CivicCon Acadiana: Connecting Campus to Community

Quality of Life Survey 

The results of the new student focused quality-of-life survey has been unveiled!

One Acadiana, in partnership with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, conducted a survey to measure students’ perspectives towards the elements that have the greatest impact on their quality of life in Lafayette. At Civic Con on November 1, 2023, attendees learned about the survey's results and discussed how the findings can be used to strengthen the ties between UL Lafayette students and the wider community, improve the student experience, and help retain more UL Lafayette graduates in the Acadiana region.

Finding and retaining talented professionals is a key investment for businesses to successfully compete. Increasingly, quality of life, including everything from education and healthcare options to community events, has become the deciding factor for many new college graduates. Understanding, from a student’s perspective, what makes Lafayette a great place to live, learn, and work is a critical component to retaining young talent in Acadiana and creating a special place for students to live.

The Office of Sustainability's Director of Sustainability, Dr. Gretchen Vanicor presented the findings and participated in the panel to dicuss connections between the city and university along with trends that were discovered in the survey.

• The survey found that majority of students ranked Parks, Open Space & Recreation, Vibrant Nightlife & Entertainment Options, and Festivals & Arts as Good - Excellent.
• The survey also found that majority of students ranked Public Transportation, Roads & Traffic, Bike Paths, and Sidewalks as Fair - Poor.