. 
   
• As an institution, Columbia may wish to: 
   
  • Identify opportunities that support student well-being and academic success by engaging faculty with the data.
     
• Career concerns, time management challenges, and housing & financial challenges were cited as the most common experiences that negatively impacted students lives. 
   
• As an institution, Columbia may wish to: 
   
  • Explore enhanced career services and ensure access for all students. 
     

Basic Needs 

• Four out of five students reported experiencing difficulty paying for basic necessities at least sometimes, and 36% of respondents scored in the range classified as food insecure. 
   
• As an institution, Columbia may wish to: 
   
  • Evaluate how best to support students’ needs through direct resources and strategic referrals. 
     

Physical Health 

• Headache, upper respiratory infection/virus, and sleep disorder were cited as the most common medical condition that negatively impacted students’ lives. 
   
• As an institution, Columbia may wish to: 
   
  • Engage with faculty to support students with short- and long-term medical needs that may impact their ability to attend or participate in classes.
  • Identify additional opportunities for primary and secondary prevention to reduce illness and support student success. 

Sleep 

• Respondents reported getting enough sleep to feel rested only 17 out of 30 days. 
   
• As an institution, Columbia may wish to: 
   
  • Explore how campus priorities can be a barrier to sleep hygiene and assess how environmental, structural, and policy changes could positively impact sleep.
     
  • Engage with students to determine how their individual behaviors impact their sleep and how changes could improve their sleep quality.
     
  • Explore how individual priorities can be barriers to sleep hygiene and adapt existing programs to address these barriers. 
     

Mental Health 

• Anxiety, depression, and ADD/ADHD were cited as the most common medical condition that negatively impacted students’ lives. 
   
• As an institution, Columbia may wish to: 
   
  • Explore environmental and policy changes that could positively impact mental health.
     
  • Engage students to identify and overcome barriers to accessing mental health support.
     
  • Engage with faculty to determine ways to infuse practices that positively impact student mental health into their classes.
     
  • Explore different ways to connect students with the appropriate level of support.
     
  • Engage students in skill-building opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom. 
     

Substance Use 

• Majority of respondents reported consuming alcohol (77%) and tended to consume in no more than a moderate risk manner. While 81% of respondents think a typical Columbia student engages in higher risk drinking (5+ drinks/day), only 8% report engaging in this behavior. 
   
• As an institution, Columbia may wish to: 
   
  • Explore ways to focus harm reduction efforts on infrequent higher-risk drinking events.
     
  • Explore ways to correct misperceptions about students’ substance use and misuse. 
     

Well-Being 

• 75% of respondents positively endorsed the statement “I feel I belong at Columbia.” Friendships were the most frequently reported factor that contributed a lot or somewhat to respondents’ sense of belonging (91%).  Over half of respondents also cited connections with staff and administrators (57%) as well as orientation experiences (53%) as influential factors.

• As an institution, Columbia may wish to: 

  • Engage with students to determine the variety of ways in which they would like to build connections with other students, faculty, and staff.

  • Normalize the typical stressors and setbacks found in the university setting as challenges that many students can and will overcome with sufficient support.
     

Gender Based Misconduct

• More than 80% of survey respondents reported having ever received gender-based misconduct information from someone at Columbia, including definitions of consent and gender-based misconduct, Columbia’s policy regarding gender-based misconduct, and gender-based misconduct resources offered on campus. While 5% of respondents reported not receiving this information, all Columbia students receive mandatory training on these topics. Furthermore, 78% feel they would know where to seek assistance and 72% believe they would be able to report such incidents appropriately. 

• As an institution, Columbia may wish to:

  • Explore ways to minimize known barriers to accessing campus resources.