MULTICULTURAL ADVISING MULTICULTURAL ADVISING PORTFOLIOPORTFOLIO

Shay N. DodsonEDCEP 851: Multicultural

AdvisingKansas State University College

of Educationwww.shaynikole.com

www.k-state.edu/advising

Understanding, valuing, and

celebrating diversity

portraits of diversity. multiple sources. creative commons copyright.

3. Statement of Objectives & Operational Definition of Advising

4. Advising Self-Awareness

5. Privilege Awareness

6. Advising service & Institutional climate

7. Institutional Climate: The Safe Zone Program

8. Institutional Climate: Multicultural art

9. Multicultural advising & Academic Curricula

10. Advising delivery Methods & student retention

11. References

12. Self-Assessment

Table of ContentsTable of Contents

Statement of ObjectivesStatement of Objectives Operational Definition of Operational Definition of Academic AdvisingAcademic Advising

In this portfolio, I aim to address the following in order to exemplify my knowledge and understanding of Multicultural Advising:

I will discuss the importance of multicultural awareness,

include an introspective of my own advising self-awareness,

how I’ve come to understand and challenge white privilege,

explore my own experiences in promoting diversity awareness,

apply academic knowledge to multicultural advising service and delivery methods,

address retention, academic curricula, and the importance of multicultural programming,

provide examples of positive and creative ways to promote a diverse and inclusive institutional climate, and

complete a self-assessment regarding my knowledge of multicultural advising and its important impact on advisors and their students.

Multicultural advising focuses on the various concerns of students of diverse racial, religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, GLBT students, non-traditional (adult student) learners, and students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities (Cuyjet, Howard-Hamilton, and Cooper, 2011).

It is my goal to eliminate discrimination in my office and on campus, promote culturally-rich learning opportunities, and to provide assistance to students of all backgrounds to the best of my ability.

As stated in Multicultural Academic Advising: A Working Definition, multicultural advising is "shaped and influenced by sociocultural, socio-racial, and sociopolitical aspects of the campus environment" and "involves culturally diverse persons whose roles of advisee and advisors are multicultural in nature and context". (Wright-Carroll, 2011)

Advising Self-AwarenessAdvising Self-AwarenessI grew up in Houston, Texas, a culturally diverse city of 4+ million on the Gulf of Mexico. Growing up as most white children do, I did not think much about my own race. I did however notice skin color differences attending a elementary schools and a junior high school where whites were the minority. I moved to Manhattan, Kansas, a city of 40,000, and not as culturally diverse, to attend Kansas State University. I quickly became involved with the on-campus Queer-Straight Alliance, immersed myself in women’s studies courses and social sciences, and later went on to volunteer for increasing Diversity Initiatives for the county school district. Promoting diversity awareness is important to me and I hope to focus on advising the at-risk, multicultural, and GLBT student populations. I believe that we should not only educate ourselves about other cultures, but should learn to embrace and eventually come to celebrate our unique differences.

Advising self awareness means that we, as advisors, need to be conscious of our own racial identity and not subject to any prejudices or bias against other ethnicities or cultures. College campuses are becoming increasingly diverse and it is our responsibility to ensure that we are practicing ethical advising, not stereotyping groups of people, and not tolerating any sort of discrimination.

"Advisors can support social justice by urging students to include classes with multicultural perspectives, challenge misinformed ideas, and gain a better understanding of other cultures." (Gorski, 2006)

As Lantta also states, advisors need to be aware of their own personal biases and confront those ideals. Advisors should advocate for multicultural organizations and consider joining a group like K-State's Safe Zone which promotes awareness of hate and intolerance on campus, and offers training in areas of social justice. Also on this campus is the Department of Leadership Studies which offers multicultural programming and courses developed toward creating more culturally-aware and responsible members of society. It would be imperative to an advisor to advocate for these programs and courses like this to their advisees.

Both of these aspects will influence my advising practice such that I will be aware of my own biases and racial privilege, but also cognizant of the injustices still faced by persons of color, size, disability, sexual orientation, or other aspect of "otherness". I will work to promote change and awareness in my advising practice and on my campus, two things which have been very important to me in my undergraduate and graduate career, and I will continue to strive for as a professional advisor.

Privilege & Racial Identity AwarenessPrivilege & Racial Identity AwarenessWhite Racial Identity Development, according to Janet Helms' model, consists of six statuses: Contact (oblivious to racism), Disintegration (conflicted over racial dilemmas), Reintegration (resolution of conflict, intolerance of ethnic minorities increase), Pseudo-independence (awareness of injustice and discomfort with a racist White identity), Immersion/emersion (exploration of self as a racial being), and Autonomy (increasing awareness of one's own Whiteness, reduced feelings of guilt, acceptance of role in perpetuating racism, renewed determination to abandon White entitlement). Each stage is accompanied by a different Information-Processing strategy that White persons use to "assuage anxiety around the issue of race." (Sue & Sue, 2003)

According to Sue and Sue, "Awareness of White identity issues has major implications for counselors working with culturally different clients. Belief in the superiority of Whites or the inferiority of minority groups can impact the counseling relationship. Awareness of the inherent biases, stereotypes, and attitudes that are part of the socialization process in the United States and the impact that they have on White Identity is necessary for counselors to understand."

Dr. Wolfe-Taylor (2008) notes an excellent, disheartening, but true statement: "The ability to be oblivious about one's race is a luxury that (only) White people have." (Sue & Sue, 2008)

The fact that most campuses do not require diversity programming, according to Wolfe-Taylor, is problematic. As advisors, it should be our duty to encourage our students to seek out diversity courses and be excited about multicultural activities - these activities should not be a "requirement" but something to be enthusiastic about, and we should promote that enthusiasm through our own actions.

Advisors need to be aware of racial differences, as we will often advise students of cultures other than our own (whether we are white or not). It is important for us, especially myself as a white woman, to be aware of our own prejudices and confront any biases we may consciously or subconsciously hold. In order for us to be effective advisors, we must treat every student equitably and not only acknowledge, but learn to appreciate and celebrate our racial differences.

Peter Heinze explains in his essay, stages of racial awareness are not a dichotomy; a person is not completely non-racist vs. racist, there is a continuum that exists: a vast gray area of stereotyping and bigotry. Talking about race takes courage and it can tend to provoke fear, anxiety, heightened emotions, therefore, a level of open-mindedness and self-awareness must be attained in order to teach about white privilege.

"Another dynamic I attempt to model is that awareness of White privilege and racism is about learning and not knowing. I emphasize that I am still engaging in a process of learning: learning about the subtle and tacit ways in which White supremacy and racism play out in U.S. society and how this, beyond my awareness, can cause me to adopt racist thinking. ....Racism is often not overt aggression, but manifests itself in arrange of subtle and nuanced ways and, in fact, it is often blindness 'on the part of well-intentioned whites that contributes to various forms of-racism." (Heinze, 2008)

Emotions commonly expressed when students acknowledge the reality of white privilege are feelings guilt and shame. Heinze notes that students can either deny or accept these feelings.  Acknowledging white privilege is not about making white persons feel guilty, and the objective is not to relinquish one's privilege, but instead, to do what is necessary to ensure that all people receive the same benefits (Heinze, p.7) Reading this helped me understand that it is not my job to relinquish the privileges I have as a white female, but rather, what are the ways I can address racism and how can I further promote anti-racism activism? As advisors, we need to work at promoting anti-racism in our offices, departments, and college campuses in order to provide a safe and equitable space for all our students to learn and thrive.

It is my duty, in providing advising services, to assist students in learning how to become members of their higher education community, to think about their responsibilities as a student, and to help students hone their decision-making and critical thinking skills (CAS Concept of Advising). According to United Nations Educational advising standards, it is also my responsibility to assist students with decision making and career direction, help students understand university requirements, refer students to campus resources, and assist students in the selection of courses and other educational opportunities (UNESCO, 2012).

My responsibility as a multicultural advisor is to be aware of and challenge my own white privilege, promote diversity initiatives and social awareness on campus. I am not only here to help students select courses and curriculum, but I am also here to keep them motivated and moving toward his or her academic and life goals, and move the student closer toward successful completion of their college career. I would explain to the new International student that each of my advisees is a unique individual, and I am here to get to know students, listen, provide guidance, and help them become educated citizens in a global community (CAS Concept of Advising).

Advising ServiceAdvising Service Multicultural students need encouragement and support from their college environments, whether it is via environmental surroundings (seeing art and architecture which reflect their culture), attending a multicultural event or joining a group on campus, or seeing culturally similar students and faculty on campus. Since the multicultural student cohort tends to have a higher attrition rate than that of non-minority students, multicultural students need to feel a sense of inclusion on their college campuses and to know they are not alone. For example, on the K-State campus, groups like the Black Student Union, Hispanic And Latino Organization, the Chinese Student Association, and LGBTQ & More all provide support, networking, and a place of safety and inclusion for diverse populations. (Note: There are almost one-hundred other multicultural and religious student organizations on the Kansas State University campus.) As Cuyjet notes, "The physical environment of the campus communicates messages that influence students' feelings of well-being, belonging, and identity." (Cuyjet, Howard-Hamilton, & Cooper, 2011)Multicultural students may perceive the college environment as intimidating or unwelcoming if they do not see their own culture reflected in the school's surroundings. If a student does not see his or her own diverse perspective, or does not have an opportunity to communicate with successful senior students or faculty of his or her own background, they may feel excluded and are more likely to drop out. 

"Advisors can take the first steps towards upholding social justice and equity by creating a “safe” atmosphere where students feel comfortable disclosing confidential information." (Lantta, 2008) Advisors can assist multicultural students by providing them with referral information about groups and events on campuses which highlight and celebrate cultural diversity. Advisors can also provide students with a mentor of their own cultural background, perhaps a faculty or staff member who has had similar experiences.

Institutional ClimateInstitutional Climate

The GLBT population is an especially important student cohort to me. I wanted to include a section for these students in my Multicultural Advising Portfolio, as I’ve done more extensive work with this student population and am an avid Safe Zone and LGBTQ & More member.

I hope to work with this student population because I know the difficulties a gay student can face during their college years. Grappling with sexual identity, perhaps not having the support of parents or family, difficulty “coming out” if the student has not already done so – are very important and difficult issues that no student should have to face alone. I hope I can be a supportive mentor and advisor just like the faculty who were so supportive and encouraging to me when I was an undergrad.Advisors need to take into consideration that a student may not be comfortable disclosing his or her sexual orientation/gender identity due to fear of harassment. As Rankin notes, 28% of LGB students report having experienced harassment on their campuses, and 41% of transgendered and transsexual students experience harassment. Even on inclusive, proactive campuses GLBT students may still feel unsupported, afraid, or vulnerable. Advisors should be sensitive when listening to this student cohort, not make assumptions about anyone's gender or sexual identity, and be aware that harassment on campus does exist.

I think issues surrounding sexuality will arise as students come to terms with their orientation (if questioning) as much developmental growth happens during the late teen/early adult years.The D’Augelli model describes six “identity processes” that operate more or less independently and are not ordered in stages:

• Exiting heterosexuality• Developing a personal LGB identity• Developing an LGB social identity• Becoming an LGB offspring• Developing an LGB intimacy status• Entering an LGB communitySexual orientation and race: People of color who also identify GLBT have the additional task of developing a racial identity as well as coming to terms with their sexual orientation and have the potential to face even more discrimination based on their “otherness”. Even less research has been conducted on persons of color, multi-racial/multi-ethnic individuals who identify as GLBT, as most of the research conducted in gay and/or gender identity development has been studying predominantly white male or female students.Since research on transgendered and gender-unconformed college students is so rare, we must be sensitive not to label or discriminate against these students. My views and values are to treat everyone equitably; to live by the Golden Rule. ''Treat everyone as you wish to be treated.” This also goes along with one of the most important Core Values of Academic Advising: “Advisors are responsible to the individuals they advise.” As advisors, we are responsible for our students' well-being as well as their personal and academic success. Any biases on our part will only hinder that success (CAS, Core Values of Academic Advising).

Institutional Climate: The Safe Zone Institutional Climate: The Safe Zone Program Program

Promoting equality for the LGBTIQ community and providing a safe space on our Promoting equality for the LGBTIQ community and providing a safe space on our campusescampuses

Institutional Climate: Institutional Climate: Multicultural ArtMulticultural ArtIncorporating multicultural art on our campuses and in our Incorporating multicultural art on our campuses and in our curriculacurricula

As an artist, I wanted to address the importance of incorporating multicultural art, architecture, music and events into our campuses and including curricula that addresses the impact that different cultures have had on American art, literature, and music. As an advisor, I will incorporate multicultural art in my office and promote creative diversity on my campus and to create an inclusive environment for all. My friend Harold Smith is a Kansas City artist and high school teacher and I wanted to share his artwork as part of this portfolio.

“I am an expressionist artist that lives and works in the Kansas City area. Much of my work is inspired by jazz and it's symbiotic relationship to urban America. My work explores the intersection of race, gender, music, urbanity, and contemporary culture within the context of the black experience. It is this intersection that creates the underlying tension that is always present in the American experience.” - Harold Smith / haroldsmithart.com Harold has given me written permission to share some of his colorful and expressive paintings in this presentation.

Multicultural Advising & the Academic CurriculaMulticultural Advising & the Academic Curricula

At Kansas State University, certain courses are required to ensure that every student receives a wide breadth of knowledge during their college career. These courses are open to any student, regardless of major, and students must choose at least two of these diversity-focused courses in order to graduate.

The “K-State 8” General Education Requirement areas include Human Diversity within the U.S. and Global Issues and Perspectives; a student must take 3 to 5 of these courses in order to graduate.

Required Human Diversity courses teach students to:

•identify and discuss diverse perspectives and experiences as they examine U.S. institutions, practices, policies and influences from contemporary and/or historical viewpoints;•exhibit knowledge and understanding of a variety of cultures in the U.S., including majority and non-majority groups, and their interconnectedness within U.S. society; and•think critically about issues such as identity, race, ethnicity, nationality, multiculturalism, similarity/difference, prejudice and discrimination within a U.S. social and cultural context. (Kansas State University: K-State 8, 2012)

Human Diversity area courses include (but are not limited to):

Multicultural Psychology,Intro to American Ethnic StudiesAsian American PerspectivesAmerican Indian PerspectivesAfrican American Music and CultureRace and CultureBlack Cultures of AmericaGender CommunicationTeaching Linguistically Diverse LearnersArt for Exceptional Children (children with disabilities)Families and DiversityReligion in American HistoryWomen in the Civil WarLeadership ConceptsGender Issues in the MediaWomen and LeadershipAfro-Cuban MusicPhilosophy and RaceGender and PoliticsPsychology of WomenRace and Ethnic RelationsMulticultural StorytellingAmerican Ethnic TheatreIntro to Women's StudiesLatina's Life StoriesMulticultural Female Aging

There are a hundred more courses at K-State listed as teaching students about Multiculturalism and Diversity in our world!

A few of the Global Issues and Perspectives area courses include:

Cultural AnthropologyCultural Ecology and EconomySouth Asian CivilizationCultures of IndiaCultures of AfricaReligion in CultureGender Power and DevelopmentModern Languages including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Swahili, and SpanishMexico/Central American GeographyMexican FilmWomen and Islam

These classes are important so that all of our students learn about diversity and leave college more educated about and sensitive to other cultures and world perspectives.

http://www.k-state.edu/kstate8Image Courtesy Center for the Advancement of Teaching and

Learning, KSU

Effective developmental and intrusive advising have been proven to increase student satisfaction and, ultimately, student retention. Attrition occurs when students become overwhelmed, cannot perform academic tasks as expected, and do not receive the support they need, especially from faculty, fellow students, support staff, and their advisors.

“It is the people who come face-to-face with students on a regular basis who provide the positive growth experiences for students that enable them to identify their goals and talents and learn how to put them to use. The caring attitude of college personnel is viewed as the most potent retention force on a campus.” (Noel, Levitz, & Saluri, 1985)

Early intervention programs, involvement in student activities and organizations, positive relationships with faculty and campus support staff, as well as regular advisor meetings and a strong relationship with the academic advisor, are all factors which lead to better student retention.

In order for me to be an effective advisor and increase student retention, I must make it my goal to communicate with students in a variety of ways. Some students will prefer e-mail or instant message, whereas others will prefer phone or face-to-face communication. My advising service delivery must reach a wide range of students and take their preferred methods of communication into consideration. It is my desire to create an academic advising web portal in order for advisors to better communicate with students via message board, instant message, e-mail, and have a place to schedule appointments for IM (online chat) or in person (face-to-face). I think something like this on the K-State campus would provide advisors with not only valuable tools for their own practice and a way to communicate with each other, but for students to get the most out of their academic advising sessions.

Student Retention & Advising Delivery MethodsStudent Retention & Advising Delivery Methods

ConclusiConclusionon

In this presentation, I’ve provided detailed materials and research of the many ways Multicultural Advising has a positive effect on college students. We, as advisors, must better promote and advocate for multicultural programming on our campuses as well as create safe, inclusive advising spaces for all of our students.

Each student is a very unique individual. It is the advisor’s duty to address their diverse, complex needs and not stereotype or simply group students together; every student develops at a different rate. It is our duty to uphold the Core Values of Academic Advising: a responsibility to our students, our community, our campus, higher education, and to ourselves.

I hope this portfolio proves a good resource for any advisor learning about working with multicultural students.

ReferencesReferencesCarroll, D.W. (2004) Multicultural Advising: A Working Definition. (Adapted from: D. Crockett, 1984, p.3)

Cunningham, L. A. (2003). Multicultural awareness. Retrieved from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising ResourcesWeb site: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Multicultural.htm

D'Augelli, Anthony R. Gay men in college: Identity processes and adaptations. Journal of College Student Development, Vol 32(2), Mar 1991, 140-146.

DuPraw, M.E. & Axner, M. (1997). Toward a more perfect union in an age of diversity: Working on common cross-cultural communication challenges.   Retrieved from Web site:http://www.pbs.org/ampu/crosscult.html

Gorski, P. (2006). Complicity with conservatism: The De-politicizing of multicultural and intercultural education. Retrieved March 5, 2008, from EdChange Web site: www.edchange.com/publications/Complicity_with_Conservatism.pdf

Heinze, P. (2008) "Let's talk about race, baby": How a White Professor Teaches White Students about White Privilege and Racism. Multicultural Education.

Howard-Hamilton, M. F., Cuyjet, M. J., & Cooper, D. L. "Understanding multiculturalism and multicultural competence among college students" In: M. J. Cuyjet,M. F. Howard-Hamilton, & D. L. Cooper (Ed.), Multiculturalism on Campus: Theory, models, and practices for understanding diversity and creating inclusion. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. (2011).

Kansas State University Communications and Marketing. (2012) Digital images (all photos of students) retrieved from Web site: http://ksuphoto.zenfolio.com Kansas State University: K-State 8. (2012) Retrieved from Web site: http://www.k-state.edu/kstate8Kansas State University: K-State 8 Course Lists. (2012) Retrieved from Web site: http://www.k-state.edu/kstate8/listsLantta, M. (2008). Supporting Social Justice through Advising. Academic Advising Today. Volume 31, No. 2 June 2.National Academic Advising Association. (2006). NACADA concept of academic advising. Retrieved from NACADA Web site: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/Concept-Advising.htm

Noel. L, Levitz, R., & Saluri, D. (Eds) (1985). Increasing student retention. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Smith, Harold. (2012) Harold Smith Art. Retrieved from Web site: http://www.haroldsmithart.com

Sue, D.W. & Sue, D. (2008). Counseling the Culturally Diverse. 4th Edition. White racial identity development. Therapeutic Implications. New York: Wiley, 203-228. [PDF. Dr. Wolfe-Taylor (2008)

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2012) UNESCO descriptions of academic advising. Retrieved from Web site: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Clearinghouse/AdvisingIssues/CAS.htm

Multicultural Advising Portfolio Self-AssessmentMulticultural Advising Portfolio Self-AssessmentContent Areas Strong evidence

5Some evidence

4Minimal evidence

3

Very little

evidence 2

No evidence

1

Shows Multicultural Advising Self-Awareness

I am aware of the importance of our cultural differences. I used to think I could be “color-blind” but now realize, through the knowledge I’ve learned in this course, being “color-blind” does not help anything. In order to embrace our differences, we must first note that they are there.

Defines Multicultural Advising operationally

Multicultural advising is vital for any advisor or person in a counseling profession. Multicultural proficiency, diversity awareness and advocacy, are incredibly important for an advisor to be successful and to treat students equitably. It is imperative that multicultural awareness be included in all advisor training - I understand this to the fullest extent.

Applies multicultural advising to academic settings & curriculum

I understand that multicultural curricula is incredibly important and I’ve taken it upon myself to enroll in a diverse variety of classes such as ethnic studies, chinese history, modern languages, asian art, and more, in order to further educate myself about other cultures.

Applies multicultural principles to advising

service delivery

I am understanding how advising service delivery needs to be modified to include all students: those with disabilities, adult student learners, etc. all have a preferred way of communicating and as their advisor, I need to be aware. I believe I need more knowledge and examples of advising delivery methods.

Understands how privilege shapes

multicultural advising

I have been aware of my own white privilege for some time now (probably since my first Women’s Studies course in college). I understand that as a white woman, I have invisible privileges which has opened doors for me. I must work at challenging these privileges and advocating for those who do not have this luxury.

Shows how multicultural advising

influences student retention

I have found several articles and presentations proving that successful advising improves student retention, but this is something I still need to work on researching.

Recognizes how institutional climate

influences multicultural advising

The institutional climate is very important. Having multicultural programming, classes, even artwork and architecture, will positively influence our students and help them learn about and appreciate other cultures, just as I have.