By Abby Kozal, Culture Editor
Students majoring in Sociology at Aquinas are facing many issues while conducting research required for their classes. Multiple posters have been placed around campus with QR codes, asking passing students to fill out surveys run by the Sociology Department. Despite this, many Sociology majors are claiming that it has been difficult gathering responses for their surveys.
Sociology majors display informational posters in AB – Photo by Abby Kozal
As an overarching project, many students have been conducting surveys throughout the semester to collect data on various research topics. They are required to give a final presentation on their findings in class as well as present at the Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Symposium in May. Along the way, they work to complete assignments like literature reviews, annotated bibliographies and research reports, but the lack of responses has caused many students some stress.
“I did have some trouble with people wanting to fill out my survey,” senior Mel Beachnau said. “I did research on a controversial topic and a topic that has many misconceptions, so that may have affected my sample size.”
Beachnau researched on students’ perceptions of Critical Race Theory — a topic that has faced much backlash in educational institutions around the country.
“I chose to research Aquinas College’s student perceptions of Critical Race Theory because it is a very relevant topic,” Beachnau said. “With the rollbacks of DEI in many institutions, the value of talking about real history, racial relations, and power imbalances is declining. I wanted to highlight the cultural competency of Aquians students, along with their perceptions of what CRT is.”
Taylor Owen, a senior at Aquinas, is also facing similar issues when it comes to her research.
“I’ve run into a lot of issues that pertain to the inner workings of the college and its status as Catholic,” Owen said. “A lot of my research contradicts what is seen as ‘Catholic values’, and I’ve had a hard time getting people to take my survey because of it.”
Owen has been conducting research on the gendered perceptions of parenthood. She explained that the Sociology Department focuses “on social issues, and many think that it is wrong to learn at a Catholic college.”
Flyer for Owen’s survey – Photo by Abby Kozal
The Women and Gender Studies Department has faced similar backlash from students and faculty alike. As Owen explained, it has been difficult to find a balance between Aquinas’s Catholic Dominican beliefs and the teachings of these programs.
“Personally, I had no issues with getting my research approved,” Owen said, “but I’ve had to think about whether or not I will be able to graduate because of people’s opinions on it.”
A similar struggle was faced by Arabella Cummings and her faculty-approved fairy garden back in 2023. The research project was shut down due to conflicts with Aquinas’ Catholic beliefs. This led to Cummings holding a silent protest in place of her required presentation at the student research symposium.
“So many of my fellow sociology students are afraid to speak their minds on social issues on this Catholic campus in fear of being held from graduating,” Owen said. “I never thought my major would interfere with my ability to graduate in this way.”
The Saint 