Antioch University AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses Dissertations & Theses 2019 The Impact of Racism on the Personal and Professional Lives of Student Affairs Professionals: A Mixed Methods Study Trent A. Pinto Antioch University - PhD Program in Leadership and Change Follow this and additional works at: https://aura.edu/etds Part of the Higher Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, and the Leadership Studies Commons Recommended Citation Pinto, T. The Impact of Racism on the Personal and Professional Lives of Student Affairs Professionals: A Mixed Methods Study.edu/etds/531 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses at AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive.
For more information, please contact hhale@antioch.edu, wmcgrath@antioch. The Impact of Racism on the Personal and Professional Lives of Student Affairs Professionals: A Mixed Methods Study Trent A. Pinto ORCID Scholar 0000-0002-0721-3717 A Dissertation Submitted to the PhD in Leadership and Change Program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2019 This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Leadership and Change, Graduate School of Leadership and Change, Antioch University. Dissertation Committee • Philomena Essed, PhD, Committee Chair • Carol Baron, PhD, Committee Member • Littisha Bates, PhD, Committee Member • Leslie Picca, PhD, Committee Member Copyright 2019 Trent A.
Pinto All rights reserved Acknowledgements I would like to thank everyone who was a part of this dissertation journey and assisted me in seeing it through to the finish line. My participants are at the center of this story, and their lived experiences have created the narrative and shaped the scope of the study. These participants, particularly the Participants of Color, opened up their lives to a White male researcher and trusted that I would honor their stories and center their voice, especially in a time when these voices need to be heard and centered the most. This study reached over 200 student affairs professionals from around the country.
I thank each and every one of you who love this field enough to shine a bright light on where we can do better by participating in this research. This dissertation is as much yours as it is mine. To my dissertation committee, starting with Dr. Philomena Essed, who has lovingly guided me, pushed me, offered critical feedback, and warmly held up a mirror to my positionality throughout the construction of this study.
Carol Baron who initially challenged me with writing a mixed methods study, but kept me moving forward especially when it was the most difficult. And to Drs. Littisha Bates and Leslie Picca. Your time and commitment and incredible feedback is represented throughout this study.
I hope I have made you proud. I would also like to thank Dr. Laurien Alexandre who encouraged me from the moment I stepped onto campus in 2012 and advised me during my first year in the program. Peggy Shannon-Baker who provided initial edits and Dr.
Norman Dale who took a lump of clay and carefully crafted it to what it is today. To my friends both near and far including my Cohort 12 colleagues. Your patience, encouragement, check-ins, and love and support fueled me. My student affairs family is spread i out across the country, and I do not see many of you regularly, but the completion of this dissertation is because a few of you in particular would not let me quit and kept reminding me how much this conversation mattered.
You know who you are, and I thank you. Finally, to my family who took on this journey with me. Your unconditional love and support and laughter carried me through. If you read this someday, I hope you do not remember all of the Sunday mornings I spent in the coffee shop writing, but the memories we have made together since then.
Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. ii Abstract The phenomenon of racism in our world is deeply tragic, with historical roots that pervade college campuses and the work of student affairs professionals no less than elsewhere in society. In fact, a premise of this research is that the American university as an institution was founded on White dominance and privilege. Today the effects of racism still trickle into the personal and professional lives of those working in student affairs.
This study was aimed at understanding the problem through the eyes and experiences of student affairs professionals. The overarching research question was how do incidents of racism on campus impact student affairs professionals? A mixed methods approach was used comprising four phases: individual interviews, focus group interviews, a survey, and a final focus group to encapsulate and validate the issues of racism and its impact on student affairs professionals. Pivotal questions that motivated this research included how are we taking care of ourselves and one another when faced with racism on-campus? What type of individual work around identity development and understanding are we engaged in? How can we simultaneously impact the lives of our students in a positive direction while limiting the impact racism is having on our profession? What do we need to do as a community of student affairs professionals to better ourselves, better our profession, and make a positive impact on our campus community? The results confirmed the persistence and pervasiveness of racism on campus, impacting and necessitating the work of today’s student affairs professionals. Detailed results and implications for practice and further research are discussed in reference to three levels: the individual student affairs professional; the group, or collectivity of the various student affairs roles across campus, and community, or university-wide.
This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University iii Repository and Archive, http://aura.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd. Keywords: Campus Racism, Students Affairs Professionals, Mixed Methods iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements. iii Table of Contents. v List of Tables.
x List of Figures. xi Chapter I: Introduction. 1 Higher Education and the Student Affairs Professionals. 4 Racism Within the Field: Student Affairs Graduate Programs.
6 Limited Discussion of Race and Racism. 7 Discussions Primarily in Response to Racist Incidents. 9 Purpose and Significance of the Study. 13 Social Justice Lens in Mixed Methods.
14 Critical Race Theory. 14 Positionality of the Researcher. 19 Definition of Terms. 20 Diversity and Social Justice.
21 Individual, Institutional, and Cultural Racism. 23 Racial Identity Development. 26 Student Affairs Professionals. 28 Ethical Implications of the Study.
29 Summary of the Dissertation Chapters. 30 Chapter II: Critical Review of Relevant Theory, Research, and Practice. 32 Provide Sociohistorical Context. 34 Establishing Segregated Higher Education Institutions.
35 Rising Costs of Higher Education. 37 Policies, Procedures, and the Chief Diversity Officer. 38 Challenge Dominant Ideology. 40 We Experience the College Campus Differently Depending on Race.
41 Racism Still Exists on College Campuses. 42 Interpersonal Racism on Campus. 42 Impact of Racism on an Individual. 43 Structural Racism in Higher Education.
43 Racism on Campus Is Under-Reported. 44 Call to Challenge the Dominant Ideology. 45 Interrogating Whiteness in Anti-Racist Work. 46 Racism Should Be Seen, Not Aberrant but Part of the “Normal”.
48 Draw From Experiential Knowledge. 50 White College Students. 51 Students of Color. 56 Commitment to Social Justice.
58 Frameworks for Social Justice and Diversity in Higher Education. 59 Role Modeling Identity Development in Student Affairs. 62 Concluding Thoughts on the Literature Review. 64 Chapter III: Methodology and Study Design.
67 The Foundations of the Research Design. 69 Benefits of Using Qualitative Methodology for This Study 69 Quantitative Research. 70 Benefits of Using Quantitative Methodology for This Study. 70 Using Mixed Methods for This Research Study.
71 Social Justice Framework of the Study. 72 The Research Design. 73 vi Sequential Research Design. 73 Phase 1: Individual Interviews.
74 Phase 2: Focus Group Interview. 81 Phase 4: Focus Group. 84 Limitations of the Study. 86 Structure and Methodology.
86 Role of the Participants. 86 Social Identities of the Researcher. 87 Chapter IV: Research Findings and Implications. 92 Description of Participants.
95 Focus Group Participants. 100 Survey Group Participants. 101 Phase 4 Focus Group Participants. 105 Research Question Analysis.
105 How Do Student Affairs Professionals Describe Their Experiences With Racism on Their Campuses?. 105 Pervasiveness of Racism on College Campuses. 109 Further Descriptions of Experiences With Racism on Campus. 111 What Are the Responsibilities That Student Affairs Professionals Bear When Confronted With Incidents of Racism on Campus?.
115 Action Expectations Compared to Actions Willing to Take. 119 Comparison of What Participants of Color Want and What Colleagues Indicated They Would Definitely Do. 120 What Are the Needs of Student Affairs Professionals When Facing Racism, and How Do Student Affairs Professionals Stay Present to Their Students in Those Situations?. 121 Envisioning a Racism Free Campus.
124 In What Kinds of Ways Can Student Affairs Professionals Voice Their Support of the Student Experience and Speak Out Against the Racism on Campus?. 126 What Impedes a Student Affairs Professional From Supporting Their Students and One Another When Incidents Occur?. 127 Levels of Engagement. 129 Action Steps for Student Affairs Professionals, or Individual Level.
129 vii Racism and Awareness of Racism Within Student Affairs Profession, or Group Level. 131 Systemic Nature of Racism on Academic Campuses, or Community Level. 139 Action Steps for Student Affairs Professionals (Individual Level). 140 Education for the Self—Not at the Expense of People of Color.
140 Encouraging and Supporting Self-Care. 141 Practicing and Supporting Ally-Ship. 142 Challenges to Individual Development: Facing Fear. 142 Racism and Awareness of Racism Within the Student Affairs Profession (Group Level).
144 The Need for, but Obstacles to, Brave Conversations. 145 Fear and Insecurity Affecting Student Affairs Professionals. 146 Stress and Burnout Within the Field. 148 Student Affairs Graduate Programs as a Locus of Racism—and Change.
149 Systemic Nature of Racism on Academic Campuses (Community Level). 150 Lack of Resources to Counter Racism and Support Staff and Faculty of Color 153 Tokenistic Reliance On People of Color. 153 Incident Response Rather Than Proactive Planning. 153 Doubts That Liberation From Racism Is Even Possible.
155 Summary of Main Challenges of Addressing Campus Racism. 156 Acknowledging the Effect of Change in National Leadership. 156 The Impact of College Climate of How to Deal With Racism. 156 Limitations of the Study.
157 Limited Diversity of Interviewees. 157 Limited Diversity and Number of Focus Group Participants. 158 Missing Voice of Upper Level Administrators. 159 Experiences of Research Impact on Participants.
159 Summary Recommendations for the Practice. 162 Recommendations at the Level of the Individual. 162 Recommendations at the Level of the Group. 163 Recommendations at the Level of the Community.
164 A Visual Model of Racism and Support for Opposing It for Student Affairs Professionals. 165 viii The Three Levels: Individual, Group and Community.166 Dichotomies Between Levels. 167 Dichotomous Oppositions Among All Levels. 168 Recommendations for Future Research.
169 Positionality Revisited in Light of the Research Experience. 189 Appendix A: Invitation Letters to Participants in Phase I Interviews. 190 Appendix B: Invitation Letters to Participants for Focus Group. 191 ix List of Tables Table 3.1 Interview Guide Used in This Study .1 Development of Survey Questions from Qualitative Data .2 Descriptive Statistics for Study Respondent Demographics .3 Descriptive Statistics for Experience in Field of Student Affairs/Student Development/Student Services Work and Current Role .
