Inclusive Campus Environments Research Articles

Opportunities for tackling sexual harassment in Zimbabwe: Lessons from the Global North

This article employs content analysis to explore lessons that can be drawn from the Global North to confront sexual harassment in higher education (HE) in Africa and Zimbabwe in particular. The slow progress in both the formulation and implementation of policies directed at mitigating sexual harassment in Zimbabwe’s tertiary institutions is a slow and worrisome journey despite a well-crafted roadmap. This article, using appreciative inquiry (AI) as a lens, presents what developed countries have put in place to deal with sexual harassment. Proposals show that policies and guidelines on sexual harassment remain paper exercise in the developing countries, and are not backed by fair reporting mechanisms and education on how to deal with sexual abuse. The study suggests that policies must not remain paper exercise and therefore have to be implemented. Universities in the Global South may partner with those from the Global North and share notes and best practices on how sexual harassment can be mitigated.Contribution: The article provides insights on how universities can improve sexual harassment policy frameworks and practices to create safe and inclusive campus environments for females so as to protect students’ well-being for sustainable development.

The relation between barrier-free environment perception and campus commuting satisfaction.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in the last quarter of 2019, has had a significant impact on urban transportation. With increasing demand for urban transport, the internal roads and public spaces of university campuses play an important role in facilitating commuting and communication between various functional zones. While considerable research has been conducted on route planning, pedestrian-vehicle segregation, and safety management in the internal transportation environment of university campuses, empirical investigations exploring barrier-free inclusive campus environment design and the subjective evaluation of road and public space users in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic are lacking. Recent developments in travel behavior models and positive psychology have led to an increased focus on the correlation among subjective perceptions, attitudes, emotions, and commuting satisfaction in urban transportation and planning design. To elucidate this relationship, a study was conducted on the new campus of Central South University in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. Using 312 valid samples, a structural equation model was constructed to analyse the relationship between commuting satisfaction and the barrier-free environment perception of university students regarding the internal transportation environment of the campus. The results revealed that individuals' instantaneous barrier-free environment perceptions and long-term established positive emotions had a significant positive effect on commuting satisfaction. Furthermore, positive emotions were found to mediate the relationship between commuting attitudes induced by COVID-19, barrier-free environment perceptions, and commuting satisfaction. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the necessity of accessibility design in the post-COVID era. In addition, this study considers the perspective of users to provide ideas for the planning and construction of barrier-free campus environments that are based on convenient and inclusive design.

“Setting Down Roots”—Developing Formerly Incarcerated Student Programs Through Advocacy and Network Building

ABSTRACT This study examines formerly incarcerated student programming from practitioner perspectives at California community colleges. The following research questions guide the study: 1) How has the pandemic and concurrent sociopolitical contexts influence the way staff, faculty, and administrators approach their work? 2) How do practitioners describe their experiences supporting formerly incarcerated students? 3) How are challenges and opportunities toward sustaining their programs described? I used a basic qualitative approach to collect interview data with 15 staff, faculty, and administrators. Once data were transcribed, I engaged in open and axial coding to capture participants’ words, which developed into categories and emergent themes. Faculty and staff expressed profound care for students and their programs and acted on this care by challenging deficit-perspectives and advocating for students’ needs. Despite many programs’ funding concerns, participants shared how they gain support for currently and formerly incarcerated students by developing webs of support toward a more inclusive campus environment. Findings reveal how practitioners respond to and meet students’ personal and academic needs by allocating and sharing relevant resources like housing support and advising services. Staff often assume a case management role for students and advocate for their programs’ needs such as funding and physical meeting spaces. Findings affirm the need for colleges to expand their support for formerly incarcerated students and develop intentional spaces toward empowerment and desistance.

Experimental Evaluation of Implicit Bias Education in the College Classroom

Background: One common method of teaching students about diversity, equity, and inclusion is educating them about implicit bias—stereotypes and prejudices that are relatively automatic or unconscious. Research reveals positive impacts of implicit bias education but is limited to organizations and social psychology classrooms. Objective: The purpose of this study was to: (1) create a brief online education about implicit bias that could be adapted broadly in college classrooms and (2) test whether the education intervention improved learning, motivational, and behavioral intention outcomes. Method: We randomly assigned professors of a first-year seminar to instruct their students ( N = 498) to complete a survey containing our dependent measures before or after receiving a bias education intervention, which included completing an Implicit Association Test. Results: The bias education intervention increased objective and subjective knowledge of bias and multicultural competence, awareness of one's own bias, and behavioral intentions to reduce bias. Conclusion: These results suggest that a brief online bias education may be one effective tool in helping to create an inclusive campus environment. Teaching Implications: The publicly available bias education intervention provided here can be used broadly as one component of education around diversity, equity, and inclusion on college campuses.

Mental health help-seeking among Latina/o/x undocumented college students.

Informed by a social-ecological framework, this study nested undocumented students' individual mental health needs within micro-level campus factors and the macro-level immigration policy context to examine how these are associated with undocumented Latina/o/x college students' use of on-campus mental health services. A large-scale survey was administered to 1,277 undocumented college students attending 4-year public universities in California. Only Latina/o/x respondents were included in this study (N = 1,181). Fifty percent of students attended a UC system (n = 589). On average, students were 21.84 years old (SE = .15), and most were women (75.3%, n = 890). Greater level of mental health symptoms and perceived mental health need, and greater use of campus-wide resources and undocumented student services predicted greater likelihood of using on-campus mental health services. Greater perceptions of social exclusion due to the immigration policy context predicted lower use of mental health services. Results indicate that a greater use of resources and an inclusive campus environment, as well as efforts to minimize policy-related feelings of social exclusion, may facilitate undocumented students' professional mental health help-seeking. These findings emphasize the need to take multiple and multi-level ecological factors into account when considering mental health service use, particularly in the case of undocumented immigrants and likely other structurally marginalized groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Is academic freedom under siege? University and free speech

Freedom of speech is an essential dimension of academic freedom. Without free speech, a university’s mission, which includes innovative research and high-quality teaching, cannot succeed. However, in recent years, the foundation of free speech on campus has been compromised. There are not only an increasing number of ideas and practices that challenge the liberal conception of free speech (e.g., political correctness, safe space, trigger warnings, verbal purification, and disinviting) but also theoretical justifications for such ideas and practices. This article focuses on the current discussion in the United States, where the debate on academic freedom is the most heated. The situation in the United States is important because it influences academic life in other developed countries. It can be argued that free speech does not exclude building a safe and inclusive campus environment. However, because of its central role in the university’s mission, freedom of speech cannot be traded against other values regardless of their importance.

We are stuck in the middle: intercultural adjustments and adaptations of Western-educated mainland PhD students at one Hong Kong university

ABSTRACT This paper examines the academic and sociocultural adjustment processes, challenges, and coping strategies of Chinese students who studied at top Western universities prior to relocating to Hong Kong for PhD study. Through purposeful sampling, 30 individuals from one elite university in Hong Kong, the majority of whom won prestigious scholarships, were invited to semi-structured interviews. Our findings suggest that Hong Kong’s geopolitical proximity to mainland China and generous scholarship packages, in addition to compatibility with supervisors and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the West, were major factors that motivated students to select Hong Kong. Academic challenges participants reportedly encounter include interpersonal hierarchies, output-oriented academic culture, and unsatisfactory teaching. The sociocultural challenges are predominantly the difficulty of learning and speaking Cantonese, Mandarin discrimination, and a divided campus. Three forms of response were identified: expectation management, need-based adjustments, and struggle and resistance. This study reveals that students set their Western experience as a benchmark against which they judge their education in Hong Kong. We confirm the role of supervisors as the gatekeepers of students’ intercultural adaptations and highlight the importance of an inclusive campus environment, which is focused on academic excellence alongside student wellbeing rather than prioritizing publications.

Expression & Environment: Longitudinal Patterns of Campus Graffiti

This study examines campus graffiti within a designated space at a large, public university over a 30-day period. Using photographic data, we used content analysis to track graffiti themes and duration, finding artifacts ranging from prosocial to hostile to abstract. While topics such as race, gender, and politics comprised a small proportion of artifacts, we expect that these graffiti are most impactful to either promoting or inhibiting a safe and inclusive campus environment.

Intersections of identity and status in international students’ perceptions of culturally engaging campus environments

Higher education institutions have been criticised as neo-colonial entities that subjugate, other or silence international students. With a goal towards creating a more equitable and inclusive campus environment, this study aims to center the voices of international students and illuminate the heterogeneity of their perceptions of the campus environment. To this end, we investigated differences in 1681 international students’ perceptions of culturally engaging campus environments by intersections of identity and status. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) examined identity variables (age, race, region, social class, first generation, and disability) and status variables (degree level, field of study, living situation, and visa status) on perceptions of culturally engaging campus environments. Findings indicate that region, visa status, and social class had a significant relationship with perceptions of cultural relevance and responsiveness. The results indicate two-way interactions between living situations and gender identification, as well as degree level and race. The discussion explores the need to understand the intersectional voices of students facing multiple discriminations to begin to equalize power differentials embedded within the neo-colonial relationship between higher education institutions and international students.

Marketing With Authenticity: Diversity Marketing and the Student Experience at Texas Christian University

As universities within the United States continue to emphasize creatingdiverse and inclusive campus environments, many researchers and individuals have highlighted the lack of accuratedepictions of undergraduate campus diversity and inclusion in university marketing materials. However, few studiesinvestigate how potential inaccuracy in university representationof diversity impactsthe university experience for current undergraduate students. This study provides an examination of this issue through a focus upon the marketing of diversity at Texas Christian University and its relation to student experiences at this institution. It begins with a content analysis of current digital marketing materials released by Texas Christian University, and then connects this analysis to the information collected from a survey of current undergraduate students’ perceptions of the university’s diversity, inclusion, and the marketing materials relating to these concepts. In addition to exploring the nature of this relationship, the author proposesseveral areas of potential improvementthat the university could focus uponto more authentically market the diversity of the undergraduate population andthe levels of inclusion present at the university.

Towards Inclusive Education for Special Need Students in Higher Education from the Perspective of Faculty Members: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract: Special need individuals’ participation in various sectors including education has gained full attention and support from the government. However, they remain underrepresented in getting access to tertiary education. Higher education is committed in providing inclusive campus environment for special need students. Currently, there are several issues faced by higher education administration in providing inclusive campus. Studies that systematically review the literature on issues and challenge in providing inclusive campus for special need students (SNS) remain insufficient. Hence, this article intends to present a systematic literature review on the challenges in creating inclusive campus environment among higher education administrators. The review was based on the publication standard, namely ROSES (RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses). Two leading databases of Scopus and Web of Science, and five supporting databases were selected. Based on the thematic analysis, this review has four main themes namely 1) special need student; 2) inclusive campus; 3) challenges; 4) faculty member. The study offered several significant contributions for practical purposes. Findings from this review offer an insight for the higher education administrator to strategize in creating an inclusive campus for the SNS. To be more certain, future studies on SNS inclusively especially in Malaysia context are recommended.
 
 Keywords: Higher Education, Inclusive environment, Special need student

Assessing the Impact of Military Cultural-Competence Training: Lessons for Creating an Inclusive Campus Environment

Campuses are increasingly offering military cultural-competency professional development training to staff and faculty to support military-connected students. Using four years of program data, we examine outcomes for a custom training, including retention of content knowledge, application of lessons on campus, and comparison of outcomes for in-person and online versions of the training. Results suggest that participants, both in-person and online, developed higher confidence and greater capacity to support student veterans. Evidence for examining training impact included correct response rates on a post-training quiz, scaled perceptions data, and open-ended feedback. Implications for research on the effectiveness of military cultural competency training are discussed, along with recommendations for creating an inclusive campus culture for military-connected students.

Evaluating Inclusive Campus Environment Design Criteria Using CFPR and FANP Methodologies

University campuses bring together individuals from different socio-cultural backgrounds. At the same time, university campuses contribute to the personal and intellectual development of individuals and serve as a socialization area. Campuses create vitality with their social, cultural, economic, and spatial effects. In this paper, we study for evaluating inclusive campus environment design criteria using the Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (FANP) and Consistent Fuzzy Preference Relations (CFPR) techniques, which are two Multi- Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods. Seven Inclusive Campus Environment Design Criteria are “Land Use Organization”, “Compactness”, “Connectivity”, “Configuration”, “Living campus”, “Greens” and “Context”. The major contribution of our study is to prioritize inclusive campus environment design criteria by using numerical methods from the decision maker's perspective. According to the authors’ knowledge, this will be the first interdisciplinary study to use MCDM methods for evaluating inclusive campus environment design criteria. Additionally, the results of both methodologies are compared

Creating Change in Higher Education Through Transfronterizx Student-led Grassroots Initiatives in the San Diego-Tijuana Border Region

ABSTRACT The purpose of this participatory action research study was to ignite change in higher education institutions through grassroots student-led initiatives focused on creating inclusive campus environments for Transfronterizx college students at the San Diego-Tijuana border region. A total of 15 stakeholders participated in this study, 11 Transfronterizx college students, and four faculty and higher education professional allies. The data of this participatory action research study was collected through a cyclical approach in five different phases consisting of one-on-one interviews and focus groups. The process of implementing institutional change in higher education through student-led initiatives is illustrated in the findings of this study that parallel Elliot’s ([1991]. Action Research for Educational Change. McGraw-Hill Education.) five phases of participatory action research: (a) Identifying and clarifying the general idea; (b) Reconnaissance; (c) Constructing the general plan; (d) Developing the next action steps; and (e) Implementing the next action steps. This study led to the inception of the Transfronterizx Alliance Student Organization (TASO) at San Diego State University (SDSU), a grassroots student-led movement dedicated to fostering the success of Transfronterizx college students at the San Diego-Tijuana border region. These findings are further illustrated through the thoughts, feelings and experiences that participants shared about creating institutional change in higher education.

Open Systems Theory Analysis of Community College Gender‐Inclusive Housing Policies

AbstractThis chapter analyzes research of gender‐inclusive housing policies at four‐year institutions and current policies at two‐year institutions using open systems theory to provide recommendations on how practitioners can best utilize these policies to create a greater inclusive campus environment.

LGBTQ+ students in higher education: an evaluation of website data and accessible, ongoing resources in Ontario universities

ABSTRACTStudents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) are at high risk of being harassed and discriminated. As such, they are in need of a welcoming and inclusive campus environment, and specific resources to support them. A review of the current literature describes how heavily campus environment is linked to LGBTQ+ student mental health, and the importance of the availability of resources. Current literature is analysed for specific issues facing LGBTQ+ students, demonstrating their need for positive environments and LGBTQ+ specific resources. Whereas many institutions may claim that they support LGBTQ+ students, enactment of this support is examined by describing the way universities speak about LGBTQ+ students and communities, the resources made available to them, and how easily accessible those resources are to their students, specifically online. This study reveals that there are few ongoing, accessible resources for LGBTQ+ students in Ontario, Canada, and that there is a profound lack of focus on resources for mental health, which are very much needed. The results of the study uncover the need for institutions to provide more ongoing resources to students, and to make those resources clearly accessible through website searches.

Navigating the Quicksand: How Postsecondary Administrators Understand the Infuence of Affrmative Action Developments on Racial Diversity Work

Background/Context Seeking to avoid litigation or a legal threat, many postsecondary institutions are responding to a legal and policy environment that seeks to end the consideration of race in education policies by adopting race-neutral policies and practices in admissions, even when not explicitly required to do so by law. Yet, such responses may introduce new barriers and challenges for administrators seeking to promote inclusive campus environments and support students of color, not only within admissions but in other areas of campus life after students enroll. Understanding the consequences of these institutional responses is critical for those addressing the potential limitations a race-neutral approach puts on diversity-related policies and practices. Purpose/Objective In this study, we examine how key players charged with implementing diversity-related policies and practices understand legal developments around affirmative action and the institutional responses to these developments, in particular, how they influence their efforts to support racial and ethnic diversity. To explore the wide-ranging influence of the current race-neutral policy climate, we focus our study on a public flagship university that has opted to employ race-neutral admissions policies and practices as a matter of institutional policy—not by law. Participants Informed by a bottom-up policy implementation framework, we examine the influence of the legal environment from the perspective of administrators who are tasked with carrying out the institution's mission as it relates to diversity. We particularly target administrators who are engaged in outreach and recruitment efforts and who help support students after they enroll. Research Design In this qualitative study, we draw from document analysis and semi-structured interviews of 13 administrators charged with implementing diversity policy at a public flagship institution to investigate how this legal and policy climate has shaped racial diversity work in areas outside admissions. Findings Our findings illustrate how a colorblind approach in policy-making takes hold through seemingly innocuous practices and responses that are called race neutral. These practices, which start in admissions, spill over into other areas of university policy, and shift the nature of diversity-work. Conclusions Findings point to the importance of intentional efforts to implement diversity policy through a race- and racism-conscious lens, develop narratives that counter distorted narratives about racial discrimination, and address legal terms and definitions that do not reflect a realistic understanding of inequality or discrimination.

Supporting collegiate foster youth and alumni: A mixed-method planning approach for higher education

Despite the proliferation, of on-campus academic support programs for foster youth and alumni (e.g., those formerly in foster care), few conceptual frameworks for developing these programs exist. This study employed Group Concept Mapping (GCM) methodology to delineate a conceptual framework, from the perspective of foster youth and alumni (N = 51), for the development of on-campus support initiatives. GCM is an integrated mixed-method research method that uses non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses, to analyze qualitative data (e.g., statement form) collected during brainstorming sessions. This research was guided by two separate queries: (1) How do foster youth/alumni conceptualize support programs to support foster youth/alumni through to degree completion; and, (2) Is there a difference in priority areas of this conceptualization between current college students, and those who have dropped out of college within the last 18 months? Analyses revealed that participants conceptualized on-campus support programs via an eight-cluster solution, including Campus Awareness, Advocacy, Data Tracking, Pre-College Supports, Fostering Family Connections, Academic Financing, Campus Life, and Peer/Mentor Supports clusters. Additionally, analyses revealed significant priority ratings between areas of this conceptualization. In terms of Importance to academic success, current students rated statements in the Academic Financing and Peer/Mentor Supports clusters significantly lower than did non-students. For Feasibility, current students viewed statements in the Data Tracking, Campus Life, and Peer/Mentor Supports clusters as significantly more feasible than non-students. Pragmatic implications derived from these findings include fostering inclusive campus environments for foster youth/alumni and advocacy undertakings by institutions, on behalf of this population.

“I Didn’t Come to School for This”: A Qualitative Examination of Experiences With Race-Related Stressors and Coping Responses Among Black Students Attending a Predominantly White Institution

Exposure to race-related stressors such as discrimination may take a toll on Black undergraduates attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) who must contend with these stressors in addition to stressors common to the developmental space of emerging adulthood and the transition to college. The aim of this study was to explore Black students’ experiences of race-related stressors, coping responses, and the role of natural mentors (i.e., nonparental adults from students’ preexisting social networks who serve a mentoring role in students’ lives) in the coping process. We conducted semi-structured interviews with Black college students ( n = 12) at a PWI and their natural mentors ( n = 10) with whom they discussed issues related to race. Thematic analysis of data indicated that Black students faced a number of race-related stressors yet employed a set of coping responses including processing the event on one’s own, talking about it with others, and engaging in behavioral strategies such as working harder in school in an effort to disprove negative stereotypes. Findings reflected intentional socialization processes in regard to coping with race-related stressors. We discuss trade-offs associated with identified coping responses and the need for institutional efforts to reduce race-related stressors and foster more inclusive campus environments.

A Test of Leading Explanations for the College Racial-Ethnic Achievement Gap: Evidence from a Longitudinal Case Study

In this study, we examined racial/ethnic differences in grade point average (GPA) among students at a highly selective, private university who were surveyed before matriculation and during the first, second and fourth college years, and assessed prominent explanations for the Black-White and Latino-White college achievement gap. We found that roughly half of the observed gap was attributable to family background characteristics and pre-college academic preparation. Of the within-college factors we considered, perceptions of campus climate and selection of major field of study were most important in explaining racial/ethnic differences in GPA. Personal resources, such as academic effort, self-esteem and academic identification, and patterns of involvement in campus life were significantly associated with GPA, but these factors did not account for racial/ethnic differences in academic performance. Overall, our results suggest that efforts to reduce the college achievement gap should focus on assisting students with the process of selecting major fields of study and on fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus environment.