Digital Commons Network^™

Acknowledgments, Tvc 44 Executive Board

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

The Song Of A Community: A Reflection On Hope Personified, Tatiana Havens

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

“Just Breathe”: Black Women Faculty Negotiating Joy And Hope In Academia, Brittany M. Williams, Laila Mccloud

The Vermont Connection

Using Angela Davis’ (2016) conversational interview style writing approach, we discuss how we, as two Black women early career scholars, experience, facilitate, and find joy, hope, and optimism in the face of hostility in academe. In tandem with songs of promise and perseverance by Black women creatives, we reveal how music connects to and helps to provide color for our professional and personal journeys, often contextualizing how we understand, negotiate, and persist within our chosen profession. With some consideration to the soundtracks of our lives, three major questions guided our writing: (1) Where within your teaching and research do you …

An Abolitionist Approach To Creating Communities Of Care: Decolonizing Theory, Acknowledging Disequilibrium, And Questioning Systems, Chelsea Whitaker, Cierra Russell

The Vermont Connection

May 25, 2020, exponentially reinvigorated a global reckoning around the uniquely American way of murdering Black people through policing and imprisonment. Calls for anti-racism, police reforms, and abolition permeated nearly every industry with statements, commitments, and trendy Instagram graphics. Once an idea reserved for the most radical, abolition entered the popular culture lexicon not only for its dedication to destroying oppressive systems but also for building communities of care. As student affairs professionals dedicated to community development at institutions built upon white supremacy and bound by federal policies, approaching community development through an abolitionist framework requires an imaginative playfulness to …

Los Nava: Testimonios Of Three First-Generation Siblings And Their College Going Decisions, Maria Del S. Nava, Lucero Del-Rayo Nava, Arturo Nava

The Vermont Connection

Abstract

La familia Nava originates with two hard working immigrant parents that came to the United States seeking educational opportunities for their children. This is the testimony of the three eldest siblings, Arturo, Maria, and Lucero, and their college search and application process. We follow them and the challenges they face as first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds. Using Yosso’s theory of Community Cultural Wealth and Iloh’s Model of College-Going Decisions and Trajectories as the frameworks, one can investigate the ways in which first-generation college students navigate this process and expose real barriers on their paths towards higher education.

Resumen …

Reclaiming Our Time: We Do It For The Culture, Angela E. Fillingim, Nini Hayes

The Vermont Connection

Using narrative methodology with a lens of critical race feminism, in self-reflexive ways we draw on our experiences as a Latina and Black-Pinay tenure-track faculty who have dealt with spirit murdering and labored in community to resist. We used feminist theories to understand the roots of our friendship and commitment to resistance. Our persistent encounters with spirit murdering were tied to, what we call, “time-theft.” Time-theft describes an embodied consequence of spirit murdering which deeply affects our emotional, mental, and physical well-being. We offer insights into how we resisted “time-theft conquistadors” and other means the institution tried to steal from …

Decentering Pain & Centering Joy: Adding Transgender Stories To The Academy, Logan H. Melo

The Vermont Connection

As it stands, transgender stories are often framed through the cisgender gaze and by the pain transgender people experience from societal expectations. Being Transgender is not about and should not be equated to the pain and dysphoria that one may experience. Being transgender is about the joy of discovering yourself and beginning to feel comfortable within your own body. This paper reviews Queer theory and its gaps when it comes to transgender identity; as well as transgender studies and the reframing of transgender identity. This paper also reviews literature that focus on transgender joy and reframing transgender identity within a …

Going To A Psychiatric Hospital Saved My Life And My Student Affairs Career, Jo Wilson

The Vermont Connection

The ongoing mental health crisis for college students has been a notable topic in recent years and while a necessary conversation, this often overlooks an underlying mental health crisis for higher education staff and the connection between both crises. As a former mentally ill graduate student and now (still) mentally ill student affairs practitioner, the connection is clear and a conversation now is critical. Using my personal narrative as a current practitioner, self authorship, and disability theory intersections, I am using this piece as a counternarrative and interruption to traditional student and staff development. Lastly, I seek to encourage a …

Where To Start? Asset-Based Approaches For Practitioners In Higher Education., Robert Drago, Michelle Setnikar

The Vermont Connection

Deficit thinking centers an individual's background or identities as the reason a student struggles or faces challenges in college. Higher education practitioners have a drive to shift policy, programs, and perspectives away from the harmful influence of deficit thinking. Asset-based approaches, such as psychologically attuned communication and growth mindset messaging, instead focus on student experiences and backgrounds as an opportunity rather than a burden. The question before practitioners is: where to start? We present options to consider.

White Student Affairs Practitioner's Role In Actualizing An Antiracist Environment, Patrick Lovelace

The Vermont Connection

This article is meant to serve as a resource for white student affairs practitioners to continue to consider their role in engaging in anti-racism work by learning about both theoretical and practical tools. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this piece examines the way racism is used as a tool by those with power to marginalize and harm Black individuals and communities people specifically through a higher education and student affairs context. Using existing research and practice that requires the self-examination of whiteness by white people, this piece will hopefully engage practitioners in considering ways to leverage whiteness as …

Searching For Authenticity In Disability Identity Development, Kaia B. Palm-Leis

The Vermont Connection

This article explores the nuances and pathways of disability identity development as well as what may constitute authentic disability identity in various theories and models. Authentic disability identity is influenced by how individuals interact with different power structures and systems and ultimately how they are related to normativity produced by ableism. Because each individual will have unique interactions with these systems, identity development and thus authenticity varies. Practitioners in higher education, with an understanding of how systems influence such nuanced identity, can create more open and flexible pathways to accommodations, improve outreach, and expand support outside of academic contexts.

Affordability In College Access: Improving Equitable Value For Low-Income, First-Generation, And Students Of Color, Joy N. Emmanuel

The Vermont Connection

Pursuing post-secondary education is often thought of as a pathway to tremendous economic success, yet many students, such as low-income, first-generation students, and students of color, are still underrepresented in higher education. Despite receiving more attention than in the past, the socioeconomic gap in higher education has remained the same. The ever-rising cost of higher education, declining government financial aid, and widening income disparities have put college out of reach to underrepresented, underserved students. It is vital to identify strategies to close the equity gap and improve college access for underrepresented underserved students. In this article, I explored the issue …

Love At The Center: Envisioning What Higher Education Could Be, Stacey D. Garrett

The Vermont Connection

Extending from a larger autoethnographic project, this scholarly personal narrative will portray one program director’s vision for the field of higher education. ACPA’s Strategic Imperative for Higher Education framework calls upon practitioners and scholars to start from a place of love. The field of higher education and student affairs was built on operating with an ethic of care. The pressures of a neo-liberal society work to dehumanize members of the field, turning us into cogs in a machine rather than human beings filled with hopes and dreams. This scholarly personal narrative, based on reflections and experiences as instructor and administrator, …

The Importance Of Validation In Latine Student Success, Maria Del S. Nava

The Vermont Connection

Latine students are the fastest growing ethnic group currently in higher education and yet they experience lower undergraduate completion rates than their white peers. In this paper I explore Validation theory, in combination with community cultural wealth and the Bicultural Orientation Model and Influences on Latino Identity, and the ways in which they can be used to support Latine students. Validation is defined as a positive external affirmation to students that positively impacts their own belief to succeed. With the Latine undergraduate student population growing, validation theory can be an important tool to address the issues relevant to students from …

Transforming Higher Education For The Betterment Of Trans* Students, Erin M. Adams

The Vermont Connection

College represents an increase in autonomy for students, and this allows for trans* students a to explore their gender identity. However, many institutions have policies and practices that are discriminatory of trans* students. This paper explores the ways in which institutions of higher education can transform their institutions and policies for the betterment of trans* students.

Reclaiming The Joy Of Teaching In A Post-Pandemic, Post-Tenure World, Jennifer Luetkemeyer

The Vermont Connection

In this essay, the author reflects on her journey from joy in teaching to ennui and back again. She shares three lessons that she learned from her journey that can be applied to your own teaching practice.

Visual Reflection: New Tools For Pedagogy And Practice, Tempestt R. Adams

The Vermont Connection

In this essay I present a visual journal to reflect on my experiences as a new ungrader. In line with the theme of this journal, my visual essay provides reminders and possibilities for us to consider to help spark more joy in our work. The guiding question of the essay is how can new practices such as ungrading and visual journaling enhance our joy and support students? The essay begins with a brief overview of three elements that anchor the essay: ungrading, arts-based methods, and visual journaling. Then, the visual journaling process, product, and an analysis is presented. The essay …

Liberation In Authenticity: The Relational Beauty Of Post-Pandemic Higher Education, Annamaria Cavaleri

The Vermont Connection

The COVID-19 pandemic permanently altered the field of higher education and created a broad culture shift in labor across the country. In this commentary, I explore the idea that the demands of student affairs practitioners are intensifying as students crave connection to others, yet student affairs professionals may be seeking to build an identity outside of work. I offer the perspective that as higher education becomes more relational, it creates room for the exploration of personhood, humanity, and the liberation of authenticity.

Ya'll Don't Hate White Supremacy Enough For Me: How Performative Dei Prevents Anti-Racism And Accountability In Higher Education, Dr Frederick V. Engram Jr, Katie Mayer

The Vermont Connection

Many institutions of higher learning and more specifically predominately white institutions (PWIs) have created divisions, teams, and administrative roles aimed at transforming problematic and racism-centered institutions. However, the teams and leaders almost never have true autonomy or institutional support in creating an environment not centered in whiteness or white feelings but one centered in disruption of the status quo and truly anti-racist. As scholars and practitioners, we find ourselves being requested to tailor our talks or teaching in a way that is digestible for white people. Meanwhile, students of color are being berated at athletic events, in their classes, and …

Tell Me More: Trauma-Informed Practices In Higher Education As Resistance And Liberation For Black And Indigenous Students Of Color, Madison P. Pimental

The Vermont Connection

In this article, I argue that higher education inflicts trauma on Black and Indigenous students. However, trauma-informed practices can serve as a liberatory practice that disrupts white supremacy culture and minimize harm against BIPIC students. I define trauma and trauma-informed practices (TIPs) and weave how racial trauma, including political, generational, and necrophiliac trauma, impacts Black and Indigenous students in university contexts. In the spirit of hope and resistance, I end with suggestions for student affairs practitioners outlined by the framework of TIP tenets that they can directly implement in their conversations and mentorship of college students. I also suggest strategies …

Student Parenting: Mastering The Double Life, Miriam T. Mukurazita

The Vermont Connection

It is okay, beautiful, and brave to be different and take a different path as long as your own dreams and goals are being fulfilled. As virtual learning and online classes are becoming more popular, more students are realizing they can have the best of both worlds, that is, further their education while fulfilling family obligations.

The student parent life is a different journey with its own unique challenges and blessings. Happiness is personal and comes from within, and can be in the form of being a parent and seeing one's own child grow while pursuing academic and career growth. …

Woman Up: Empowering Women Leadership In Higher Education, Lexi Kane

The Vermont Connection

Meghan Trainor’s 2016 song, “Woman Up”, serves not only as a call to action for women everywhere, but also serves as a representation of the collective force of women necessary to exist and persist within higher education. Throughout this piece, one will come to see that student leaders need experiences in higher education to feel empowered, and women leaders can be the ones to create those experiences. Carol Gilligan’s Theory of Women’s Moral Development will serve as the foundation for discussing how to proceed in advancing the holistic development of women student leaders. In the discussion about opportunities and moments …

“What We Do Have, We Can Polish”: Towards Quare Placemaking In Lgbtq+ Student Affairs, K. Elyse Ellis

The Vermont Connection

Both Queer studies and Black studies have come a long way in the last decade of higher education scholarship. Even so, there is still a gap in the literature of dual-marginalized students, particularly Black Queer students. Drawing from multiple critical theories, this literature review looks at how secondary marginalization takes place in single-identity campus centers, and how Black Queer students co-create spaces for themselves in response to this violence. How do single-identity centers on campuses harm Quare students? How does centering blackness in Quare communities impact student experiences? What can we learn from Quare social life, and how can student …

Show And Tell: The Roots Of Our Farm Shall Be Nourished, Kirsty Nicole Bocado

The Vermont Connection

The educational system perpetuates capitalism and material wealth, valuing White and Western ideologies, thus alienating certain identities and narratives. As a first-generation and low-income child of APIDA immigrants, I strive to bring awareness to cultural wealth due to the erasure of marginalized identities and narratives. Rather than just focusing on the struggles of holding multiple marginalized identities, I showcase the joys of practices and traditions in my culture and highlight the hope my communities give me as a descendant of militants and revolutionaries. In this article, I raise awareness of lived experiences that are often left out of the educational …

Finding The Forest Through The Trees: A Conversation On Vicarious Joy With Joe Russell, Joe Russell

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Gabi Cuna, Robyn Suchy

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

Land & Labor Acknowledgement, Tvc 44 Executive Board

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

Cover Page

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.