Troubling the Complexity of Student Involvement in Minoritized Identity of Sexuality and/or Gender-Based Campus Organizations

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Troubling the Complexity of Student Involvement in Minoritized Identity of Sexuality and/or Gender-Based Campus Organizations
Language: English
Authors: Desiree Forsythe, Meg C. Jones, Annemarie Vaccaro, Kat Stephens-Peace, Rachel Friedensen, Ryan A. Miller, Rachael Forester
Source: Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship. 2024 6(1):57-67.
Availability: National Association of Campus Activities. 13 Harbison Way, Columbia, SC 29212. Tel: 803-732-6222; e-mail: education@naca.org; Web site: https://www.naca.org/JCAPS/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Student Organizations, Barriers, Student Participation, Safety, Campuses, Space Utilization, Public Colleges, Private Colleges, LGBTQ People, Sexual Identity, Minority Group Students, Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, STEM Education, Student Attitudes
Abstract: Research has highlighted the connection between involvement and important postsecondary outcomes such as persistence, interpersonal/intrapersonal development, civic engagement, and multicultural competence, among many others. However, for students with minoritized identities of sexuality and gender (MIoSG), engaging in identity-based organizations comes with both risks and benefits, especially in a time of increasingly prevalent anti-queer and anti-trans U.S.-based legislation. Our findings reveal the complexity of student experiences, with a specific focus on STEM students who hold MIoSG, from overall positive involvement experiences to barriers such as danger, inactive clubs, and lack of campus spaces. This focus on MIoSG students within STEM disciplines is important, as students often report STEM spaces as particularly oppressive, therefore having a high need for counter spaces where their identities are supported. These findings could help practitioners rethink how to design campus spaces where students do not have to fear for their physical, emotional, and professional safety.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1419950
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Research has highlighted the connection between involvement and important postsecondary outcomes such as persistence, interpersonal/intrapersonal development, civic engagement, and multicultural competence, among many others. However, for students with minoritized identities of sexuality and gender (MIoSG), engaging in identity-based organizations comes with both risks and benefits, especially in a time of increasingly prevalent anti-queer and anti-trans U.S.-based legislation. Our findings reveal the complexity of student experiences, with a specific focus on STEM students who hold MIoSG, from overall positive involvement experiences to barriers such as danger, inactive clubs, and lack of campus spaces. This focus on MIoSG students within STEM disciplines is important, as students often report STEM spaces as particularly oppressive, therefore having a high need for counter spaces where their identities are supported. These findings could help practitioners rethink how to design campus spaces where students do not have to fear for their physical, emotional, and professional safety.