Poll: Most students do not oppose "R" Business program

Seventy-three percent of students either approve of or are indifferent to a male-only Living and Learning community scheduled to start next fall for freshmen, according to a Collegian survey.

A story reporting on the gender-restrictive nature of the program called "R" Business garnered 38 reaction comments on The Collegian's website and a letter to the editor from Nancy Bagranoff, the business school dean.

One commenter, Jake Morrison, wrote: "I've never understood this school's fascination with separating men and women. Even from a purely political standpoint, they give themselves a lot of unnecessary headaches."

The Collegian survey, which received responses from 63 randomly selected males and 42 randomly selected females, found:

* 46 percent of men, compared to 31 percent of women, supported "R" Business

* A plurality of women, 43 percent, disapproved of its male-only nature

* Underclassmen and upperclassmen supported "R" Business in nearly identical proportions -- 26 percent and 27 percent

* 65 percent of students were unconcerned that no co-ed, first-year Living and Learning communities currently existed at the university

* Female business majors approved and disapproved of "R" Business in identical proportions -- 36 percent and 36 percent

* 40 percent of students who had lived in Living and Learning communities disapproved of "R" compared to 23 percent of students who had not participated in Living and Learning communities

* A majority of male business students, 70 percent, supported "R" Business

Click here to view a PDF document with relevant charts.

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Students polled were asked:

1) A male-only Living and Learning community affiliated with the Robins School of Business and its faculty will begin next fall for freshmen. How do you feel about that? (Approve, Oppose or Don't Care)

2) No co-ed, first-year Living and Learning communities exist currently at the university. Does this concern you? (Yes or No)

3) Are you a business major?

4) Have you ever been part of a Living and Learning community at UR?

5) Are you male or female?

6) Are you a first-year student, sophomore, junior or senior?

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The selection of survey subjects is explained:

1. A serial number was attached to every dorm room on campus.
2. A random number generator produced a choice of numbers, 344 in total, between the first serial and the last serial.
3. Collegian reporters conducted in-person interviews at the dorm rooms corresponding to the randomly generated serials.
4. Reporters received responses from 105 interviewees, 63 males and 42 females, despite the random number generator's selection of 99 male dorms, 126 female dorms and 119 co-ed dorms.

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The issue of defining sex:

Reporters asked interviewees their sex. "M" was recorded when the interviewee replied male, and "F" was recorded when the interviewee said female.

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About the sample size:

- 105 responses correspond to 4% of all students who live on-campus.

- The 41 responses received from business students correspond to 6% of all business students.

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Are the results a good indicator of overall campus mentality?

The typical sample size for a Gallup poll is 1,000 national adults, according to Gallup.com. The U.S. population is roughly 307 million.

The appropriateness of the Collegian survey's conclusions relies on the extent to which the student population fits the normal distribution (for any of the first two questions).

Contact staff writer Tanveer Ahmed at tanveer.ahmed@richmond.edu