Education Commons^™

Enhancing College Students’ Eaccessibility In Higher Education: Transfer Students And Transfer Admissions Counselors' Perspectives, Sevinj Iskandarova, Margaret F. Sloan

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Abstract

There is a paucity of research on institutional e-accessibility and transfer-credit-software adoption. This paucity poses a challenge in understanding how these technologies impact college students and professionals. Drawing on connectivism theory and Karp and Fletcher's (2014) and Kezar's (2013) three-way approaches (changing-in-advice, institutions, and students' willingness to use technology tools) investigate how technology product adoption affects students' and transfer admission counselors' experiences during the transfer process. This study, conducted at a public institution in the mid-east Atlantic region, utilized a convergent-parallel mixed-methods design to assess students' and professionals' perceptions of transfer credit evaluation products. Results indicate that an e-transfer …

Understanding The Role Of Cultural Competence In Peer Mentorship Programs For International Students: A Student Development Theory Perspective, Nikheal Patel, Daniel Calhoun, Steven Tolman

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

International students often face challenges while pursuing higher education in a foreign country. These challenges can negatively impact their sense of belonging and community, resulting in social disconnection. Examining the role of culturally competent peer mentoring programs for international students can foster a sense of belonging among international students. Peer mentorship may provide international students with a supportive environment and community, helping them navigate university life. In contrast, student development theory can inform the design of programs and services that support international students in their transition to American higher education. These strategies can create a more inclusive and welcoming environment …

From Lived Experiences To Social Activism: Latino Fraternity Brothers Critical Service To The Latinx Community, Regina L. Suriel, James Martinez, Christian Bello Escobar, Jamie L. Workman

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Colleges and universities are seeing growth of Latinx students actively engaged in Greek life. In this study, six Latino participants share their testimonios as members of different Chapters of a Latinx Greek Letter Organization (LGLO) nestled within Predominantly White Institutions located in the state of Georgia, USA. Informed by LatCrit theory, this qualitative study uses member’s testimonios to shed light on their varied and sometimes politically charged and racist lived experiences. The researchers draw on these experiences to show how the LGLO supported these members’ character and leadership development and their desire and commitment to critical service and socially just …

White Girl Wasted: Gender Performativity Of Sexuality With Alcohol In National Panhellenic Conference Sorority Women, Pietro A. Sasso, Amber Manning-Ouellette, Kim E. Bullington, Shelley Price-Williams

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

This narrative qualitative study explored how sorority members negotiated their identities within systems of hegemony with their student communities. Sorority members used women’s empowerment discourse to rationalize how they consumed alcohol, engaged in frequent consensual sexual relationships, and navigated relationships with fraternity men and across their campus sorority/fraternity communities. Implications for practice included harm reduction, sex education, and supportive policies.

Exploring The College Enrollment Of Students From Rural Areas: Considerations For Scholarly Practitioners, Elise J. Cain, Samantha Class

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Rural students graduate high school at a rate comparable to their urban and suburban peers; however, people from rural areas attend college at the lowest rate. Due to this discrepancy and the ever-growing importance of postsecondary education, this article summarizes and synthesizes works on the college enrollment of students from rural areas. The article begins with background information on the benefits of postsecondary education, definitions of rurality, the educational attainment of rural people, as well as institutional type and attendance patterns of rural students. Next, using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of human development as a guiding framework, literature about the individual, …

“I Alone Can’T Stop The Spread”: Mid-Level Conduct Professionals Sensemaking Through Covid-19, Benjamin S. Selznick, Cover Heishman

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how mid-level student conduct professionals (SCPs) made meaning of their professional and mid-level leadership experiences during their institutions’ immediate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study draws on sensemaking as a theoretical lens and literature related to mid-level professionals and student conduct practice to ground its inquiry. Interview data was collected and analyzed from four senior-level student conduct professionals within a single State within the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation region. Findings center on three key themes voiced by the participants: the importance of maintaining …

Educating Undergraduate Student Leaders: A Study Of Learning In A Leadership Program Of A National Fraternity, Meghan Grace, Pietro Antonio Sasso, Kim E. Bullington, Dawn Wiese

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Leadership development experiences have long been touted as necessary and positive for promoting the practice of effective leadership. Yet, little has been presented about the effectiveness of leadership development programs sponsored, designed, and implemented by membership-based organizations, like fraternities and sororities. This study examines the efficacy of a national fraternity sponsored leadership development program for chapter presidents in facilitating a meaningful developmental experience and encouraging long-term learning gains. Data collected at three intervals throughout the year in which program attendees were in office were analyzed using ANOVA and t-tests to identify the specific areas in which students reported learning …

Intersectionality Of Self-Reported Food Insecurity And Perceived Stress Of College Students At A Land-Grant Southeastern Higher Education Institution During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kendra Oonorasak, Makenzie Barr, Michael Pennell, Dylan Hardesty, Kotomi Yokokura, Samantha Udarbe, Tammy Stephenson

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

College food insecurity (FI) and poor psychosocial health are prevalent public health issues in the U.S., yet often overlooked. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, repercussions on these critical inequity issues remain unclear. During the summer months of 2020, this cross-sectional survey examined associations between students’ self-reported FI and perceived stress (PSS-10), one aspect of poor psychosocial health. An anonymous online survey was distributed to a convenience sample of college students at a land grant institution of higher education in the southeastern U.S., and $10 e-gift card was provided to survey respondents. The survey response rate was 26.2% (n=235) and participants were …

An Examination Of Faculty And Staff Collaboration And Relationships In Higher Education, Jennifer Syno, Juliann S. Mcbrayer, Daniel W. Calhoun, Cordelia Zinskie, Katherine Fallon

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Collaboration between academic and student affairs professionals is an important means of increasing student success; however, historical divides between these units have made implementation of these efforts challenging. This quantitative study sought to evaluate the perceptions of faculty and student affairs staff towards collaborative efforts and toward one another within a single campus of a comprehensive regional university within the southeast. Findings show that while both faculty and staff value collaborations and believe they positively impact student success, these units do not experience equitable voice and responsibility within collaborative efforts when conducted. Additionally, differences were found in enjoyment of collaborative …

Undergraduate Students’ Perception Of Leadership Development Programs And Leadership Self-Efficacy, Benjamin Phillips, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Brandon Hunt, Antonio P. Gutierrez De Blume, Katherine Fallon

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Colleges and universities across the United States face continual pressure to meet enrollment and retention goals, as budgets in this performance-based environment continue to become more important. On-campus student involvement, such as in undergraduate leadership development programs, has been shown to have a positive influence on both student retention and success. A survey was utilized to examine leadership self-efficacy and engagement of undergraduate students that participated in campus-based leadership development programs and explore some motivators (contributing factors) and barriers (detracting factors) to involvement in those programs. One emergent theme within contributing factors to participation was alignment with personal goals (74.7%), …

Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming College Students’ Challenges, Supports, And Successes: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Jennifer R. Curry, Imre Csaszar, Tiffany Shierling

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

We report findings from an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study of transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) participants’ perceptions of their on-campus experiences. Participants reported their lived experiences of campus culture in the Deep South. The data was viewed through a minority stress framework. Four major themes emerged: a) supports for students; b) barriers for students; c) undergoing personal change; and d) influencing systemic change.

“You’Re Kind Of Considered Like A Leper”: A Narrative Inquiry Into How The Significant Academic Struggle Of Academic Probation Impacts Women Undergraduate Science Students’ Sense Of Belonging At An Institution, Matthew J. Smith, Rebekah I. Estevez, Georgianna L. Martin

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

While there has been significant research on both how academic struggles impact college students, as well as factors that impact the sense of belonging for college students, there has been little research examining how a significant academic struggle impacts a students’ perception of sense of belonging at that institution. This qualitative study explores how an academic struggle impacts students’ sense of belonging at that institution, as well as other findings from this study.

Jewish Fraternities And Sororities As Spaces Of Resistance Against Antisemitism, Pietro Antonio Sasso, Kimberly Davis

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

There has been a continued increase in antisemitic activities at colleges and universities over the last decade. Media reports and research about perceptions of Jewish college students add face validity that student organizations are often targets of Anti-Jewish rhetoric. In particular, Jewish fraternities and sororities have been targeted by antisemitism as sites of violence but have also been spaces of resistance. Through a literature review of Jewish fraternities and sororities, the authors present their organizational saga to demonstrate a pattern of exclusion and antisemitism and summarize current initiatives by Jewish fraternities and sororities as spaces of resistance in combating antisemitism.

Georgia Journal Of College Student Affairs, Georgia College Personnel Association (Gcpa)

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Complete issue of Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs, v.38, iss. 1

In Search Of Safety: A Case Study Of Lgbt+ College Students’ Perception Of Safe Spaces At A Rural University, Ryan Campen, Jamie L. Workman, James G. Archibald

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

The purpose of this study was to better understand how LGBT+ college students find a safe space on college and university campuses when there is not one already provided for them. Strange and Banning’s (2015) four environments served as the theoretical framework. Data were collected through individual interviews with six college students who identify within the LGBT+ community and attend a mid-sized institution in South Georgia which does not have an established safe space. Students indicated locations like the library, front lawn, and individuals such as faculty, staff, and student organizations offered safe spaces. The results can better inform student …

Conceptualizing Student Affairs Graduate Preparation As Activity System(S), Graham F. Hunter

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Graduate preparation programs serve as a primary site for training new student affairs practitioners. However, scholars perennially raise concerns about the effectiveness of such graduate training and the readiness of new student affairs practitioners for the field. Whereas existing graduate preparation scholarship relies almost exclusively on a socialization framework, alternative theoretical frameworks oriented toward student learning can offer new insight into training individuals to do student affairs work. Utilizing existing literature on student affairs graduate preparation and cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), this article offers a conceptual model of student affairs graduate preparation as sociocultural activity systems. This model maps dimensions …

Utilization Of The Scheduling Software Platform, Youcanbookme, Steven Tolman, Stephanie Derfus

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Media/Software Review

Experiences With Ex Corde Ecclesiae In Faculty Teaching Practices At Southern Catholic Colleges, Maria R. Sarmiento, Pietro A. Sasso

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

As special-mission institutions, Catholic higher education institutions pursue similar goals of American higher education to develop graduates who are civically engaged and ready to address contemporary challenges. However, these institutions are often challenged to integrate their religious mission within the classroom through faculty pedagogy, which buttresses academic freedom and student consumerism issues. This descriptive phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Catholic university faculty members as they described their pedagogical experiences and Catholic identity perspectives. Findings from this study suggested a connection with Catholic identity, but that their relationship with institutional mission related to teaching was ambiguous. Participants had little …

Accessibility Of Virtual Instruction In Higher Education: Challenges Caused By The Covid-19 Pandemic, Carlie L. Cooper

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed. It prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Institutions of higher education are included under Title III of the ADA, and as such are required to provide the same access to services and education to qualified individuals with disabilities as individuals without. A review of the literature of accessibility of online programs and courses in higher education shows that compliance to the ADA is sporadic due to several challenges. In Spring 2020, all institutions of higher education transitioned to some form of online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This created …

Students Who Experienced Foster Care Are On Campus: Are Colleges Ready?, Sarah E. Jones, Matthew D. Varga

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Though most youth in the foster care system aspire to attend college, few have the opportunity to do so. For myriad reasons, including lack of historical representation on college campuses, sub- par Pk-12 education, and postsecondary barriers to admissions, enrollment, and financial aid, most college students who experienced foster care depart college without earning a degree. As the barriers to college for this population of students emerges, postsecondary institutions are pre- paring their campuses for students with unique needs. This qualitative study explores how student affairs professionals in one university system support college students previously in foster care. Professionals and …

No Place Like Home: The Coming Out Experiences Of Gay Men In Student Affairs And Higher Education Preparation Programs, Darren E. Pierre, Cameron Beatty, Antonio Duran

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Development occurs over the lifespan, and student affairs educators are not exempt from that life-long process. This article examined the coming out experiences of gay men within student affairs master’s preparation programs. The study was comprised of 11 participants representing seven different higher education/student affairs administration programs. The findings of this study offer the following: first, the study offers insight on the coming out experiences of gay men in graduate preparation programs. Second, the findings showcase the role that student affairs programs, curriculum, and instruction play in the identity exploration process for gay men. Finally, findings from this study offer …

A Different Kind Of Job Search: Post-Graduate Student Affairs Geographically Focused Searches, Michelle L. Boettcher

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

As student affairs graduate students finish their academic work and begin their job searches, they must navigate a number of competing priorities including position, title, work responsibilities, functional area, salary, benefits and other aspects of the position. For some graduates, the most important consideration is geographical location – they want to be close to family, partners, or located in specific communities. As a result, they often have to be very flexible on other work considerations. They also sometimes feel isolated in their searches and get messages from peers that they are not doing their searches in the “right” way. This …

Georgia Journal Of College Student Affairs, Georgia College Personnel Association (Gcpa)

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Complete issue of Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs, v.37, iss. 2

Boyeristic Tendencies: A Look Into The Life History Of The Student Affairs Scholar-Practitioner, Ginny J. Boss, Merrily S. Dunn

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

The purpose of this study was to provide more insight into the skills and support systems needed to encourage scholarship among student affairs practitioners. We used topical life history to examine the scholarly lives of eight student affairs practitioners. To guide that examination, we leveraged the questions posed by Jablonski et al. (2006) as our research questions: “What skills and knowledge [did] practitioners need to develop a scholarship agenda?" and "What support, coaching, and job modifications create[d] environments for practitioners to be successful” (p. 197). Participant life histories revealed a variety of direct and indirect influences, such as institutional context, …

Predictors Of Student Academic Success In The Corequisite Model, Damon Andrews, Steven Tolman

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of community college student academic success in corequisite English and mathematics courses. Academic success was defined dichotomously on a pass or fail basis. The population included 1,934 students enrolled in at least one corequisite English and/or mathematics course at a community college between the fall semester of 2015 and summer semester of 2018. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the fol- lowing predictors: a student’s sex, race, age at time of enrollment, Pell Grant recipient status, first-generation college student status, high school grade point average (HSGPA), placement test scores, academic …

Georgia Journal Of College Student Affairs, Georgia College Personnel Association (Gcpa)

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Complete issue of Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs, v.37, iss. 1

Usg’S Well-Being Policy Regarding Tobacco Product Use: A Proposal For Changing From Opt-Out To Opt-In, Donald L. Ariail, Benedikt L. Quosigk

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

The University System of Georgia (USG) has a state-wide initiative aimed at increasing the well-being of faculty and staff by deincentivizing the use of tobacco products by employees who are covered by a USG healthcare plan. This incentive is positive in that aid in stopping tobacco product usage is offered to each member; and negative in that each member who is a tobacco product user is penalized. A healthcare surcharge is added to the monthly health insurance premium paid by each faculty/staff member for themselves and covered dependents over 18 years of age who are tobacco product users. The current …

The Out-Of-Classroom Engagement Experiences Of First-Generation College Students That Impact Persistence, Sherolyn Hopkins, Jamie L. Workman, William Truby

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

This article is the result of research conducted with first-generation upper-class college students enrolled at a comprehensive university in Georgia. The researcher sought to answer the following research question: How do first-generation college students perceive the impact of out-of-classroom engagement experiences on persistence?

Participants were selected based on a purposeful sampling technique. The researcher utilized a qualitative interpretive approach and collected data via individual interviews and a focus group. The researcher was able to organize the rich data into themes. The article concludes with implications for student affairs professionals and future research on first-generation college students.

Keywords: first-generation college students, …

Book Review - Educated: A Memoir, By Tara Westover, Michelle Lea Boettcher, Julia M. Dingle, Savannah Lockman, Kelsey Wilkins, Nikalette Zina

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover is the story of a first generation college student navigating a transition from a rural and conservative community and family into and through higher education including graduate education. As Westover shares her struggles and is transparent with her vulnerability, she highlights a number of struggles students often face in college. The book explores the tensions between family / home and college. It also highlights the importance of individual connections and actions in the persistence and success of students. It is compelling and directly transferable to the work of student affairs practitioners as highlighted in …

Book Review- The Mind Of The Leader, Rebecca Cofer

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

Book review of The Mind of the Leader .

Hougaard. R. & Carter, J. (2018). The Mind of the Leader: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, And Your Organization for Extraordinary Results. Harvard Business Review Press. 224pp. ISBN 9781633693425. $25.20 suggested retail price.