Location
Room 221A, Chamberlain Student Center
Start Date
13-2-2020 10:55 AM
End Date
13-2-2020 11:55 AM
Document Type
Presentation
Description
First-Generation and/Lower income students are often seen as the “others”, which is a terminology that was used by Ronald Takaki to refer to anyone who is not White and comes from low socioeconomic status (Takaki, 2008). Over the past three decades, college enrollment for first-generation students have increased and it continues to rise. However, higher education institutions are still experiencing higher attrition and lower retention and graduation rates in relation to this population (Blackwell & Pinder, 2014). Some contributing factors to this issue are lack of parental support, absence of knowledge on how to navigate the higher education system, financial barriers, lack of access to social capital, and experiencing different types of microaggressive behaviors. As a result of these experiences, FGCSs do not feel a sense of belonging to campus, experience isolation and alienation, which leads to withdrawal from the institution. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss different types of microaggressions, particularly, class-based microaggression, the impact of class-based microaggression on FGLI students, and ways in which institutions can address this issue. Then, I will share how the Office of Penn First Plus in collaboration with other offices is supporting FGLI students at UPenn.
Included in
What About the "Others"? Addressing Class-Based Microaggressions and Supporting FGLI Students at Penn
Room 221A, Chamberlain Student Center
First-Generation and/Lower income students are often seen as the “others”, which is a terminology that was used by Ronald Takaki to refer to anyone who is not White and comes from low socioeconomic status (Takaki, 2008). Over the past three decades, college enrollment for first-generation students have increased and it continues to rise. However, higher education institutions are still experiencing higher attrition and lower retention and graduation rates in relation to this population (Blackwell & Pinder, 2014). Some contributing factors to this issue are lack of parental support, absence of knowledge on how to navigate the higher education system, financial barriers, lack of access to social capital, and experiencing different types of microaggressive behaviors. As a result of these experiences, FGCSs do not feel a sense of belonging to campus, experience isolation and alienation, which leads to withdrawal from the institution. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss different types of microaggressions, particularly, class-based microaggression, the impact of class-based microaggression on FGLI students, and ways in which institutions can address this issue. Then, I will share how the Office of Penn First Plus in collaboration with other offices is supporting FGLI students at UPenn.