Poly Politics Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

This is your campus. This is how it is split. Poly Politics currently reports current political affiliation data on Cal Poly, SLO faculty, administrators, and others that have a direct impact on the every-day operation and function of the university.

Groups Featured AdministrationASI Cal Poly Corporation College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences College of Architecture College of Engineering College of Liberal Arts College of Science and Math Orfalea College of Business ASI Student Government Student Life and Leadership

Personal Perceptions of Cal Poly What does Cal Poly look like to you? What does Cal Poly look like compared to other Universities?

1554 individuals analyzed

The Winners and Losers

A “College” Perspective 1. College of Liberal Arts 2. College of Science and Mathematics 3. College of Architecture & Environmental Design 4. Orfalea College of Business 5. College of Engineering 6. College of Agriculture & Environmental Science 1 = Worst, 6 = Best out of the 6

College of Liberal Arts

College of Science & Mathematics

College of Architecture & Environmental Design

Orfalea College of Business

College of Engineering

College of Agriculture and Environmental Science

Administration (the people running the show...to a degree)

Top 8 Democrat Strongholds 1. Ethnic Studies: 89% D, 0% R 2. History: 67% D, 0% R 3. Women's & Gender Studies: 62% D, 0% R 4. Recreation, Parks, & Tourism Management: 57% D, 0% R 5. Biological Sciences: 52% D, 3% R; 17.33:1 Democrats to Republicans 6. English: 53% D, 4% R; 13.25:1 Democrats to Republicans 7. Social Sciences: 61% D, 5% R; 12.2:1 Democrats to Republicans 8. Theater & Dance: 67% D, 7% R; 9.57:1 Democrats to Republicans

Top 8 Republican Strongholds 1. Agriculture Education and Communications: 62% R, 0% D 2. Animal Science: 50% R, 11% D; 4.54:1 Republicans to Democrats 3. Management: 26% R, 16% D; 1.625:1 Republicans to Democrats 4. Materials Engineering: 30% R, 20% D; 1.5:1 Republicans to Democrats 5. Construction Management: 37% R, 27% D; 1.37:1 Republicans to Democrats 6. Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences: 40% R, 30% D; 1.33:1 Republicans to Democrats 7. 7) Industrial Technology: 33% R, 25% D; 1.32:1 Republicans to Democrats 8. 8) Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering: 39% R, 33% D; 1.18:1 Republicans to Democrats

Top 5 Most Politically Diverse Departments 1. Finance: 25% D, 25% NP, 25% R, 25% Unk.; 1:1:1:1 2. Liberal Studies: 33% D, 33% R, 33% Unk.; 1:1:1 3. Kinesiology: 46% D, 8% NP, 46% R; 5.75:1: Dairy Science: 22% D, 56% NP, 22% R; 1:2.54:1 5. Journalism: 40% D, 30% NP, 30% R; 1.33:1:1

ImplicationsImplications

Does the political affiliation of faculty and administration truly represent intellectual diversity through broad and semi- even split proportions along the political spectrum? If the political affiliation of faculty and administration is not diverse and is instead skewed to one side of the spectrum can we truly have, promote, and grow the intellectually diverse climate on campus? If the political affiliation of faculty and administration is not diverse and is instead skewed to one side of the spectrum can we truly have, promote, and grow the intellectually diverse climate on campus? (Can we have intellectual diversity on campus if those teaching Cal Poly students and managing the campus' affairs are not themselves diverse?) If the political affiliation of faculty and administration is skewed to one side of the political spectrum, does this suggest bias or flaw in the current system of hiring, promotion, and retention? If the political affiliation of faculty and administration is skewed to one side of the political spectrum can Cal Poly students receive an adequate, thorough, and unbiased education to prepare them for the "real world"? If the political affiliation of faculty and administration is skewed to one side of the political spectrum can Cal Poly students learn and thrive and have the ability to come to their own conclusions and form their own opinions separate of a bias/lean, if one exists? If the political affiliation of faculty and administration is skewed to one side of the political spectrum can students on the minority side of the skew/bias flourish and receive an education uninhibited due to their personal beliefs/affiliation being different? Does political affiliation have any sort of impact on anything? (**substitute “political” for “intellectual” …. Use interchangeably)

Moving Forward

My hope is that this information will provide a greater insight to an aspect of Cal Poly (and higher education in general) that is often considered a “taboo” topic, and will in turn generate a lively and civil campus discussion. Maybe it will bring those affiliated with Cal Poly as students, faculty, administrators, or alumni to pause and think about what the numbers present. Let the numbers speak for themselves! Data available for referencing, and it would be quite neat if it triggers some further analyses or projects by other students

New Additions will be coming to the site as I have time to add other elements!

Further Research from a Psychology angle (visit : Political Diversity Among University Faculty Across Disciplines Political Diversity Among University Faculty at Multiple Universities

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