Painting a portrait of Dal student life

Are you Facebook friends with your mom? Do you take a lead role in campus events, believe in the glass ceiling, or occasionally suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)? These are the sorts of insights that Dalhousie students are sharing in the Dal Profile survey.

Not your typical survey, the Dal Profile paints a portrait of student life in a myriad of forms. Students currently enrolled at Dalhousie are invited to anonymously share their likes, interests and experiences across a breadth of categories, from on-campus involvement to health, wellness and future aspirations. Survey respondents also get to have their say on priorities for university investments in student services.

Students can expect a survey reminder in their inbox this week. Those who complete the online survey will have the opportunity to win one of three iPads.

The value in sharing

The cultural landscape for Canadian post-secondary students is dynamic and changing due to a number of factors, including the introduction of new technologies and communications tools. As part of a national benchmarking survey, the Dal Profile will provide insight into common trends across the Canadian post-secondary system.

More importantly, on an internal level, survey results will be used to inform decision making on improvements to programs and services in support of Dal students and the overall student life experience.

According to Dalhousie Student Union Vice-President Student Life Jamie Arron, student life at Dal is only getting better. “The university has always had a strong track record of academic achievement,” says Mr. Arron. “But over the past five years, there has definitely been a heightened sense of community and Dal pride.”

He points to the success of Dalhousie’s Homecoming festivities introduced in 2010 and celebrated this past October. “The black and gold Dal spirit is taking over campus.”

Echoing spirit

Mr. Arron’s sentiments are shared by Vice-President of Student Services Bonnie Neuman in the recent Student Services publication, The Dalhousie Student Life Experience. For Dr. Neuman, the last several years were banner years in terms of Dal students’ efforts to create new traditions and spearhead positive change—as evidenced in the design the Dal flag competition and campaign to make Halifax a 'Fair Trade Town.' Both projects were inspired by the DSU’s Brains for Change Challenge, a one-of-a-kind networking and mentorship program designed to promote knowledge lively connections and knowledge exchange among students.

“Every year, I see more and more Dalhousian spirit in action,” says Dr. Neuman. “It is infused in everything that Dal students do—in the classroom, across campus, on the web and in local, national and international communities.”

To find out more about Dalhousie’s campus community and services for students, check out The Dalhousie Student Life Experience: Our Report to Dal Students, 2010–11.