HEA surveying students on religion

stimpson

Over the weekend, Mrs stimpson went to orientation in the National College of Ireland. After going through the enrollment process she was asked some questions, apparently as part of a HEA study. These included her mothers occupaiton and her religion.

My first response was that she should have said Jedi, FSM or something equally hilarious. Then, after thinking about it, I started questioning the motive behind it. What possible innocent reason could they have for asking for your religion? Surely it's completely irrelevant to her studies.

Now she's far less militant than I am and she didn't have a huge problem with it, but surely in this day and age somebodys religion is no more of interest than their shoe size. Is it paranoid to think that it could be used against her?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

wait, so we're admitting to the existence of militant atheists now?

Zombrex

stimpson wrote: »

Now she's far less militant than I am and she didn't have a huge problem with it, but surely in this day and age somebodys religion is no more of interest than their shoe size. Is it paranoid to think that it could be used against her?

I imagine it will be used to build statistics for the religious make up of students in higher education for the purposes of allocating resources where they are needed.

We (atheists) complain that there is too much assumption that you must be Catholic if you are in Ireland, so at the very least we can say "no religion" when asked

stimpson

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

wait, so we're admitting to the existence of militant atheists now?

Nope. I'm just generally militant. The fact that I'm an atheist is just coincidence.

stimpson

Wicknight wrote: »

I imagine it will be used to build statistics for the religious make up of students in higher education for the purposes of allocating resources where they are needed.

Why should we be allocating resources based on students beliefs?

Zombrex

stimpson wrote: »

Why should we be allocating resources based on students beliefs?

I can't think of a better thing to be allocating resources based on.

For example, Student A likes track and field, is doing computer science, is living on campas, is devout Christian, member of Young FG

I imagine she would like a well maintained track, access to computer facilities and internet on campus, information about Christian services in the area and perhaps a Christian chaplain on campus, and support for youth politics groups among the clubs and socs facilities so she can either join the local Young FG or start one.

Student B likes football, is doing economics, is living 10 minutes bus from campus, is non-religious, a member of Humanist Ireland

I imagine he would like football facilities, access to computer software for wordprocess and internet on campus, a shuttle bus to the campas from the local area, and support for non-political groups such as Humanists among the clubs and socs facilities.

Again how do you decide where and what resources to allocate without taking into account what the students believe?

stimpson

Wicknight wrote: »

I can't think of a better thing to be allocating resources based on.

For example, Student A likes track and field, is doing computer science, is living on campas, is devout Christian, member of Young FG

I imagine she would like a well maintained track, access to computer facilities and internet on campus, information about Christian services in the area and perhaps a Christian chaplain on campus, and support for youth politics groups among the clubs and socs facilities so she can either join the local Young FG or start one.

But they aren't collecting any of the other information.

In any case, it wasn't for the college, but for the HEA.

Zombrex

stimpson wrote: »

But they aren't collecting any of the other information.

In any case, it wasn't for the college, but for the HEA.

How do you know they aren't? The HEA statistics page seems to have a lot of information

http://www.hea.ie/en/statistics

And the HEA is, as they say themselves, "the statutory planning and policy development body for higher education and research in Ireland."

Kind of difficult to do planning and policy if you don't have a clue who your students are.

Anyway, I really don't get why anyone would be pissed off at being asked what religion they are. I like people to know I'm an atheist, I don't want to be counted as a Christian.

stimpson

Wicknight wrote: »

How do you know they aren't?

The missus told me what she had been asked as part of the study

http://www.hea.ie/en/statistics

And the HEA is, as they say themselves, "the statutory planning and policy development body for higher education and research in Ireland."

Kind of difficult to do planning and policy if you don't have a clue who your students are.

Sure, but I can't find any publication on that site that deals with religion. Age, sex, nationality for sure (I would consider these relevant) but nothing on religion.

Anyway, I really don't get why anyone would be pissed off at being asked what religion they are. I like people to know I'm an atheist, I don't want to be counted as a Christian.

The point is that they have no place asking people in the first place. How you know how that data is going to be used?