Summer bridge programs have become a widely adopted strategy in four-year institutions to address the unique challenges faced by first-year, low-income, first-generation college students. These programs aim to enhance academic preparedness, foster a sense of belonging, and improve retention rates. However, this paper critically examines the effectiveness of summer bridge programs...
Student services professionals are employed across the United States as a key resource to support undergraduate students as they enter higher education. However, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) face unique challenges which not all student services methods are prepared to address. For student services professionals to...
Affirmative action has existed to help students from hxstorically marginalized communities have equitable opportunity to receive admissions into institutions of higher education. There are many perceptions of what affirmative action is. It is important to understand the context behind why affirmation action came about in the first place and what purpose it serves students. In...
By Ayodele A. Akinsnaya, Published on 04/17/24
In 1972, spoken-word artist and poet Gil Scott-Heron published his second novel, controversially titled The Nigger Factory. As the student arm of the Civil Rights Movement started to shift its intellectual concerns from integration to questions of Black Power and self-determination, Scott-Heron’s novel burst onto the literary scene like a stick of dynamite. Literary critics and...
The occurrence of Islamophobia targeting Muslim students in the United States escalated after the 9/11 tragedy, leading to instances of microaggressions perpetrated against them within college campuses. The phenomenon of Islamophobia has resulted in a multitude of challenges, hence adversely affecting the academic performance of Muslim students. This study centers on the...
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was initially passed in 1975, making provisions for qualifying students to receive special education. Though the act was meant to address the needs of students with disabilities in Kindergarten to twelve grades (K-12), disparities in special education enrollment for Black students have been well documented in the United...
By Z'uko [Z], Published on 04/17/24
In this paper I explore the experiences of trans* students in their residential life settings. I first identified three areas of discrimination and discomfort for trans* students, including the housing selection process, the relationships they have with roommates and residential life staff, and the residential hall community. Subsequently, I provided implications for making the...
Highlighting the transformative potential of queer joy as a form of resistance and revolution within higher education. It emphasizes the need to challenge oppressive systems and narratives through the celebration of joy, reclaiming identity, and building resilience. By asserting and reveling in their joy, queer individuals can challenge societal norms, demand change, and affirm...
By C.V. Dolan, Published on 04/17/24
By Joy N. Emmanuel and Madison Pimental, Published on 04/17/24
By Tatiana Havens, Published on 04/05/23
Using Angela Davis’ (2016) conversational interview style writing approach, we discuss how we, as two Black women early career scholars, experience, facilitate, and find joy, hope, and optimism in the face of hostility in academe. In tandem with songs of promise and perseverance by Black women creatives, we reveal how music connects to and helps to provide color for our...
May 25, 2020, exponentially reinvigorated a global reckoning around the uniquely American way of murdering Black people through policing and imprisonment. Calls for anti-racism, police reforms, and abolition permeated nearly every industry with statements, commitments, and trendy Instagram graphics. Once an idea reserved for the most radical, abolition entered the popular culture...
Abstract La familia Nava originates with two hard working immigrant parents that came to the United States seeking educational opportunities for their children. This is the testimony of the three eldest siblings, Arturo, Maria, and Lucero, and their college search and application process. We follow them and the challenges they face as first-generation college students from low...
Using narrative methodology with a lens of critical race feminism, in self-reflexive ways we draw on our experiences as a Latina and Black-Pinay tenure-track faculty who have dealt with spirit murdering and labored in community to resist. We used feminist theories to understand the roots of our friendship and commitment to resistance. Our persistent encounters with spirit...
As it stands, transgender stories are often framed through the cisgender gaze and by the pain transgender people experience from societal expectations. Being Transgender is not about and should not be equated to the pain and dysphoria that one may experience. Being transgender is about the joy of discovering yourself and beginning to feel comfortable within your own body. This...
The ongoing mental health crisis for college students has been a notable topic in recent years and while a necessary conversation, this often overlooks an underlying mental health crisis for higher education staff and the connection between both crises. As a former mentally ill graduate student and now (still) mentally ill student affairs practitioner, the connection is clear and...
Deficit thinking centers an individual's background or identities as the reason a student struggles or faces challenges in college. Higher education practitioners have a drive to shift policy, programs, and perspectives away from the harmful influence of deficit thinking. Asset-based approaches, such as psychologically attuned communication and growth mindset messaging, instead...
This article is meant to serve as a resource for white student affairs practitioners to continue to consider their role in engaging in anti-racism work by learning about both theoretical and practical tools. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this piece examines the way racism is used as a tool by those with power to marginalize and harm Black individuals and communities...
This article explores the nuances and pathways of disability identity development as well as what may constitute authentic disability identity in various theories and models. Authentic disability identity is influenced by how individuals interact with different power structures and systems and ultimately how they are related to normativity produced by ableism. Because each...