In the United States, anti-queer mobilization (e.g. demonstrations, propaganda, political attacks) has increased in recent years. Although campus climate data from the past decades for queer-spectrum individuals show promising trends, these students still navigate numerous academic, social, and health challenges in the college. Given students'…

Research suggests that exposure to microaggressions diminishes cognitive resources. Using "in vivo" experimental methodology, we found that engagement in a breathing exercise may mask the effects of cognitive depletion in Black college women who are exposed to racial microaggressions. Sixty-one Black college women were randomly assigned…

This queer narrative study examined the stories of two gay college men living with HIV and their relationship to HIV/AIDS. Foucault's technologies of the self served as the conceptual framework. Technologies of the self are practices, strategies, and narratives participants used to resist the stigma-tizing symbolic violence of AIDS. The men…

Building on cognitive schema theory, this study investigates the relationship between experienced and observed harassment in a university setting. It also examines two moderators--organizational identification and perceived justice. Using a cross sectional survey, data were gathered from 276 academics and staff in a private university with…

Despite the increase of studies done on trans college students and an increase in LGBT Centers on college campuses, college campuses are still failing to adequately meet the needs of their trans students. Furthermore, the ongoing effects of racism in queer and trans spaces remain a phenomenon in urgent need of redress. This study uses queer of…

This article explores the multifaceted dimensions of Black Trans Education Spaces (BTES) within higher education, highlighting the unique experiences, challenges, and transformative potential of these spaces for Black transgender students. This article acknowledges that Black education spaces may perpetuate trans-antagonism due to a lack of…

This arts-based narrative in/queer/y explores the subjectivity of gay college men living with HIV through the stories and art of two participants. Despite their significantly different lives, the two men shared a subjectivity that was also reflected in the lives of other participants. Care of the self reflects Foucault's search for a way of life…

This dissertation uses an ethnographic approach, observations, field notes, and interviews to analyze how Chicanx/Latinx students create counter-spaces to cultivate their epistemological needs and validate their identities within a predominantly white institution (PWI). The project uses the "Nopalera" Framework created by an artist…

Catholic campuses can be perceived to be hostile spaces for LGBTQ+ students, given the Catholic Church's stance on gender and sexuality. This qualitative study explored how being at a Catholic college--and specifically, a Mercy institution--influenced queer students' experiences. Twenty-nine emerging adults representing a range of genders and…

This qualitative phenomenological study delves into the product of women's leadership in Catholic colleges of education in four regions of Ghana. Using the synergistic leadership and organizational culture theories as the conceptual frameworks, the study examined the essence of the lived experiences of women in leadership positions of these…

International students are more likely to experience mental health issues and increased stress. Mental health is often surrounded by negative societal stigmas that act as barriers to seeking support and tend to lead to greater mental health concerns. International students tend to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers…

Few studies address the lived experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) students in engineering. Grounded in critical trans politics (Spade, 2015), this dissertation contributes to the literature on TGNC students in engineering by examining their experiences negotiating their identities while navigating interrelated systems of…

Spirit murdering in the academy is pervasive and the impacts on racially minoritized populations are far-reaching and lasting. As Love (2016) notes, spirit murdering is built upon an academic culture that openly embraces racism, at the expense of the minds, bodies, and souls of racially minoritized faculty and students. Over time the spirits,…

Latinx student enrollment in higher education institutions has been increasing and will continue to rise (McFarland et al., 2018), yet Latinx students have lower degree completion rates than their peers from other racial and ethnic backgrounds (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Higher education institutions need to learn directly…

Black collegians who attend historically white institutions continue to struggle with racism, microaggressions, feelings of alienation, minimal or improper advising, and an undue pressure to prove themselves (Bonner, 2010; Feagin & Sikes, 1995; Strayhorn, 2010). These barriers to success result in part due to a lack of support from the…