Projects

Current Projects

1. The President’s Commission on Substance Abuse Prevention

This project was the inaugural project for SMU Data Governance and SMU Data Warehouse.

Questions to Be Addressed:

What do we know about the students with alcohol or drug offenses (either through conduct or the PD)?

  • What are their demographic profiles? The typical gender, ethnicity, religion, etc breakdowns
  • What is their financial profile? Parental income, amount and type of aid, type and status of payment plan
  • What is their residential situation?
  • What else are they involved with on campus? Student orgs/FSL, employment, athletics, service, research, etc

When do these incidences occur during the school year, the week, and around what events?

  • What points of the year are peak for this behavior?
  • What days of the week or peak for this behavior?
  • What is the influence of traditions events on this behavior?
  • What impact may boulevarding have on this behavior?

What policies, procedures, or programs encourage or do not actively discourage this behavior? (less relevant for Data Governance group)

  • FSL recruitment – consequences for alcohol or drug violation prior to going through recruitment
  • Scheduling (or not) of Friday classes
  • Mustang Corral
  • Leadership position expectations – RAs, OLs, student orgs, FSL, etc.

Current Progress:

While Data Governance is an iterative process, meaning items may be revised as more information becomes available, initial data governance issues related to this project have been completed.

  • Variables Identified
  • Variables defined and listed in the data glossary (pending final approval of the DGSC)
  • Variable that exist in SMU data systems have been located and specified in the data dictionary
  • Variables have been classified based upon data governance policy guidelines
  • Data stewards have been identified for each variable

Next Steps:

  • Final approval of the data glossary definitions
  • Completion of the data mart
  • Construction of reports useful for appropriate constituents

Potential Upcoming Projects

Based upon recommendations of the Data Governance Steering Committee: