Fall 2017 has been update season for Poly Politics. Now included in the list of updates is the addition of Cuesta College data to the site. 

Key findings: 

• The Republican to Democrat for faculty at Cuesta College sits at 1 : 2.19 ; at the college level, there are a little more than 2 registered Democrat instructors for every 1 registered Republican instructor. 
• Overview of academic area break-down:
  • Zero Republicans in 3 of 15 areas
  • Republican plurality in 4 of 15 areas (typically not by a large margin)
  • Democrat plurality or majority in 8 of 15 areas (typically by a large margin)

 

• Greater detail about academic area break-down:
  • Zero Republicans in 
    • English
    • Performing Arts
    • Physical Sciences
  • For the remainder, the Republican to Democrat ratios are:
    • Biology: 1:3.5
    • Business Education: 1:1.44
    • Counseling: 1:8
    • Engineering & Technology: 1.15:1
    • ESL: 1:4.67
    • Fine Arts: 1:7.5
    • Human Development: 1:1.67
    • Kinesiology: 1.83:1
    • Languages & Communiations: 1:4
    • Mathematics: 1.1:1
    • Nursing & Allied Health: 1.57:1
    • Social Sciences: 1:3.75

More discussion about the Cuesta College data, in addition to comparisons to other data is forthcoming--check back for blog post(s) this coming week.

Also, as a passing thought/comment .... With the addition of Cuesta to the site, the "Poly" in Poly Politics no longer refers to "Cal Poly," but now reflects "Poly" in the more classic sense of the word (i.e., multiple, many)

Data on Cal Poly's faculty has been officially updated. 2017-2018 data on Cal Poly Faculty is now available.

Key "big picture" take-aways from update:

• More rigorous search methodology allowed for a dramatic reduction in the "Can't determine" category, dropping to 5 in the 2017-2018 data from 68 in the 2013-2014 data
• With spreadsheets, visitors to the site are able to easily and quickly switch between different years of data, at the department, college, and university level. This allows for quick and easy comparison--to quickly see changes over time (if any)

Forthcoming, a discussion of the trends and notable findings will be posted here on the blog.

Poly Politics continues to be a relevant and frequently visited site, but as the site nears its 5th year, a refresh is much needed.

​The resulting product of this refresh is a site that I think is brighter, more user-friendly, and presents the data in a much more streamlined manner. I hope you will agree. Data, as you will see (or already have seen) is presented in a slightly different format. In addition to the names of faculty in every department (at the time when the data was collected) and the pie-chart for the department/area, the specific numbers for each category are also enumerated. The use of Google Sheets to display the data will also facilitate easier updates to the data in years to come. Further, using Google Sheets makes it easy to quickly switch between years, to see how the partisan split of individual departments, of colleges, or of the campus overall may change over time.

And on the note of updates to the data, with the most recent data coming from the 2013-2014 academic year, it is time for an update! So, also to coincide with the site entering its 5th year, updated data is forthcoming! Expect updated data to be posted by November (I'll post here when everything has been updated).

I hope interested individuals will continue to find the data relevant and important. I also hope the data will lead people to pause and consider what it means, particularly as related to viewpoint/intellectual/viewpoint diversity.

​Enjoy the site!

Hundreds of hours, and a few months later, that which I thought at one point to be a 'neat idea' but not really attainable has finally gone live. I'm cuttin' it close too. With the election being only five days away there couldn't have been a better time for this information to become available. My hope is that this information will provide a greater insight to an aspect of Cal Poly, SLO 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, or administration to pause and think about what the numbers present--especially what they may present when analyzed longitudinally. Let the numbers speak for themselves!     -- N8