Help Needed1

Use the attached case study to answer the "Discussion

Questions" in essay form at the end of the case study.

There are 8 discussion questions that should be

answered using information from the Student

Development in College, Theory, Research, and Practice

textbook.

• Please use intext citations and the book should be your reference.

• 100% no plagiarism.

• Do not use bullet lists.

• Do not retype the discussion questions, but include the question numbers and create subtitles within the body of the paper.

• Follow the 7t" edition APA format

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT IN COLLEGE THEORY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE

LORI D. PATTON ■ KRISTEN A. RENN FLORENCE M. GUIDO ■ STEPHEN JOHN QUAYE

Foreword by NANCY J. EVANS Afterword by DEANNA S. FORNEY

1; JOSSEY-BASS'" A Wiley Brand

Appendix 473

"Who am I? What critical moments in college contributed to my development?"

"After reflecting, please identify a partner and share your responses,. We will

then come back together for a large group discussion."

Student Portraits

Here are the developmental portraits shared by 7 of the 25 students:

Drew

Drew, a 30-year-old Chinese American father and husband, was intrigued by Dr. J's questions because they made him think about his life experiences in addition to those in college. Drew and his wife are devout Protestant Chris- tians who are active in their local church, serving as volunteers for annual events and programs. For the past few years, Drew has coordinated the col- lege readiness summer camp at his church. The idea for the camp came from Drew's experiences in a similar program prior to entering college. While it was not a church-affiliated program, Drew thought many of the program activities could be beneficial to the large population of teens at the church. Drew facil- itated the program so well that it garnered attention in the local newspaper, prompting the admissions director at a nearby college, and Prescott alumni, to reach out to him and encourage him to consider a career in student affairs.

The ultimate decision to pursue a student affairs degree was challenging for Drew because he took great pride in his ability to provide for his fam- ily, including their newly purchased home in an upscale community. His wife enjoyed shopping at high-end retail chains and grocery stores, and they both knew this would need to end if he left the lucrative field in which he had been working. Moreover, he truly enjoyed the nearby golf course, a place where he did plenty of networking to make business connections for the firm employ- ing him. Support from his wife in agreeing to go without upscale material goods meant everything to Drew since he had initiated this radical change for his family.

As he reflected on college, Drew realized that while growing up he had never imagined then he could live life with the luxury he currently enjoyed. As the son of immigrants, he watched his parents struggle to ensure he and siblings received a solid education. Though his parents were not strong English speakers, they worked numerous jobs, which ultimately resulted in

t 414 Student Development in College

the purchase of a chain of small businesses. Fluent in English, Drew helped his parents manage their entrepreneurial enterprises. These

meaningful childhood experiences were crucial influences on his decision to major in business as an undergraduate.

Now, having decided to pursue a career in student affairs, Drew recalled how the courses in the business school had prepared him for a profitable career. However, running a business failed to capture his intense passion for working and learning about diverse people and issues. As a first-generation college student, he always wondered how he could help others access col- lege, but at the time he did not know how to pursue a degree in the field of student affairs. He felt confident about his performance in the business courses in which he enrolled and surprised himself when he excelled. How- ever, Drew found other courses more challenging because they forced him to think about topics that had never crossed his mind. As a sociology minor, Drew took courses dealing with race, class, gender, and a range of other identity groups. He moved from seeing the world as composed of many right and wrong answers to understanding the context of the knowledge he was gaining. Among the courses that forced him to think in a different way were those focusing on religious and spiritual pluralism. These courses had a tremendous influ- ence on how he chose to practice and maintain his Christian beliefs. Drew also took two courses on ethnic and racial identity. While he thought both courses tended to have a heavy emphasis on experiences pertaining to African Amer- ican and Latino groups, he was pleased to see that instructors in each course spent much time during the semester addressing Asian American and Pacific Islander peoples. In these courses, he learned more about the vast array of peo- ples that comprised the Asian Diaspora. Craving more self-knowledge, Drew completed class assignments that allowed him to explore his own ethnic group in greater depth. After some time passed, Drew began to reject values he had unwittingly adopted from the dominant culture while supporting values of his Asian American cultural heritage. His fraternity brothers noticed a change but allowed him space to reflect on his ethnic identity and its importance in his life.

His college experiences, particularly involvement in a traditionally White fraternity, taught Drew a great deal about manhood. The fraternity's empha- sis on men and leadership was what initially attracted him. He learned much through the many leadership development programs offered by the fraternity's national office, as he found them personally fulfilling while also complement- ing his major. He also learned about the man he did not want to become as he observed how a handful of his fraternity brothers mistreated women. Drew took those lessons, specifically those that focused on honoring traditional family values, and now uses them in raising his sons. Drew emphasizes to his

Appendix 475

offspring that they too must be providers for their family when they marry

and have children. He believes that what he knows about manhood is the most important lesson he can impart to his boys. While this is admittedly a

somewhat paternalistic idea, Drew also realizes his perspectives align with his religious beliefs, but he has come a long way from his father's views on gender.

r He insists he supports women's rights and views women as equal, but appreci-

ates his wife for understanding his strong desire to be the primary provider in their household.

In college, Drew volunteered at a homeless shelter as part of a service-learning project. When the project ended, he extended his time so he could feel like he made a difference in the community. In addition, it reminded him of his own challenges of paying for college on an extremely limited income, which required him to work throughout his four years to avoid loans. As a first-generation college student, Drew often grappled with being in a fra- ternity among men who had financial means, while he barely made ends meet. He often felt as if his fraternity brothers entered college with the privilege of money and tools for success. In other words, he believed his college friends knew far more than he did initially about attending college. These diverse experiences led Drew to implement the college readiness summer camp at his church and helped solidify his decision to pursue a master's degree in student affairs.

Discussion Questions

With a timeline, trace Drew's life events and development since childhood. In what ways does his life reflect Schlossberg's transition theory?

2.2. Outline Drew's ethnic identity development. Explain its trajectory and Drew's behavior at each stage of development. How has his ethnic identity contributed to making him the person he is today? How might being a member of a White fraternity affect his ethnic identity as a student of

,— color?

3./ ~ As renewed appreciation for his own ethnic group intensified, in what ways ~- did Drew separate himself from the dominant culture? How have other

students of color you have observed rejected dominant culture values? In what ways can colleges and universities support students with a strong eth- nic identity and enhance their development while they reject the dominant culture?

OCompare and contrast Drew's social class identity as a child and then after he graduated from college and became financially successful. From the

476 Student Development in College

0 child of immigrants to upper middle class, what kind of identity changes could Drew have experienced? What theories, models, or research apply to his social class identity? Examine Drew's cognitive development and discuss how it resonated with cognitive developmental theory. What would Drew be like in class, and how

~ could his professors challenge him to increase his cognitive development?

1 b• l Think about the religious issues Drew faced in college. If Drew were a stu- dent at your university, how might the student affairs division support his

Q religious identity development?

'7. Drew has a strong gender identity and exhibits gender characteristics simi- lar to his father's. Explain how this could change as he grows and develops

.88 in this capacity.

. Draw a diagram of Drew's intersecting identities and discuss how these mul- tiple identities are uniquely illustrated by him. How is Drew's development different from and similar to that of other students in his cohort?

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