Native Americans are a critically underserved and under researched population in the United States (US) higher education system. Not only do American Indians (AIs) and Alaska Natives (ANs) enroll in vastly lower percentages than their nonnative peers, but they are also far less likely to persist to graduation and attend graduate school than other…

This study was designed to understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the family's role in their students' college experiences. Specifically, the authors examined parents' attitudes towards institutions' COVID-19 decision-making, parents' perceptions of communication quality between families and institutions during the COVID-19…

A hostile campus climate and culture significantly impacts students' of color overall well-being and learning, especially in the present day's highly tense racial and political environment. As fourth-year doctoral students, identifying as a Black woman and Latina, the authors have faced adversities and obstacles navigating both personal and…

The climate for minoritized groups in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is exclusionary and hinders their capacity to thrive and earn degrees in STEM disciplines. Most research on and support for programs to diversify technology and STEM fields have focused on strategies in highly selective, well-resourced institutions, which…

Despite tempting illusions of college campuses as bubbles removed from "the real world", college students are not immune to trauma in its many forms including sexual violence, racism, death of loved ones, car accidents, abuse, or natural disasters. In the best-case scenario, colleges and their administrators and faculty can be sources of…

The COVID-19 global pandemic brought unexpected challenges to the curricular and co-curricular offerings of the Women and Gender Studies Program (WGST) at George Mason University. In March 2020, all courses were immediately transitioned to virtual, online experiences--none had previously been offered in a virtual format, programming ceased, and…

Student persistence to graduation remains a critical measure of institutional success. Degree attainment is not only essential to the personal achievement of students arriving on campus each fall but has become a high-stakes measure for performance-based funding. It is telling, that even now, the pursuit of a college degree is characterized as…

In this article, the author shares the story of Kristin, a low-income single mother raising her six-year-old son Max in Southern California. Taking 13 college credits, Kristin bartended nights and weekends, while raising Max on her own. The author met Kristin while studying the experiences of low-income mothers enrolled in college in the…

Visuals and images are ubiquitous on college campuses and with the lives of students, faculty, and staff. Increasingly students, administrators, and faculty have access to the means of creation, production, and distribution of images. While particular images are crafted by institutions to communicate particular messages, the use of visuals and…

Campus surveys consistently demonstrate that roughly 40 percent of students surveyed report some food insecurity. As with the general population, poor students struggle to purchase sufficient and nutritious food. Data also show how family support, while protective against food insecurity, is no guarantee that students will eat well or eat enough.…

Genia M. Bettencourt's research focuses largely on working-class students rather than first-generation or low-income designations. Having come from a working class background herself, Bettencourt believes that single variables do not capture the full picture of social class. As a child, her social class did not derive merely from the fact that her…

American higher education has often been more exclusive than inclusive in its higher education admission practices. Community colleges have greatly assisted in closing the gap of accessing higher education as they have become the chosen college entry point for students of color. Community colleges often remain the first choice for African American…

Shelly L. Francis posits that we will need collective courage to truly embrace cultural diversity. So what is courage and can we cultivate it in ourselves and our students? First, we need more people with the skills to foster trust, especially with others who are different. Perhaps not surprisingly, these people will also need a strong sense of…

Founding "About Campus" Executive Editor Patricia M. King discusses her concerns about what she sees as the unnecessary split between the institutional and the individual approach to supporting student learning and provides a forward-looking model to merge the two.

June Pierce Youatt, Wyl McCully, and Sue A. Blanshan describe an innovative, collaborative approach to making on-campus life more accessible to students at Michigan State University.