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ERIC Number: ED638171
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 164
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3801-6509-9
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
"Listen to the Students": Composite Poems on Racial Justice Advocacy in Fraternity/Sorority Life
Aaron Thomas George
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Georgia
Seven campus fraternity/sorority life (FSL) professionals of color who are members of culturally based fraternal organizations (CBFOs) shared stories on how they advocate for students of color and CBFOs on their campus. College Student Educators International's (ACPA's) strategic imperative for racial justice and decolonization (SIRJD) was used as the theoretical framework for this study. Critical race theory as well as tempered radicalism and the student affairs model of case management were also used to help frame this study. The stories of advocacy shared by the participants revealed insight into how advocacy was understood, the contexts in which advocacy was done, and what advocacy looked like in practice. Through poetic thinking and a performance analysis, ten composite poems were created that captured the various ways advocacy was approached. These approaches to advocacy included participants' self-awareness to the racial history of FSL, their critical consciousness to the practice and praxis of FSL advising, centering and engaging students in their advocacy work, advocating among other campus professionals, and advocating to disrupt the larger discourse and structures of FSL advising. The findings of this study suggest that advocacy of students of color and CBFOs in FSL is racial justice work. Moreover, the actions of racial justice advocacy reflect foundational student affairs philosophy on what student affairs work is. Lastly, the participants of the study have shown that their advocacy of racial justice reflects the need to address the larger dominant narrative of FSL advising, based on historical predominantly white fraternities and sororities, that not only informs current student experiences but their experiences as professionals. The advocacy of racial justice in FSL would be served better by the inclusion of naming race and racism, and the power of the dominant white narrative, in foundational documents that speak to FSL advising practice and competencies. The role of advocacy in FSL practice and praxis and higher education/student affairs graduate preparation programs should also be explored as an area of future research, to consider how advocacy is learned, implemented, and understood as a function of the profession. Findings also informed a new proposal to the SIRJD visual model. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A