Advocacy For Students Research Articles

Collaborative partnerships between high poverty and minority parents and educational leaders

PurposeThis paper aims to explore parent and school leader partnerships to engage high poverty and minority families against the backdrop of transformative educators fulfilling federal policy advice on parent involvement in schools. Policies encouraging school and home collaboration are considered in an urban school district.Design/methodology/approachQualitative methods explore perspectives of parents and educators regarding parent engagement supporting student advancement. Data collection includes individual and group interviews, document analysis and observations.FindingsFindings suggest that federal policy encouraged collaboration between parents and educational leaders. District initiatives contextualized parent involvement models of school home collaboration. Parents believe parental engagement is essential for student advancement but are uncertain about how to participate. Opportunities exist for transformative leadership in the district and schools.Research limitations/implicationsResearch implications suggest that policy can be a catalyst for parent involvement activities. Parents learn that opportunities exist for them to support children in schools and that educational leaders can be partners and advocates. Understandings are extended for educational leaders regarding parents as collaborators supporting students. Finally, policy makers are urged to be mindful in crafting legislation about school home partnerships.Originality/valueThis paper fills literature gaps about parent and educational leader collaboration in advancing parental involvement. Educational leaders are in prime positions to cultivate trusting linkages with high poverty and minority parents by sharing advocacy for students. Transformative educational administrators who strive for equity in schools can further school home alliances. Policy can present opportunities for educators to embrace parental involvement.

The discursive construction of superintendent statesmanship on Twitter

The modern school superintendent fulfills a unique role in the U.S. public education system. He or she is structurally empowered as the de facto head of the local educational system, thereby granted with a certain amount of trust and authority regarding educational issues. At the same time, the superintendent is, in most cases, an employee of a politically appointed school board. While norms have traditionally encouraged superintendents to use caution with respect to political discourse (Boyd, 1974), social media has created a new platform upon which they can reach a broad range of stakeholders regarding many issues, including politics. This study seeks to better understand the emerging practice of political discourse by superintendents on Twitter. Employing discursive psychology principles (Potter & Wetherell, 1992), I will analyze the political tweets of superintendents and position current practices in relation to established role conceptualizations of the position. Findings include that superintendents utilize Twitter as a tool to establish their positions as political insiders and as advocates for students.

Educational Cultural Negotiators for students of color: a descriptive study of racial advocacy leaders

The research presented in this study focuses on Educational Cultural Negotiators (ECNs). The participants were teachers, administrators, and graduate students in an after-school program in the Midwest and a community-based school/university partnership in the Western U.S. We posit that the roles of the ECNs function as advocacy leaders to invoke racial affirmation, and academic intervention on behalf of African-American and Latina/o students at these school sites. Relying on critical race theory as the methodological analysis of the findings, this study seeks to identify the role of the ECNs as advocates for students in these settings to promote their academic and personal growth and success. This work illustrates how these particular educational leaders provide academic direction and challenge racial neglect and color-blindness within the public school system.

Youth advocacy for efficient hostel management and affordable university students’ housing in Buea, Cameroon

PurposeGiven the importance of hostels to students’ welfare and academic performance and recognition of the roles youths can play for affordable university housing, this study aims to investigate hostel management problems in the Buea Municipality, an educational hub in the South West Region of Cameroon. It explores potentials for youth advocacy for affordable university housing within the process of efficient hostel management.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through a descriptive survey design from May to July 2015 via reconnaissance surveys, field observation, photographs, administration of questionnaires to hostel tenants (students) and interviews with hostel managers and law enforcement officials. The data have been presented and analysed using descriptive statistical techniques involving frequency tables, charts and percentages. Cartographic techniques have also been used to locate the study area.FindingsIt was found that hostel management problems in Buea stem from flaws arising from both hostel managers (landlords and/or caretakers) and hostel tenants (students) in contravention to affordable student housing and good governance principles of rent control, accountability, transparency, equality, participation and fairness. The notable hostel management problems found are indiscriminate rent increase, lack of transparency in billing and non-functional sub metres and non-refund of caution deposits by hostel managers, as well as violation of hostel rules, damage of hostel facilities and “selling of rooms” by hostel tenants.Originality/valueThis paper contends that youths have to be mainstreamed in the hostel management process with better platforms of advocating for affordable university students’ housing through rent control and other good governance practices in their hostel setting. It is hoped that the proposed efficient hostel management system and mainstreaming youth-led advocacy activities in affordable university students’ housing will go a long way to enhance students’ welfare and academic performance, help in rent control, fight against bribery and corruption and other governance problems.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE STIGMATIZATION OF SCHOOL COUNSELING SERVICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Developing countries are a primary focus in evaluating global mental health. The field of school counseling has the potential to act as the bridge between mental health needs and the delivery of evidence-based support. Research efforts to evaluate the underdevelopment and underutilization of mental health services in developing countries may assist in reducing stigmatization of counseling services, and subsequently promote the advocacy of culturally specific needs (Raney & Çinarbas, 2005). Stigmatization of mental health services is proposed as a hindrance in the development of school counseling programs. Researchers aim to decrease stigma in both community and school settings in the advocacy of students in developing countries. Efforts to investigate societal beliefs and stigmatization include analysis of general community, administrative, and teacher perspectives (Stockton & Güneri, 2011; Ibeziako, Omigbodun, & Bella, 2008). Ibeziako et al. (2008) argues that “despite evidence on the prevalence of child mental health problems and disorders in developing societies, there has been limited research on how these problems are perceived…”. The literature review at hand aims to provide an assessment of research on perceptions of mental health in developing countries in relation to school counseling services. The research collected places emphasis on the analysis of developing countries’ counseling training resources, school counseling identity, perception of mental health issues, and implications in culturally-sensitive counseling development.

Preparing Boys for War: J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan Enlists in World War I's "Great Adventure"

Preparing Boys for WarJ. M. Barrie's Peter Pan Enlists in World War I's "Great Adventure" Laura Ferdinand Feldmeyer (bio) To die will be an awfully big adventure. SIR JAMES BARRIE, PETER PAN On May 3, 1922, renowned author and playwright Sir James Barrie stood fearful and silent before the students of the University of St. Andrews.1 Three years earlier, he had been honored by the student body when they elected him rector of the university—a position given to men, and later women, of "great worth and fame" to serve on the University Court as a student advocate.2 Elected in 1919 at the close of World War I, Barrie had delayed his inaugural address several years, delivering it at last near the end of his term as rector in his self-proclaimed "first and last public appearance."3 Finally provoked by the audience to speak, Barrie delivered his famous speech "Courage," which personified "Youth" and "Age" as symbolic characters. In it he questioned Britain's engagement in World War I, accused Age of ignorantly glamorizing warfare, and urged the Youth to demand a say in the national matters that concerned them. Seeing himself as part of Age, which he also referred to as "the Old Men," Barrie confessed, "When war did come, we told Youth, who had to get us out of it, tall tales of what it really is and the clover beds it would lead to. We were not meaning to deceive, most of us were as honourable and as ignorant as the Youth themselves; but that does [End Page 57] not acquit us of stupidity and jealousy, the two black spots in human nature which, more than love of money, are at the root of all evil."4 Unknown to the audience (and unknown to the public until 1935), Barrie had participated in the War Propaganda Bureau (WPB), a secret government operation that turned to English writers for help.5 Although most of the papers of the WPB (also referred to as Wellington House) were lost or destroyed when the bureau shut down at the end of World War I, there is strong evidence that Barrie—along with other writers such as Rudyard Kipling, John Galsworthy, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle—contributed to the bureau that organized "public statements of the strength of the British case and principles in the war by well-known men of letters."6 However, as Jeffrey Reznick writes in John Galsworthy and Disabled Soldiers of the Great War, "many former WPB writers and other authors became deeply embittered about the Allied propaganda machine and their role in the creation of patriotic pamphlets, heroic fiction and 'front line' but glamorized reporting" long before the end of the war.7 Remorseful of his involvement in creating and promoting the "tall tales" that equated war with a great adventure, Barrie sought to empower youth: "You have more in common with the youth of other lands than Youth and Age can ever have with each other. … Even the hostile countries sent out many a son very like ours, from the same sort of homes, the same sort of universities, with the same sort of hearts, who had as little to do as our Youth had with the origin of the great Adventure."8 Barrie's use of the phrase "great adventure" would have undoubtedly recalled one of Peter's most famous lines ("To die will be an awfully big adventure") in the minds of the audience, as Peter Pan, in addition to being a popular play and novel, had become one of Britain's most pervasive propaganda tools during the war. As such, Peter's youthful declaration of bravery became an anthem of pro-war sentiment: a great adventure for "The Great War." In the context of our contemporary culture—in which the phrases "boy crisis" and "crisis of masculinity" have entered our everyday vocabulary with publications such as the Peter Pan-referencing Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them (1999) by James Garbarino—histories that discuss the ways in which boys are taught to be men take on a new poignancy and immediacy. As...

School Counselor Advocacy for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Students: Intentions and Practice

This study sought to understand school counselor advocacy for lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students using the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 2015). The authors analyzed data from a non-random sample of 398 school counselors in the United States. Participants completed demographic items and the Attitudes subscale of the Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale (SOCCS-A), Advocacy Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES), Motivation to Comply Scale (MTCS), LGB Advocacy Intention Scale (LGBAIS), and LGB Advocacy Activity Scale (LGBAAS). School counselors’ attitudes and advocacy self-efficacy significantly predicted LGB advocacy intention. Attitudes, self-efficacy, and LGB advocacy intention significantly predicted LGB advocacy activity. Findings related to motivation to comply were inconclusive, indicating that it did not influence any changes in school counselor LGB advocacy intention or activity. The authors call for more general and LGBT-specific advocacy, training, and research in schools and counselor education programs, and more school counselor involvement in sex education reform.

Comments & Queries

Comments & Queries Andrew Muldoon Comments & Queries are welcome via email. Our address is ,victstu@indiana.edu. On The Cover is "Spiritualism Made Useful" from Punch (1 Jan. 1877). Courtesy of the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine. Changes at VS: This winter, we have had the privilege of working with two excellent undergraduate interns. Madeline Klein is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in English and Comparative Literature. She is grateful for her experiences at Victorian Studies, as they have helped her refine the interests she wishes to pursue in graduate school. She would especially like to thank the graduate staff for an office with too many copies of books and just enough laughs about pop culture and politics. No matter where she ends up, she will be sure to keep in touch with the women who gave her such a great semester at VS. Luke Uhl is an undergraduate pursuing a B. A. in English, a B. S. in Biology, and a minor in Chemistry. He anticipates graduating in the spring of 2019. He would like to thank Victorian Studies for the opportunity to work with an esteemed academic journal. He has enjoyed learning about the publication process through this experience. After graduation, he plans to attend dental school. As always, Victorian Studies thanks the Indiana University Honors College, without whose generous support our internship program would not be possible. Announcement: The Judith R. Walkowitz Article Prize A leading scholar of British social and cultural history, particularly in relation to issues of gender and sexuality, Professor Judith R. Walkowitz has played a significant role in shaping the field of British Studies and the community of scholars who participate in the endeavor. To honor her contribution, the NACBS is raising money for an article prize in her name. The Judith R. Walkowitz Article Prize will be awarded annually for the best published article on issues relating to gender and sexuality in British culture. The prize will be open to scholars resident in North America working in any time period and any discipline within British Studies. Along with numerous articles and essays, Judith R. Walkowitz has published three field-transforming monographs: Prostitution and Victorian Society: Women, Class and the State (Cambridge University Press, 1980); City of Dreadful Delight: Narratives of Sexual Danger in Late-Victorian London (University of Chicago Press, 1992); and Nights Out: Life in Cosmopolitan London (Yale 2012). With Judith Newton and Mary Ryan, she also co-edited Sex and Class in Women's History: Essays from Feminist Studies (Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1983). Her work has been supported by numerous fellowships, among them, the ACLS, the NEH, and the Guggenheim. [End Page 374] An institutional pioneer and a groundbreaking historian of rare quality, Judith R. Walkowitz has also been an unusually committed mentor of students and colleagues working in British history and related fields. She has trained sizeable cohorts of graduate students at Rutgers University and at The Johns Hopkins University and has inspired numerous undergraduates. Additionally, she has been a generous colleague and critic in her continued advocacy of peers and students, whether at her own institution or elsewhere. A dedicated reader and editor, she invites practitioners of history at all levels to refine their interventions, enrich their narratives, and elevate their work. Please consider supporting this effort on the part of the NACBS to recognize Judith R. Walkowitz and her contributions to the scholarship and communities of British Studies. Donations towards the article prize can be sent as a cheque made out to "North American Conference on British Studies." Please indicate on the cheque itself that your donation is towards the Walkowitz Prize and mail to: [End Page 375] Andrew Muldoon Department of History Metropolitan State University of Denver P.O. Box 173362 Campus Box 27 Denver CO 80217-3362 USA Copyright © 2017 The Trustees of Indiana University

From the Editorial Board: Refugees and Inclusive School Practices in the Face of Intolerance

From the Editorial Board:Refugees and Inclusive School Practices in the Face of Intolerance Torrie K. Edwards Schools are important places for social and emotional healing for young people who have undergone severe trauma (McBrien, 2005). One such group of young people are refugee students. With approximately 60,000 child refugees entering American public schools this year and poor guidance from the district, state, or federal level, there are considerable concerns for student refugee health and well-being (Amario, 2016; Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, 2017). How can our schools provide social and emotional healing for young refugees, many of whom have suffered severe trauma? Unfortunately, the current American political environment is especially unwelcoming to refugees. Conservative leadership's calls for "extreme vetting" and "revised screening measures" (FoxNews, 2017), reinforces narratives of terror and fear and fuels the pervasive misunderstanding of the rigorous, seven-step and years-long screening process refugees must undergo to be granted asylum in the United States (Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, 2017). Similarly, President Trump's proposed travel ban that targets Muslim-majority Arab countries (CNN Politics, 2017) and his continued assault on undocumented people living in the United States (Shear, 2017), indicate his hostility toward immigrants and refugees, as well as people from historically marginalized and underserved communities (Baer, 2016; Covert, 2016; Semuels, 2016). As schools operate within the larger political context, the national mood is of interest to scholars of education who seek to understand the experiences of refugee students and their teachers. How might educators and education researchers disrupt the negative rhetoric and threat surrounding refugees to create safe, warm school communities for students who have faced severe trauma? Recent research has studied how teachers' and counselors' practices can assist refugee students in acclimating to a new environment through inclusive education (McBrien, 2005; Taylor & Sidhu, 2011) which assists refugee students in adjusting to their new homes by developing language and communication skills, provides psychological services for addressing past trauma, and encourages welcoming and supportive behaviors from the whole school community. At its core, inclusive education is democratic education, as all students are equally important members of the school community, and later contributors to an American democracy. This orientation of care is grounded not in individual development and importance, but in the relational successes of groups of people (Noddings, 2002). Inclusive education aims to foster connections across difference, creating networks of care in schools. Specifically, practitioners can foster classrooms enriched by student voice and characterized by care and tolerance; they can create a place where students can share their stories, experiences, and realities to resist the singular misrepresentation of refugees (Allman, 2016). [End Page 223] Regrettably, the democratic and caring tendencies characteristic of inclusive practices are antithetical to much of our current political discourse that presents refugees as a single group of people who come from uncivilized and dangerous cultures, and therefore cannot adapt to Western or American values. Instead inclusive education practices acknowledge the humanity of refugees as well as their unique and diverse attributes, and nurture a supportive school community to help these young people overcome the trauma of flight and the prejudice they encounter from pockets of American society. For these practices to work, there must be widespread adoption of them; that is, teachers, districts, state policymakers, and federal policymakers must share this vision of inclusive education, and each advocate for refugee students in the ways they are empowered to by their positions. There are numerous examples of successful teacher and district level collaborations designed to support refugee students. For example, The Highline School District in Washington mandates a three-part professional development session for staff on how to best serve refugee students, including learning about the resettlement process and hearing first-hand experiences from refugee students and parents (Rozier, 2017). Within this model, teachers encourage students to share these stories in their classrooms, lending them agency in a space in which they might otherwise feel uncomfortable. Teachers can also use these stories to help update curriculum, either or both adapting teaching methods or content. Seattle Public Schools is another district that has seen success in its use of inclusive education practices. This district has received federal grant...

The JeffSTARS Advocacy and Community Partnership Elective: A Closer Look at Child Health Advocacy in Action.

Advocacy and service-learning increasingly are being incorporated into medical education and residency training. The Jefferson Service Training in Advocacy for Residents and Students (JeffSTARS) curriculum is an educational program for Thomas Jefferson University and Nemours trainees. The JeffSTARS Advocacy and Community Partnership Elective is one of two core components of the larger curriculum. The elective is a monthlong rotation that provides trainees in their senior year of medical school or residency training the opportunity to learn about health advocacy in depth. Trainees develop a basic understanding of social determinants of health, learn about health policy, participate in legislative office visits, and work directly with community agencies on a mutually agreeable project. The elective provides advocacy training to self-selected trainees from area medical schools and residency programs to develop a cadre of physicians empowered to advocate for child health. JeffSTARS has advanced the field of child health advocacy locally by forging new partnerships and building a network of experts, agencies, and academic institutions. After this experience, trainees realize that their health expertise is very valuable to health advocacy and policy development. JeffSTARS is recognized nationally as one of a growing number of advocacy training programs for students and residents, with trainees presenting selected projects at national meetings. Teaching advocacy has raised awareness about social determinants of health, community resources, and the medical home. One of the many benefits of the elective has been to strengthen the skills and expertise of trainees and faculty members alike.

Respecting a Cultural Continuum of Black Male Pedagogy: Exploring the Life History of a Black Male Middle School Teacher

Black male teachers tend to enact culturally relevant pedagogical practices that support the academic achievement, cultural competence, and critical consciousness of Black male students. Using critical race theory, culturally relevant pedagogy, and life history methodology, we explore the life history and work of a Black male middle school teacher to examine ways in which his historical, societal, institutional, and communal and personal experiences have shaped him to become a culturally relevant teacher and advocate for Black male students. In doing so, we provide implications and recommendations for preservice teacher education programs to retain and better support Black male middle school teachers.

“I am here for a reason”: minority teachers bridging many divides in urban education

Minority teachers are overwhelmingly employed in urban schools in underserved, low-income communities with large minority student populations. They receive little in the way of multicultural preparation, mentorship, and professional induction to meet the demands of teaching diverse student populations. This grounded theory study explores the experiences of novice teachers from various minority backgrounds working in urban classrooms. A tentative grounded theory, ‘I am here for a reason’ emerged, suggesting that minority teachers rely on their personal backgrounds and experiences to help them take an insider’s perspective with minority students in light of poor multicultural preparation and limited support in schools. The shared cultural perspective with students enables teachers to connect with and advocate for students, which represents both a strength and challenge for minority teachers. Finally, minority teachers are motivated by a strong desire for social justice as they work to bridge many divides, and are intentional in their work despite facing significant obstacles in training and teaching.

AMA Recommends Schools Start Later To Improve Teen Sleep

AMA Recommends Schools Start Later To Improve Teen Sleep

New Faculty Orientation: Discussion of Cultural Competency, Sexual Victimization, and Student Behaviors.

In the arena of undergraduate education in health care, orientation programs assist new faculty in transitioning from their role as clinician to educator. However, orientation typically overlooks training in the areas of cultural competency, how to assist students who are victims of sexual assault, and how to handle unprofessional student behaviors. At a large midwestern university, the new faculty orientation program in an interprofessional undergraduate department was expanded to include education in these areas by incorporating case scenarios and discussion sessions. The orientation faculty team included faculty from the areas of medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, public health, and neuropsychiatry. The goal of the enhanced orientation program was to empower new faculty members with the skills and resources they needed to be advocates for students in the areas of cultural competency, sexual victimization, and professional development. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(5):228-233.

A 10 años del Movimiento Estudiantil Chileno, reflexiones sobre sus protagonistas

This article aims to recognize and describe some of the characteristics of the student movement of 2006 in Chile known as the Penguin Revolution. It's a contribution to the expansion of the public debate about the results of the country's education policy implemented since the return of in 1990. Therefore, it analyzes and proposes different interpretations of the new form of participation and advocacy of high school students and their ability to influence the political agenda of the country. The proposed methodology is to reflect and respond to these questions through a documentary work taking into consideration the comparison between the educational policies in Chile and the international efforts in the struggle for the right to education. Also, it introduces an approach to the young people of that time, their training as students, self-proclaimed as sons of democracy as it was raised during the first post-dictatorship governments. The focus of this study, which looks at the youth from a different perspective, goes beyond the subjectivity and building of a common identity. The impact on the political and social life is undeniable, their main role broke the inertia of the first generation in transition period after '90

Exploring the Meaning and Paths of Advocacy for Undocumented Students’ Access to Education

ABSTRACTThere is widespread national debate over how to address and advocate for undocumented immigrants in the United States. Education is key to the economic, occupational, and social mobility of young unauthorized immigrants, but policies and practices can hinder or open their access to education. Educators pursue a range of activities to support undocumented students in school. This article identifies the conceptualizations, strategies, and thought processes of educators who advocate for undocumented students. The results reveal that advocates’ backgrounds, resources, goals, identity, and the communities in which they advocate influence their perceptions and practices of advocacy.

Correlates of Sustained Volunteering: Advocacy for Students with Disabilities

ABSTRACTParents of students with disabilities often receive support from special education advocates, who may be trained through a variety of programs. Using a web-based survey, this study examined the postgraduation advocacy activities of 83 graduates of one such volunteer advocacy training program. In the one to four years after program graduation, 63.8% (53 of 83) of the graduates advocated for one or more families; these sustained advocates reported stable rates of advocacy over time, and advocates performed activities that were either family-focused or school-focused. For graduates who advocated post-training, amounts of advocacy were positively related to satisfaction with advocating and with higher levels of involvement with other advocates and with the broader disability community. Compared to those not advocating after graduating, sustained advocates reported greater advocacy-role identities, increased involvement in disability groups, and higher likelihood to advocate in the upcoming year. Future research and practice implications are discussed.

Review 8 preparation steps to manage involvement of attorney, non-attorney advocates in your student conduct process

ST. PETERSBURG BEACH, FLA. — You can benefit from the lessons learned by your colleagues in North Carolina, which was the first state to pass legislation allowing full participation by a licensed attorney or a non-attorney advocate for students involved in college disciplinary procedures.

Review 8 preparation steps to manage involvement of attorney, non‐attorney advocates in your student conduct process

ST. PETERSBURG BEACH, FLA. — You can benefit from the lessons learned by your colleagues in North Carolina, which was the first state to pass legislation allowing full participation by a licensed attorney or a non‐attorney advocate for students involved in college disciplinary procedures.

Student Veterans and Service Members in Higher Education by Jan Arminio, Tomoko Kudo Grabosky, & Josh Lang (review)

Reviewed by: Student Veterans and Service Members in Higher Education by Jan Arminio, Tomoko Kudo Grabosky, & Josh Lang Susan V. Iverson Student Veterans and Service Members in Higher Education Jan Arminio, Tomoko Kudo Grabosky, & Josh Lang New York, NY: Routledge, 2015, 168 pages, $34.77 (softcover) Arminio, Grabosky, and Lang provide compelling coverage of a segment of students on US institutions of higher education: student veterans and military service members (SVSM). The coverage in the volume is reflective of the multiple perspectives of the author team, as researcher, practitioner, and student veteran. Reflective of these three perspectives, the volume includes empirical evidence, stemming from their multi-site case study of cultural conflict experienced by SVSM during their transition to the military and then to higher education; it illuminates best practices and calls for practitioner advocacy for SVSM students as they navigate campus barriers; and this volume draws heavily on SVSM voices (from their data) to narrate the cultural conflicts during transition experiences. Following an introductory preface, the authors provide a rich and well-researched overview of “the long but inconsistent tradition of veterans’ benefits” (p. 1). This comprehensive historical context stirs the reader to consider “how and when those benefits included education” (p. 1), but the authors also use their overview of historical shifts and evolutions to foreshadow issues later discussed in the volume. For instance, the authors illuminate (historical) institutionalized inequities in allocation or distribution of benefits, and the reader can see these vestiges in a later chapter on (in)equity issues. It is not hard to connect the historical reality that “prior to World War II, women who serviced in the nurse corps were not providing any rank or benefits” (p. 7), with “strong stereotypes in society that women are not ‘real veterans’ or that they are not exposed to ‘real danger’ compared to male veterans” (p. 119). The authors’ description of Bonus Marchers—a group of veterans in the 1930s who marched from Oregon to Washington, DC in protest of poor economic conditions (i.e. few benefits and high unemployment)—foreshadows organizing by SVSM on campus, but also their discussion of the need for practitioners to possess advocacy competencies. I appreciated the authors’ strategic use of history to foreshadow what followed in the volume. In chapter 2, the authors describe the methodology for their multi-site case study, and analyze and discuss their findings through a cultural lens. The authors contrast military [End Page 756] culture, characterized by collectivism, rigid hierarchical structures, and masculinity (p. 27), with higher education (and civilian) culture, characterized by “individualistic values, personal responsibility, independent thinking, and democratic principles” (p. 29). Interestingly, the authors draw upon theoretical work that has typically “focused on students from different countries or ethnic and racial backgrounds” (p. 29). This intriguing application of works, such as Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Berry’s model of acculturation, invites the reader to think more broadly about what it means to be culturally competent. Calls for student affairs professionals to be (multi) culturally competent (a point the authors discuss further at the beginning of chapter 4) demand that individuals “be aware of their own assumptions, biases, and stereotypes” (p. 42), including, the authors emphasize, those held about military culture. The authors’ description of an advocacy model (in chapter 4) is an important contribution of this book. With acknowledgment that the field of student affairs has emphasized the importance of developing professional competencies, and specifically multicultural competence, they also note the need for advocacy competency as “an essential social justice strategy” (p. 58). They observe the “lack of literature on advocacy” in student affairs and the “need to go beyond the field of higher education to search for literature that offers advocacy strategies” necessary for higher education administrators (p. 59). They turn to the ACA Advocacy Competencies (citing Lewis, Arnold, House, & Toporek, 2002), adapting the ACA model to illuminate how student affairs professionals can advocate for SVSM students at an individual level (see Table 4.1 on p. 61), an institutional level (see Table 4.2 on p. 65), and for engaging in socio-political advocacy at a systemic level (see Table 4.3 on p. 70). While the authors’ focus is...