This article derives from a larger hermeneutic phenomenological study on openly gay undergraduate men in elected student government. Findings from this study include gay men engaging in the work of advocacy and re(-)presentation as part of their elected student government role(s). Gay men acting as advocates in this context were called on to stand…

The number of international students in US higher education has grown significantly in the past decade; in 2018-19, more than 1 million foreign students were studying in the US (Institute of International Education, 2019). Many incoming college students, both domestic and international, experience psychological difficulties that may result from…

Scholars and institution professionals alike think broadly about campus climate; yet, few have examined the climate for social class diversity (SCD) on campus, despite growing class divide in the United States. We examined climate for SCD and identity awareness through interviews with 31 diverse students about their interactions across class at a…

This qualitative study explored how Black men made sense of their college years. Specifically, using Museus's (2014) culturally engaging campus environments model as the study's framework, I analyzed 41 Black men's experiences in and perceptions of the campus environment at two different Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs). Findings revealed that…

Using a critical qualitative approach, we explored ways student affairs professionals at predominantly white institutions within the South made sense of and enacted commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Findings show that participants rarely engaged in direct conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion with their colleagues…

This 5-year, longitudinal, multimethod qualitative case study draws on data from the Promoting At-Promise Student Success (PASS) project examining a comprehensive college transition and success program called Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC) that serves low-income college students, many of whom are first-generation and racially…

The number of studies exploring the perceptions of college students towards the police has been small, with only two that include diverse urban college students as part of the samples. At two colleges in a large northeastern US city 1,103 students completed surveys that included items inquiring about personal information and their interactions…

Using data from the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) Senior Survey, I compared first-generation students' self-reported levels of engagement and outcomes with those of continuing-generation students at 16 private liberal arts colleges (N = 7,611). Membership in the first-generation group demonstrated significant, positive main…

We examined a student subgroup often absent from diversity research: student-athletes. We explored whether intercollegiate athletic teams are promoting an open and inclusive environment and whether creating such an environment leads to more frequent and more positive cross-racial interactions. Findings reveal that overall, coaches appear to be…

The systemic racism in US society being resisted through larger movements such as Black Lives Matter is also reflected and reproduced in US higher education. In this qualitative study, we examined how Black students contextualize their campus racial climate within broader race issues, tensions, and movements occurring across the nation. Findings…

The benefits of student engagement in diversity experiences on a range of college outcomes have been well documented. However, the potential influence of involvement in diversity experiences during college on the cognitive and intellectual outcomes of post-secondary education is only beginning to be understood. Gurin et al. (2002) made a…

Scholars and practitioners alike often assume that discomfort is a necessary and productive aspect of the college experience. We used a range of theories grounded in the concept of dissonance to question these assumptions and critically analyze the role of discomfort in collegiate learning and development for today's diverse college student…

Colleges and universities have increased institutional outreach to diversify their campuses, however, campus leaders, faculty, and staff, particularly at predominantly White institutions (PWIs), must provide more and different support services as their institutional demographics shift to include more underrepresented students. The shift in…

Few qualitative studies consider how high school experiences affect readiness for diversity engagement in college. Using data from an ethnographic case study, three central trends (student experiences within homogeneous high schools, racial divisions within diverse high schools, and students who attended diverse high schools but had little…

Dialects of English spoken in rural, Southern Appalachia are heavily stigmatized in mainstream American culture, and speakers of Appalachian dialects are often subject to prejudice and stereotypes which can be detrimental in educational settings. We explored the experiences of rural, Southern Appalachian college students and the role speaking a…