Sustainability Institute

Climate Resilience: Campus and Community Planning
Consent to Participate in Research  

Purpose of the research: Stephanie Spehar, Brad Spanbauer and Melissa Bublitz, from SIRT (UWO Sustainability Institute for Regional Transformations) are conducting a research project on resilience planning for our campus and our community. This research is the first in a series of steps to gather input from the UWO campus community as well as the surrounding community to guide climate resilience planning. You are being asked to participate because as a faculty member, staff member, student, or community member you will be affected by climate change in the future and UWO’s collective efforts to mitigate future risks associated with climate change. This consent form contains important information about this project and what to expect if you decide to participate. Please consider the information carefully. Feel free to ask questions before making your decision whether or not to participate.  

Procedures: Your participation at this time will involve completing an online survey. We plan to gather information (in an anonymous fashion) to prioritize concerns as well as provide input into campus planning to mitigate risks associated with climate change.  

Time Involvement: You may participate in one or more parts of this research project (future steps will include listening sessions and focus groups). Participation in the online survey is estimated to take about 10-12 minutes. 

Risks & Benefits:  The risks associated with this study are minimal. Learning more about the risks associated with climate change can increase your concern for the future. However, this is also an opportunity to help identify priorities for planning a resilient future within our community. There are no direct benefits to participating but the more variety of campus and community members we hear from during this research, the better our ability to understand future risks from different points of view which increases our ability to plan for a resilient future. By participating, you may also help our community prioritize and plan for future risks and build up our resilience. 

Privacy & Confidentiality of your Information: The results of this research study may be presented at scientific or professional meetings or published in scientific journals.  Your individual privacy will be maintained in all published and written data resulting from the study. Data collected via survey is anonymous. Data collected, opinions and ideas shared in the focus group and listening sessions will be kept confidential as we will not attach any names or personal identifiers when reporting who participated or who shared specific ideas. All data will be aggregated and reported in an anonymous fashion. 

Payment: There are no direct payments or incentives for participants of this research. The only cost we anticipate is your time. 

Right to Withdraw from the Research: Your participation in this research is completely voluntary. You have the right to choose not to participate or to withdraw your participation at any time without loss of any service, benefits, or rights you would normally be entitled to as a student, employee or community member.  

Questions about Research Study: 

The persons in charge of this study are the three researchers from SIRT:  

Stephanie Spehar (spehars@uwosh.edu),  

Brad Spanbauer (spanbauerb@uwosh.edu)  

Melissa Bublitz (bublitzm@uwosh.edu).  

If you have questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding this study or you want to withdraw from the study please contact any or all of us. You can also contact: SIRT at sirt@uwosh.edu 

Independent Contact for Reporting Concerns about Research:
If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns about your rights as a volunteer in this research, contact staff in the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Institutional Review Board Office (IRB) at 920-424-3215 or IRB@uwosh.edu. 

Consent: 
Your participation in this research is voluntary. By clicking “I agree” within the survey you indicate that you have read this consent form and that all questions have been answered to your satisfaction. By consenting to participate in this research, you are NOT waiving any of your legal rights as a research participant. A copy of this consent form will be provided to you and can be found on the SIRT website.