supporting isolated students in stem · office of multicultural affairs . committee & tasks...

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Supporting Isolated Students

In STEM

Ms. Charlana SimmonsDirector, Office of Multicultural Affairs2018 Winter Massachusetts PKAL Regional Network MeetingJanuary 10, 2018 Bridgewater State University

Worcester Polytechnic Institute2 Office of Multicultural Affairs

Session DescriptionSupporting successful student integration into campus culture can some times be a difficult task. There are several instances where students isolate themselves from peers, faculty, and staff or become excluded from community building opportunities.

This session will identify potential causes for isolation on (self-imposed and systematic), and assist faculty and staff in identifying students who are isolating themselves or being excluded. Participants in this session will learn how to identify students who are having difficulty finding community institutionally, academically, and socially, and identify ways to help those students access community in various venues across the campus.

Addendum: Help faculty/staff think critically about the role that student groups play in creating community for students and how they can support those efforts.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Participants Will Be Able To

3 Office of Multicultural Affairs

Committee & Tasks Force Representation

1. Understand the factors that contribute to feelings of isolation on college campuses, especially among students from diverse backgrounds

2. Learn how to identify students who are having difficulty finding community a. Academicallyb. Socially

3. Identify ways to help those students feel more integrated in STEMa. Academically b. Socially


Introductions



• Director, Office of Multicultural Affairs Worcester Polytechnic Institute

• 10th year working in Higher Education supporting diverse students in STEM with a focus on graduate school preparation

• Western, New York Native

• Alumna, University of Rochester BA, 02’ and MS, 04'

• Primary experience in National Science Foundation and Department of Education grant program management (S-STEM, S-STEP, Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program, and LSAMP).

• Career Grant Totals: $10.2 million


Introductions Continued



• Name

• Institutions

• Title, Department, or Area

• Why Choose This Session?


A Concept: Sense of Belonging



According to Strayhorn (2012), a sense of belonging is defined as, “students’ perceived social support on campus, a feeling or sensation of connectedness, the experience of mattering or feeling cared about, accepted, respected, valued by, and important to the group (e.g., campus community) or others on campus (e.g., faculty, peers)” (pg. 3).

Value Propositions

• Perceived social support• Feeling of connectedness• Feeling like you matter• Feeling cared about • Feeling accepted • Feeling respected• Feeling valued• Feeling important


Common Causes of Isolation in STEM



1. Lack of diversity across the campusa. Race/Ethnicityb. Genderc. Abilityd. Sexualitye. Low-Income Statusf. First Generation Status

2. Hostile departments (academic and other)

3. Stigma attached to being “other”


Setting The Stage in STEM: Isolation By Design?



• STEM fields are largely white and male at every level ─ Enrollment─ Bachelor Degrees Conferred─ Graduate Degree Enrollment ─ Graduate Degrees Conferred─ Faculty

• The NCES reports that in 2015 STEM degrees/certificates were conferred by race and gender as the following:─ 436,674 males 58,757 were non-US Citizens 250,228 were white males

─ 198,999 women 27,235 non-US Citizens 103,772 to white women


Setting The Stage in STEM: Isolation By Design?, cont.



• The NCES also reports that in 2015 STEM degrees/certificates were conferred by race and gender as the following:─ Black Total: 50,741 (8%) Women: 17,919 Men: 32,822

─ Latino Total: 63,562 (10%) Women: 19,800 Men: 43,762

─ Native American Total: 3,401 (.05%) Women: 1,088 Men: 2,313

─ Asian Total: 62,217 (10%) Women: 38,782 Men: 23,435


Hostile Departments



• Gateway courses that are intentionally designed to keep students out of STEM

• Lack of diversity on the faculty/staff

• Access to opportunities restricted to top academic students

• Faculty/staff beliefs related to affirmative action


Reflecting On Our Practices



Directions: Take 2 minutes and free write on the following questions as it relates to your department. Afterwards, please share your responses with the partner nearest you. 1. Are there policies, practices, or processes that create barriers

for students from certain groups (race/ethnicity, gender, low-income, first generation status)?

2. How might these things create a lack of sense of belonging?

3. What changes would I propose to these department characteristics to improve the environment?


Stigma Attached To Being The Other



• Imposter Phenomenon:─ Clance & Imes (1978)

─ First identified in high achieving women who believed that they were frauds and would be found out at anytime by peers who are more intelligent

─ Societal prevalence of pre-determined sex roles contributes to feelings of misplacement

• Negative societal beliefs related to the ability of students of color, women, students with disabilities, and students who identify as LGBTQIA+ impact our students’ abilities to feel confident in their abilities in STEM.


What Are The Signs That Students Are Feeling Isolated?



• Disappearing acts

• Lack of engagement in group settings or on teams

• Over attachment to adults on campus (under attachment to age appropriate peers)


How Can I Help?



• Revise activities/assignments so they are more inclusive of students who may feel isolated or left out

• Get help from colleagues in departments that have expertise in supporting students from diverse backgrounds─ Office of Multicultural Affairs─ Offices of International Student Affairs─ Dean of Students Office─ Residential Life

• Create opportunities in your area for students to come together and/or access opportunities

• Engage isolated students with care and concern


The Value of Affinity Student Groups In STEM



• Student groups that focus on providing opportunities to build community among their similar peers on their campus

• Allows students be connected to national networks of peers who are working towards similar goals

• Provides psychological respite to students who experience oppression because of their diversity frames

• Provides a service to the institution by giving students access to a diverse network of faculty, staff, and professionals who have gone before them in the field

• Provides leadership opportunities to students that are valuable in the future


Getting Involved With Student Groups



• How can I get involved?─ Learn more about the national governing bodies that represent these student

groups

─ Become knowledgeable about students groups that are specifically designed for diverse students and the differences as compared to student groups that are either not focused or predominately serve white students (e.g. differences between predominately Black and White fraternities and sororities).

─ Volunteer to be a Faculty/Staff Advisor

─ Volunteer to chaperone the group to a national or regional conference

─ Advocate for the development of chapters on your campus: SACNAS, SWE, SHPE, NSBE, SASE, O-STEM, SNMA MAPS, etc.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute17 Office of Multicultural Affairs


QUESTIONS??


References



1. Clance, P.R. & Imes, S.A. (1978). The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention. Psychology: Theory, Research, and Practice, (15)3, pp. 241-247.

2. Packard, B.W. (2016). Successful STEM Mentoring Initiatives for Underrepresented Students: A Research Based Guide For Faculty And Administrators, Stylus, Virginia.

3. Strayhorn, T. (2012). College Students’ Sense of Belonging: A Key To Education Success For All Students, Routledge, NY.

4. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2009 through Fall 2015, Completions component. (This table was prepared October 2016).

supporting isolated students in stem · office of multicultural affairs . committee & tasks...

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