The Property Functions of Whiteness Within Fraternity and Sorority Culture and Its Impact on Campus

This qualitative intersectional narrative inquiry examined how Multiracial college students find sense of belonging in student organizations by negotiating multiple racial identities and locations in traditionally monoracial spaces. Multiracial students sought membership in organizations because they felt invisible at their institutions. To find belonging within student communities, they engaged in a difficult process of placemaking in which they experienced monoracism and other racialized microaggressions within student organizations. In time, they developed a sense of belonging by curating a small cohort of friends connected through their organizational involvement. These findings reveal implications that further inform approaches for student involvement professionals and others who work with Multiracial students to increase their support and engagement across involvement contexts.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Belonging, racializing, and placemaking in student organizations for multiracial student leaders

Sasso,

Bullington,

Perry

2023

“…They attempted to initially engage in placemaking by unsuccessfully obtaining leadership positions that were stymied or limited to administrative roles. They also attempted to conform to whiteness or other monoracial norms through passing or other coping strategies (Harris et al, 2019;Sasso et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2023

It focuses on publishing rigorous, relevant, and respected scholarship related to postsecondary education cocurricular campus activities, and translating such scholarship to practice. It especially encourages submissions from practitioners throughout higher education. Typical submissions to the journal cover topics such as: Student and leadership development within campus activities Programming within a diverse and multicultural campus Advising students and their organizations Campus programming, governance, and/or funding boards Assessing the effects of student involvement in campus activities Navigating political and legal issues in working with students Professional development for staff and faculty who work with studentsAuthors can find more information about the submission process at naca.org/JCAPS.The Journal of Campus Activities Practice & Scholarship is published biannually by the National Association for Campus Activities. Statements of fact and opinion, or other claims made herein, are the responsibility of the authors and do not imply an opinion on the part of NACA® office employees, or officers, staff and other members of the Association. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce the contents of JCAPS either in whole or in part. Any reproduction includes, but is not limited to, computerized storage of information for later retrieval or audio, visual, print or internet purposes. All protections offered under federal copyright law will be strictly pursued, and no reproduction of any portion of this publication may occur without specific written permission from NACA. No material can be copied in any form if the purpose is to sell the material.NACA, National Association for Campus Activities, The Journal of Campus Activities Practice & Scholarship, JCAPS, and all other designated trademarks, service marks, and trade names (collectively the "Marks") are trademarks or registered trademarks of and are proprietry to NACA, or other respective owners that have granted NACA the right and license to use such Marks.

“…White student leaders have been found to hold "white knight" dispositions in which they infantilize other Students of Color and hold paternalistic assumptions in wanting to "save" them (Trepagnier, 2006). When White students feel that Students of Color are present in institutions to serve their own learning and social achievement, it becomes a form of Whiteness as property (Cabrera, 2011;Gusa, 2010;Harris et al, 2019;Harper & Hurtado, 2007). Centering their development of a positive White racial identity perpetuates Whiteness at the expense of subverting racist structures, particularly because they feel they should not bear the obligation of educating their White peers (Foste, 2020).…”

Section: Whiteness In White Student Leadersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Centering their development of a positive White racial identity perpetuates Whiteness at the expense of subverting racist structures, particularly because they feel they should not bear the obligation of educating their White peers (Foste, 2020). Any challenges to this hegemony feed sentiments of dispossession in which White students feel they cannot exact their privilege, and instead, they externalize blame because they cannot assume "property of power" (Harris et al, 2019;Sasso, 2019). Foste (2020a) suggested White student leaders perceived social justice and inclusion as a measurable and achievable endpoint, rather than as a continual process of self-work.…”

Section: Whiteness In White Student Leadersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Saying the right thing, doing the white thing: Perpetuating the enlightenment narrative in White undergraduate student leaders

Sasso¹,

Marcy²

2023

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the ways undergraduate student leaders engaged in the enlightenment narrative. Eighteen White student leaders from seven higher education institutions were interviewed. Participants engaged in frontstage performances of inclusion by “saying the right thing” to maintain ownership of their leadership positions and differentiate themselves from white peers through a white savior complex. When asked to clarify, they revealed private sentiments of dispossession and fear that some campus equity efforts threatened their leadership positions. This revealed ways in which participants undermined their initial rhetoric of inclusion through “doing the white thing.” Implications using Adaptive Leadership theory are provided to suggest how student involvement professionals can challenge White student leaders to confront their own Whiteness and counter forms of white supremacy.