Southern Methodist University removes cultural survey

DALLAS – A Southern Methodist University survey that asks questions such as "Why are black people so loud?" and "Do black people hate America?" has been taken down following complaints.

The online survey distributed by the university's Cultural Intelligence Initiative was taken down Thursday after the link was shared on Twitter, the Dallas Morning News reported .

Maria Dixon Hall, who leads the initiative, said the survey was removed to ensure data wouldn't be skewed by responses not affiliated with the university. She said it's intended as an internal conversation about questions students want to ask about races, cultures, religions and ideologies.

The survey launched in November 2017, and Dixon Hall said no complaints had been filed until this week.

"We're not taking it down because we're wrong, we're taking it down because it wasn't for everybody," said Dixon Hall.

The survey provided the university with data about areas where students needed better cultural education.

Dixon Hall said students, faculty and staff anonymously submitted the questions, which included "Do black people get sunburned?"

The survey contained a disclaimer warning that some of the language is "explicit and some people may find it uncomfortable."

Dixon Hall said it may look like the university survey is perpetuating stereotypes to an outsider. The initiative aims to help students better communicate across racial, generational, class and ideological divides, she said.

"As an African-American, I've heard people ask (those questions)," she said. "I think that's where we are with race in this country. We can't have an authentic conversation. We are coached to have a polite conversation, which means we can't ask questions."

Dixon Hall said the university plans to launch another survey soon, which will focus on students' questions about gender.

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Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com