Your Voice, Your Experience — A Q&A with Melanie Bernitz and Marcy Ferdschneider on LENS

Reposted from University Life.

The Columbia University LENS Survey is open through March 13 and we’re inviting students across all campuses to take part! This survey offers an opportunity to share honest feedback about what it’s like to be a student at Columbia. Your insights help us better understand what’s working, where we can grow, and how we can more meaningfully support students across physical and mental well-being, sexual respect, and connection and belonging.

If you haven’t seen it yet, your personalized survey link was sent to your Columbia inbox from [email protected]. 

The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete, and every response helps ensure you are represented in the data that informs future decisions. You can skip any questions you don’t feel comfortable answering. Participation is completely voluntary and strictly confidential — no one at Columbia will have access to responses connected to your name or email address. Students who complete the survey will be entered to win daily and post-survey gift card prizes. 

To learn more about why LENS Survey data matters and how your feedback will shape what comes next, we spoke with Melanie Bernitz, M.D., M.P.H, Executive Vice President for University Life and Wellbeing, and Marcy Ferdschneider, Assistant Vice President for Student Health on Haven.

Q. How does the LENS Survey serve as an important tool for Columbia in understanding the student experience?
A. Data from the LENS Survey provides a comprehensive, 360-degree view of our students’ experience, across schools and across campuses. It allows us to not only see the strengths and opportunities today, but to track trends over time, so we can see the impact of any changes, improvements, or interventions Columbia implemented as a result of these findings.

Q. How does student participation in the LENS Survey directly influence decisions, programs, or priorities across the University?
A. We take the responses very seriously and use it to guide our programming, services, resources, and priorities. The more students who participate, the more representative the sample is, and the better able we are to use the data to impact the student experience.

Q. Can you share an example of how past survey feedback has led to meaningful change or action?
A. Staffing decisions at Columbia Health have been directly tied to various survey data. For example, we grew the wellness coaching program at Alice! Health Promotion as a firsthand result of seeing the need for low-entry barriers to services and life skills development (such as stress management, sleep practices, etc.). Some of our group programming at Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) has come as a result of seeing common conditions that impact our students. We also invested in being able to provide additional support through Disability Services when data showed the impact of students’ disabilities on academics.

Student Health on Haven has used the data to support staffing decisions as well as program development. In addition, the data has been used to develop initiatives through the Student Health Impact Partnership (SHIP). For example, the Curriculum Infusion Working Group has used information about the impact of academic challenges on well-being in guiding their work. We share population-level data with schools and programs so that we can partner with them in supporting their students.

Q. What kinds of topics or areas does the LENS Survey help the University better understand?
A. The Survey covers four main aspects of the student experience: physical health, mental health, inclusion and belonging, and gender-based misconduct. The most important way to think about it is that LENS looks holistically at all the elements – not just academic – that tie into the student experience, and then see how all of these factors impact students’ overall time at Columbia.

Q. What would you say to a student who’s unsure whether taking the survey will make a difference?
A. Trust us. It makes a difference. Your voice is a unique data point that no one else can provide, and with it we are able to see the full picture of the student experience at Columbia. Decisions ranging from health and well-being support services, campus-wide policies, and programming are impacted with the data from LENS. The more students who respond, the more robust information we receive, which can then be used for planning and shared with schools to aid with programming and resources. 

Q. Why is it important for a wide range of students across campuses and identities to participate?
A. We have an incredibly diverse campus in that we have multiple schools and programs, ranging from undergraduate, graduate, to professional. This means University offices must be able to meet the needs of students who come from a wide range of ages, identities, and lived experiences. We need to hear from every person so that all these experiences are represented, ensuring that campus supports like Columbia Health, Student Health on Haven, and University Life reflect that diversity. 

If you have questions, you can visit the LENS Survey website or contact the team directly at [email protected].