Although no student ever wants to be sent into university-mandated quarantine or isolation, weekly surveys of Eastview Terrace guests are finding Penn State is improving across the board.

The university began using questionnaires to poll affected students on the conditions and services offered at Eastview Terrace. Then, administrators use the data to plan for the future.

“The team will continue to use this feedback to improve the student experience,” said Adam Christensen, director of Student Affairs Research and Assessment. “We want our students to feel more comfortable while they are dealing with quarantine and isolation.”

Weekly surveys are offered only to those coming out of on-campus isolation. Included questions are answered in levels of satisfaction ranging from “very satisfied” to “very dissatisfied.” All percentages shown reflect the number of students who answered from “very satisfied” to “somewhat satisfied.”

In the fall, surveys were conducted from Monday, September 7, to Friday, October 23, with a 32% student response rate. So far this spring, just 16% of students responded to the survey.

Here’s what the data shows so far this semester:

Accommodations

Food Services

	Spring 2021	Fall 2020
Meal delivery times each day	73.7%	80%
Quantity of food per meal	81.6%	67.8%
Overall quality of food	55.3%	38.7%
Accommodations for dietary restrictions	90%	67.7%
Communication of meal delivery schedule	73.7%	69.8%

Experience Before Beginning Quarantine/Isolation

	Spring 2021	Fall 2020
Instructions on how to get to their quarantine/isolation room on campus	84.2%	65.4%
Communication/instructions for the overall quarantine/isolation process	76.3%	54.6%
Travel assistance to their quarantine/isolation room	63.1%	40%
Communication of available support/resources for physical needs	89.2%	61%
Communication of available support/resources for their mental health and emotional needs	89.2%	55.6%

Experience During Quarantine/Isolation

	Spring 2021	Fall 2020
Speediness of staff in responding to needs	94.6%	76%
Helpfulness of staff	100%	78.6%
Availability of resources for their overall health	94.6%	57.4%

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Overall, conditions at Eastview appear to have improved across the board since last fall. Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs, recognizes that the efforts for improvement have paid off, but there is always room for further growth.

“I am glad that our efforts to provide for their needs have benefited from steady improvement,” Sims said. “Meanwhile, we all must persist with our commitment to do what we must to minimize this threat and keep our community safe, and I am confident we shall.”