The Campus Climate Survey, concerning student life at NIU, is now live.

NIU sent out a mass e-mail Monday that directs students to the survey and offers an individualized access code.

The survey can be completed any time before Feb. 22, and needs to be completed in a single, 20-minute sitting.

The survey is a component of the NIU Great Journeys Strategic Plan, said NIU president John Peters in an e-mail.

The Campus Climate Survey will give students, faculty and staff the opportunity to share feelings and discuss likes and dislikes about student life at NIU, said Provost Ray Alden at University Council Jan. 30.

The questions are strictly opinion-based and designed to gauge students’ level of satisfaction with different aspects of the university, Peters said. Answers will be kept confidential, he said.

“Statements range from the sense of belonging most students feel here and whether faculty care about students as individuals to the approachability of staff, the security of campus and the availability of financial aid,” Peters wrote.

Also, students may find class time allocated for taking the survey.

“If you are teaching a larger class, you may be asked to donate some class time to this endeavor,” said Faculty Senate president Paul Stoddard at Faculty Senate on Jan. 23. “That would be merely asking and not demanding.”

The mass e-mail also gives information on what to do if a student has a problem.

Noel-Levitz, the company that created the survey, will receive the information collected by the survey and report the results, Peters said.

Survey takers are to contact Noel-Levitz if they experience technical difficulties and are to contact NIU for questions about the administration of the survey, according to the mass e-mail.