Intersections of Identity, Teaching, and Learning: LGBT Issues and Student Success

1. Intersections of Identity, Teaching, and Learning: LGBT Issues and Student Success Kristen A. Renn, PhD Michigan State University Presented at the POD Annual Meeting • November 6, 2010 • Saint Louis, Missouri

2. Connect LGBT issues and identities with contexts for teaching and learning • LGBT campus climate and culture • Strategies to transform climate, culture, teaching and learning related to LGBT issues and identities

3. Definitions • Sexual Orientation – relationship between one’s gender and the gender(s) of those to whom one is attracted • Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Heterosexual • Gender Identity – relationship between felt or expressed gender and sex as assigned at birth • Cisgender, Transgender (e.g., FtM, MtF), GenderQueer

4. Diversity and Identities • Sex, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, social class, religion, faith tradition • Part-time or Full-time • Direct from high school or “Nontraditional” • Military veterans • Urban, suburban, rural • In-State, Out of State, International

5. Identities, Teaching, and Learning • Classroom interactions with faculty and peers • Readings, media, learning resources • Course assignments • Curriculum (majors, distribution requirements, integrated studies) • Co-curriculum: Service learning, study abroad, internships, co-op education, undergrad research, journal clubs

6. Campus Climate • Current attitudes, behaviors and standards, and practices of employees and students of an institution (Rankin & Reason, 2008) • Four dimensions: • Historical legacy of inclusion or exclusion • Structural diversity • Psychological climate • Behavioral climate (Hurtado, Milem Clayton-Pederson, & Allen, 1998)

7. LGBT Campus Climate • 2010 State of Higher Education for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People (www.campuspride.org) • 5149 surveys by students, faculty, staff, administrators • 50 states, all Carnegie types

8. LGB Respondents: More Harassment and Discrimination • 61% were target of derogatory remarks • 47% felt deliberately ignored or excluded • 30% felt intimidated or bullied • 20% felt isolated or left out in groups • 13% feared for physical safety

9. LGB Respondents: More Harassment and Discrimination • 11% feared a bad grade because of hostile classroom environment • 42% indicated that harassment happened in class • 52% experienced harassment in public or while walking on campus

10. Transgender Respondents: More Harassment and Discrimination • 63% were target of derogatory remarks • 61% felt deliberately ignored or excluded • 40% felt intimidated or bullied • 32% felt isolated or left out in groups • 18% feared for physical safety

11. Transgender Respondents: More Harassment and Discrimination • 15% feared a bad grade because of hostile classroom environment • 55% indicated that harassment happened in class • 65% experienced harassment in public or while walking on campus

12. Students at the Highest Risk • Target of derogatory remarks: • LGB students = 68% • Faculty = 41% • Staff = 48% • Intimidated or bullied: • LGB students = 32% • Faculty = 31% • Staff = 22% • Students twice as likely as faculty to be a target of physical violence (staff reported 0 incidents)

13. Campus Climate • Comfortable or Very Comfortable Overall: • Non-LGBT: 78% students, 85% faculty, 76% staff • LGBT: 70% students, 76% faculty, 64% staff • Comfortable/Very Comfortable Classroom: • Non-LGBT students: 76% • LGBT students: 64% • LGBT students, faculty, and staff more likely to consider leaving institution than non-LGBT

14. Microaggressions • Subtle, everyday messages • Lowered expectations, tokenism, ignoring obvious discrimination, surveillance

15. Go [Home Team]!Keep Austin Weird U T

16. Michigan State beats University of Michigan third year in a row “Lit-tle Sis-ter, Lit-tle, Sis-ter!”

17. A moment of silence to honor Rutgers student Tyler Clementi

18. Approaches to LGBT Issues and Identities Active Discrimination Passive Discrimination Passive Support Active Support

19. Active Discrimination • Outright actions and speech that create hostile and/or inequitable learning environment • Institutional, state, federal policies

20. Passive Discrimination - Negligence • Microaggressions such as: • Ignoring student to student comments • Discouraging LGBT research • Lowering expectations • Omitting LGBT-related course content when it would be relevant • Assuming “unmarried” individuals are single • Habits and routines that reveal discriminatory attitudes

21. Passive Support • Language (e.g., “partner” instead of “spouse”) • Classroom context: • Universal instructional design • Avoiding humor that singles out a group • Not asking someone to “represent” a group • “Props” of teaching • Faculty offices • Library displays • Bulletin boards

22. Passive Support: Safe Zone • Training and education • Symbol to post

23. Active Support – Leadership • Enact anti-discriminatory learning environment • Curricular infusion • Student assignments

24. Active Support: Model Civil Discourse • Center oneself – the students are watching • Name the situation as local manifestation of societal context • Invite students to help resolve the conflict • Reframe from debate to dialogue • Take a break • Student writing • Address student emotions • Follow up

25. Active Support: “Identity Neutral” Courses • Be creative • Look for LGBT issues in larger contexts to which course applies

26. Active Support: Be an Ally • Search committees, curriculum review, promotion and tenure processes • Faculty development programming • Include LGBT issues with other diversity topics • Create LGBT-focused programs • Support for individual LGBT faculty

27. Active Support: Institutional Transformation • Partner with LGBT resource center and/or student affairs • Work with LGBT faculty/staff groups to identify needs • Inject LGBT issues into diversity discussions, climate surveys, TA training, other programs

28. But How Am I Going to Get Anyone to Listen? • Infusion • Leadership for Change • Strategic Partnerships • Most Compelling Arguments • Social justice, campus climate data, campus statistics, avoiding tragedy • Balance risk approach with strengths approach

29. Connect LGBT issues and identities with contexts for teaching and learning • LGBT campus climate and culture • Strategies to transform climate, culture, teaching and learning related to LGBT issues and identities

30. Thank you. Kristen Renn www.msu.edu/~renn renn@msu.edu

31. References & Resources • Hurtado, S., Milem, J.F., Clayton-Pedersen, A.R., & Allen, W.R. (1998). Enhancing campus climates for racial/ethnic diversity: Educational policy and practice. The Review of Higher Education, 21, 279-302. • Rankin, S., & Reason, R. D. (20058). Transformational tapestry model: A comprehensive approach to transforming campus climate. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 1, 262-274. doi: 10.1037/a0014108 • Rankin, S., Weber, G., Blumenfeld, W., & Frazer, S. (2010). 2010 state of higher education for lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender people. Charlotte, NC: Campus Pride. (see www.campuspride.org for downloadable executive summary or to order full report) • Renn, K. A. (2010). LGBT and queer research in higher education: The state and status of the field. Educational Researcher, 39 (2), 132-141. doi: 10.3102/0013189X10362579 • Renn, K. A. (2000). Teaching lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students. College Teaching, 48 (4), 129-135. • National Consortium of LGBT Campus Resource Center Directors: www.lgbtcampus.org • Safe Zone development information http://architect.lgbtcampus.org/support_networks_and_safe_zones