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Across the United States there has been a growing trend to advertise, create, and sustain more diverse student bodies in higher education. Considering this trend, researchers have begun to take a look into the various aspects that play a role in cultivating diverse university campuses. As this trend towards cultivating diverse culture in higher education continues it is important to understand the complexity surrounding the work, rhetoric and student experiences, in a more holistic way. Considering this, my research explores the question: How is it that universities have so much rhetoric around diversity, and yet students with marginalized identities’ continue to feel isolated on campuses?
Purpose: to create a campus culture that meet the needs of all institutional citizens, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, or other characteristics and fosters a environment where diversity can thrive
Under the inclusive excellence framework, diversity must be:
Reality on Many Campuses in Spite of Efforts:
Setting: 11 interviews were conducted at a private university referred to as RU for "Research University"
Participants: 7 Students and 4 administrators were interviewed.
Students: These students self-identified as members of various underrepresented groups at RU
Administrators: all held positions in offices with a particular focus on diversity initiatives at RU
Data Collection: Semi-structured interviews about:
Students: perception of diversity, campus culture, and administrative practices
Administrators: administrative practices, impact of work, and student engagement
Data Analysis:
-Inductive reasoning used to analyze the data
-Grounded theory used to evaluated all interviews with codes
1. Understanding the Administrtive Perspective
2. Understanding the Student Perspective
3. Administrators and Students: Causes for the Clash in Perspectives
4. Magnified Moments
5. Reality of Inclusive Excellence at RU
Evolution of Diversity at RU
Administrative Practices:
Lack of Diversity:
"When you're walking around campus, you can tell that you're not like other people and that does influence your mood and your work ethic and the way that you perceive yourself on this campus. You are othered by just existing on this campus. You don't look like the people surrounding you. You don't look like your staff members. You don't look like your faculty members. You don't look like the other members of the RU community." (Lane, Pos. 249)
Lack of Support:
"I know a student who's professor was making pretty racist comments. There were a lot of microaggressions going on almost every day in the classroom [...] And I know it happens constantly. And also, students don't want to report because they know that nothing's going to happen. It's incredible emotional labor. The students who are willing to report it are students who are often already doing organizing on campus." (Lewis, Pos. 184)
Student Burden:
"I think that administration relies very heavily on students to fix all of RU's problems and it's super important to rely on student voices. Of course, I don't want to discount that for a second and RU administration always needs to be listening to students. But, students who are supposed to be learning, that's why they are paying so much money, they are trying to fix the university's racism as unpaid consultants." (Jonah, Pos. 6)
Lack of Cohession Within the Administration:
"What has happened over the years that that tripod tie structure has been in place is that what folks have found is that the coordination is not always ideal, and there's a lot of overlap, and sometimes confusion. So for example, when we have a [diversity event] on campus, who's in charge of that? Is it the faculty person? Is it the student person? Do they all work together on it? Where is the funding come from?" (Admin: Andrew, Pos. 12)
Lack of Communication Between Students and Administration:
"I think that can be sort of summed up in the fact that internal communications within RU is sort of indicative of our lack of community. It's very hard to get word around the entire campus […] I think there's just a huge disconnect internally within the university." (Student: Lane, Pos. 213)
Trailblazer:
Student Activism:
students with marganalized identities feel their
problems don't matter to administration
Administrators:
Students:
Where RU is falling short within the Inclusive Excellence Framework:
Suggestions: