This course combined a variety of books, articles, reflections, and other learning materials to give an in-depth view of multicultural issues in higher education, as well as different theories and lenses to use to help fight systems of oppression that cause these issues. This course really changed the way I thought about multicultural issues and how to address these issues in higher education. We focused on history and how that has influenced institution policies and procedures today. The learning resource from this term that stood out most to me was “Readings for Diversity and Social Justice” (2018). The readings from this book varied widely and talked about racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, ageism, classism, and oppression against marginalized communities in general. Having a well-rounded view of all types of discrimination allowed me to see how imbedded these systems of power and oppression are in higher education, as well as my own personal life outside of work. The book focused on our own identity as well and allowed us to explore our own backgrounds and figure out how that impacts our own perceptions and biases in higher education. This concept was also supported through the identity discovery assignments we did in Week 9 (such as the “I am from” poem and the identity chart worksheets), as well as the storytelling project. In the story telling project, we were encouraged to discuss our own cultural background and upbringing, which I do not do often. This allowed me to make connections that I hadn’t realized before, as well as to examine my own values and how those were influenced through my upbringing and identity. We also looked at our own educational background, which was eye-opening. After reflecting on my educational journey and the diversity (or lack thereof) that was represented there, I reached out to my friends from high school so we could discuss this further. It was a really great topic, and it was illuminating to discuss how the lack of diversity and lessons taught almost exclusively by white male teachers had influenced our learning and left a gap in our education. This assignment overall really resonated with me and allowed me to use creativity to learn a new program as a medium for my project. This was supportive of the CSSA value of adaptation to and use of evolving technology because we were encouraged to use a new medium to present our paper on, so I created this blog. I really liked this because it helped me use a new creative outlet as a way to present my information that was not just a word document, as I’m so accustomed to using. I was also able to incorporate art and pictures into my blog, which again illustrated my points and the concepts we learned in class in a different way.
We also researched a current issues topic in student affairs. My topic was hiring diversity and how that can help support student retention and success. I also explored how that can help students and faculty/staff by increasing intersectionality and creating more safe spaces. I enjoyed being able to explore intersectionality through this lens. I focused on TASJ and Borderlands theory, both of which encouraged the dominant community to reflect on historical and current contexts, listen to people of color, and then take action. To me, as someone who works in HR, I was drawn to this topic because I do think this is an area that OSU can grow in and be more successful with. I would love to see this research implemented in a way to provide search advocate training to all employees who serve on a committee. This is an area I would love to grow in because, while I do not work in faculty and staff recruitment, I do believe I have a platform just working in HR and being able to reach the administrators and directors in a different way. I would love to learn more about how we can improve the process, as well as discuss my findings from this paper with OSU (or my next employer), as I do think there are concrete steps that we can take. I’d like to further my knowledge in this area as well and plan to expose myself to different workshops and conferences that elevate the voices of people of color, but also workshops that focus on transphobia, ableism, ageism, and classism, as I have not had much formal training on the topics. Ideally, this workshops will be intersectional and focus on eliminating biases and working to remove systems of oppression that affect these populations.
I have greatly enjoyed this class, and I plan to take the topics I’ve learned and further my knowledge in this area by attending workshops and conferences, as well as reading different books. I have a list of resources related to social justice that I have been growing throughout my journey in the CSSA program that I plan to read and study going forward. I have included the list below. I am excited to begin my professional journey and to incorporate the knowledge I have gained in this class in my work life as well.
Social Justice in Higher Education Resource List:
- University of Maryland online College Park Diversity Database—comprehensive index of diversity and inclusion resources
- Adams, M., Bell, L. A., & Griffin, P. Teaching for diversity and social justice : a sourcebook. – book that focuses on how diversity in education and learning materials is crucial in dismantling systems of oppression and discrimination
- Latinx/a/os in Higher Education: Exploring Identity, Pathways, and Success—Book offered through NASPA that focuses on Latinx/a/o students and techniques that should be employed to support students of this background.
- Racial and Social Justice Is the Work of College Student Educators by Chris Moody and Vernon Wall—article that details steps student affairs employees should take to support students from all backgrounds
- Social Justice Education Initiative at Oregon State University – SJEI Workshops offered by OSU that focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion across campus
- Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference –annual conference that focuses on how student affairs professionals can combat discrimination against race and class.
- Everyday Practices of Social Justice: Examples and Suggestions for Administrators and Practitioners in Higher Education by Sarah Gordon, Precious Elmore-Sanders, & Delton R. Gordon—article that explores examples of social justice programs across admin, academic, curricular, and assessment areas
- Exploring the Effect of Addressing Social Injustices as a Student Affairs Professional y Laura Lynn Bestler—Article that uses personal experiences and stories as a way to discuss campus culture and racism in higher education
- Achieving the Dream organization—offers frequent resources and workshops focusing on diversity in order to encourage inclusion in higher education
- National Conference on Race and Ethnicity—annual conference that examines structural and social inequities in higher education
References
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Catalano, D. C. J., DeJong, K. S., Hackman, H. W., Hopkins, L. E., Love, B., Peters, M. L, Shlasko, D., & Zúñiga, X. (Eds.) (2018). Readings for diversity and social justice. (4thed.). Routledge.
