In this phenomenological investigation we used qualitative research methodology to examine the experiences of 8 African American women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs at 1 predominantly White university (PWU) in the South. Much of the current research in this area uses quantitative methods and only yields descriptive statistical information. By using qualitative methods, we sought to add significant context to currently available literature about the experiences of African American women in STEM graduate programs at PWUs. We conducted semistructured interviews with research participants. Additionally, participants completed a demographic questionnaire to give us more information about their backgrounds. We analyzed these sources of data to help understand participant experiences. Verbatim quotes from participant interviews were used to highlight experiences and give voice to an often silenced student population in graduate STEM education. Results indicated that participants experienced racial microaggressions, low self-efficacy, and a lack of institutional support while pursuing STEM graduate degrees at this PWU. We offer suggestions about ways issues revealed by participants might be addressed by PWU university personnel. Attention to these issues could make the experiences for African American women more positive while pursuing graduate STEM degrees.

Female professors with children continue to experience institutional and cultural barriers in academia. This article situates the experiences of counselor educator mothers in the context of current trends in academia and research related to mothers in the workforce.

In 2001, a federal appeals court upheld the job termination of a counselor who requested being excused from counseling a lesbian client on relationship issues because homosexuality conflicted with the counselor's religious beliefs (Bruff v. North Mississippi Health Services, Inc., 2001). This article provides the facts of the case and the legal reasoning of the court. The authors also explore the legal and ethical issues related to this case.

The transcription factor GATA3 is essential for the genesis and maturation of the T cell lineage, and GATA3 dysregulation has pathological consequences. Previous studies have shown that GATA3 function in T cell development is regulated by multiple signaling pathways and that the Notch nuclear effector, RBP-J, binds specifically to the Gata3 promoter. We previously identified a T cell-specific Gata3 enhancer (Tce1) lying 280 kb downstream from the structural gene and demonstrated in transgenic mice that Tce1 promoted T lymphocyte-specific transcription of reporter genes throughout T cell development; however, it was not clear if Tce1 is required for Gata3 transcription in vivo. Here, we determined that the canonical Gata3 promoter is insufficient for Gata3 transcriptional activation in T cells in vivo, precluding the possibility that promoter binding by a host of previously implicated transcription factors alone is responsible for Gata3 expression in T cells. Instead, we demonstrated that multiple lineage-affiliated transcription factors bind to Tce1 and that this enhancer confers T lymphocyte-specific Gata3 activation in vivo, as targeted deletion of Tce1 in a mouse model abrogated critical functions of this T cell-regulatory element. Together, our data show that Tce1 is both necessary and sufficient for critical aspects of Gata3 T cell-specific transcriptional activity.