Models and tools for managing social class diversity on campus

1. Models and tools for managing social class diversity on campus Mary Springer – Ivy Tech Community College Will Barratt – Indiana State University

2. Class as capital Economic capital Cultural capital Social capital

3. Class as culture Social class is a collection of subcultures arranged in a hierarchy of prestige

4. Class as identity Social class of origin Where we come from Current felt social class What we think of ourselves Attributed social class What others’ think of us

5. Translation please Bursar Registrar Chancellor Provost Add / Drop FAFSA FERPA

6. Who here? Who here was a first generation student? Who is a millennial? Who was both? Which do you identify more with; First Gen Millennial

7. If you were NOT first gen What do you think are the challenges that first generation students have on your campus?

8. If you were first gen What were the challenges that you had on your campus?

9. The Literature: The First-Generation College Student Works more than the average college student – usually to pay for tuition. Economic capital May not have a supportive home environment – often a negative home environment that does not support higher education. Social capital

10. The Literature: The First-Generation College Student May lack academic background and academic preparedness. Cultural capital Academic capital At one time or another, many first-gen have been on some form of public assistance. Economic capital

11. First-Gens – cont. Don’t know the “language” of higher education. Cultural capital Entering a different social class environment – poor fit. Cultural capital

12. First-Gens – cont. Have a significantly lower persistence rate (Ostrove & Long, 2007). Academic capital Generally, first-gens have a lower GPA, lower levels of involvement, and attend less selective institutions (Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, & Terenzini, 2004). Academic Capital

13. First-Gens – cont. Struggle to be a “have” vs. a “have not” (Kaufman, 2001). Cultural and identity transition Represent only 3% of college population at extremely selective institutions vs. 20% nationally (Hrabowski, 2007). Campus social class climate.

14. First-Gens vs. Millennials Millennials are described as the “most watched generation” (Howe & Strauss, 2000) “Access” and first generation students get no media attention (Barratt and Springer, 2007).

15. First-Gens vs. Millennials Millennials have been exposed to technology throughout their lives. Many first-generation college students do not have a computer or internet at home (Howe & Strauss, 2000 and Ostrove & Long, 2007).

16. First-Gens vs. Millennials – cont. Millennials have “Helicopter Parents” First Gen student have parents who have NO EXPERIENCE ON CAMPUS. (Howe & Strauss, 2003).

17. First-Gens vs. Millennials – cont. Millennials prefer using Facebook. First-Gens prefer using Myspace (Boyd, 2007).

18. First-Gens vs. Millennials – cont. Millennials are encouraged towards higher education from the day they were born. First-gens must persevere and have few role models (Howe & Strauss, 2003).

19. The "New" Minority Group Social Class on Campus There is significant social class contrast on college campuses (Barratt, 2007) . Issues of social class create sense of isolation and not belonging (Ostrove & Long, 2007).

20. The "New" Minority Group Social Class on Campus Belonging to one social group is determined by the perception of belonging to the group – which directly affects first-gens who do not “belong” (Ostrove & Long, 2007). Directly affects where people attend college and college attendance (Ostrove & Long, 2007).

21. Social Class on Campus – cont. Impacts a student’s decision to attend a technical university vs. a traditional four-year institution (Ostrove & Long, 2007). Student’s access to resources are taken for granted (Gorski, 2007). Struggles to find people of similar background – leading to lack of connection/engagement to campus.

22. Roadblocks & Barriers Language of “academia”. Admissions process and financial aid. Lack of awareness of campus resources. Not knowing the “system”. Lack of financial resources for additional supplies and textbooks.

23. Roadblocks & Barriers – cont. Lack of cultural, social, and academic capital (Barratt, 2007). Working at least 20 hours per week, on average. Lack of family support, parental encouragement. Wear “markers of class” (Ostrove & Long, 2007).

24. Successful Routes Many first-gens report having “unofficial” mentors along the way (high school and college). Once in higher education, many first-gens benefit from student services, such as counseling, to help facilitate their social class adjustment. Internal perseverance and not outside encouragement has led to the success of many first-gens.

25. Successful Routes – cont. Many begin at the community college (over 40% of college students) transfer to a 4-year institution (Hrabowski, 2007). The community college to 4-year transfer rate is about 10%.

26. Successful Routes – cont. If a first-gen can find a sense of belonging, it can have a significant impact on their success (Ostrove & Long, 2007). Use of intentional career counseling services. Role Models.

27. Stories of First-Gens “My family lived in poverty. We rented a 4-bedroom apartment with two other families. We were able to get on the waiting list for subsidized housing, so we moved to the projects sometime after I turned 10.”

28. Stories of First-Gens “My parents married and had children young, and did not pursue higher education. They both came from financially poor backgrounds . . . higher education was never really stressed in my family as important.”

29. Stories … “My parents were very reserved and never had the initiative or knowledge to advocate for me in various stages of my education—you could say they were the complete opposite and total opposite of helicopter parents!”

30. Stories … “It was just that I didn’t believe that I belonged [at college]. One of my first semesters I had this irrational fear that someone would come up to me, tap me on the shoulder and tell me I didn’t belong there and ask me to leave.”

31. Stories… “I had thought that going to college would be a positive thing and others would respond positively. I have to say that wasn’t the case. It has alienated me from the social group I was in.”

32. Stories… “My father said many times that people who go to college just don’t want to work. College wasn’t even up for discussion ever.”

33. Stories … “[My background] gave me unrealistically high opinion of professors and scholars.”

34. Stories … “Lack of support/understanding – this was constant from the application process through now. My family has a general understanding, but they just don’t get it.”

35. What are our stories? ?

36. Role & Responsibility of Higher Education Institutions Design specific retention and transition programs for first-generation college students. Implement a peer-counseling program.

37. Role & Responsibility of Higher Education Institutions Provide strategic career counseling for first-gens – many do not even know what their options. Create a faculty/staff mentor program for students.

38. Role & Responsibility – cont. Incorporate an “academic language” session during new student orientation. Assist students with the purchase of technology (laptop programs, etc.)

39. Role & Responsibility – cont. Use experiential learning and first-year seminars to help first-gens. Identify Role Models – faculty and staff who are first generation and ‘out’.

40. Discussion Questions What are the invisible social class barriers at your institution? What can be done to reduce alienation, marginalization, and frustration for first-gens? How can a selective institution create a sense of belonging for first-gens?

41. Activity/Homework In small groups, outline a program/event/policy/initiative to address the needs of first-generation college students on your campus. What would be the benefits of this program? What would be the challenges? Who are the key players to make this happen? How would you convince others on your campus to be actively involved in addressing the needs of first-generation college students?

42. AND… Where do we go from here?

43. Works Cited Barratt, W. (2007). Talking about social class on campus. NASPA NetResults. Retrieved April 27, 2007, from http://www.naspa.org/membership/mem/nr/article.cfm?id=1580 Boyd, D. (2007). Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace. Apophenia Blog Essay, Retrieved June 26, 2007, from http://www.danah.org/papers/essays/ClassDivisions.html Gorski, P. (2007, Spring). The question of class. Teaching Tolerance, 31. Retrieved February 14, 2007, from http://www.tolerance.org/teach/magazine/features.jsp?is=40&ar=777 Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2000). Millennials rising: The next great generation. New York: Vintage Books. Howe, N., & Strauss, W. (2003). Millennials go to college. United States: American Association of Collegiate Registrars. Hrabowski, F. (2007, Spring). The access imperative. The Presidency, p. 13-18.

44. Kaufman, J. (2001, June 8). Campus currency: At elite universities, a culture of money highlights class divide. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 8, 2007, from ProQuest database. Langhout, R., Rosselli, F., & Feinstein, J. (2007). Assessing classism in academic settings. The Review of Higher Education, 30(2), 145-184. Ostrove, J. & Long, S. (2007). Social class and belonging: Implications for college adjustment. The Review of Higher Education, 30(4), 363-387. Pascarella, E., Pierson, C., Wolniak, G., & Terenzini, P. (2004). First-generation college students: Additional evidence on college experiences and outcomes. The Journal of Higher Education, (75)3, 249-284.

45. Additional Resources Etizen, S., & Johnston, J. (Eds.). (2007). Inequality: Social class and its consequences. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers. Pascarella, E., & Terenzini, P. (2005). How college affects students (Vol. 2). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Sacks, P. (2007). Tearing down the gates: Confronting the class divide in American education. Berkeley: University of California Press. Zweig, M. (Ed.). (2004). What’s class got to do with it? American society in the twenty-first century. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

46. Thanks!! Mary Springer mspringer11@ivytech.edu Will Barratt wbarratt@isugw.indstate.edu http://wbarratt.indstate.edu