Copyright by Jaya Kristin Soni 2015
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Copyright by Jaya Kristin Soni 2015 The Dissertation Committee for Jaya Kristin Soni Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Negotiating Multiculturalism: Identities, Organizations, and Bureaucracy in Higher Education Committee: Néstor Rodríguez, Supervisor Ronald Angel Ben Carrington Yolanda Padilla Michael Young Negotiating Multiculturalism: Identities, Organizations, and Bureaucracy in Higher Education by Jaya Kristin Soni, B.A.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2015 Dedication For Ariel and Hershey. Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank the numerous students and staff who were interviewed, observed, and conferred with while gathering information for this project. I am so thankful to these participants who were willing to take substantial time to truly be candid about their lives, particularly with someone who identifies as an ally but has not had those life experiences. Such openness is a gift and I believe this dissertation is better because of it. The completion of this dissertation could not have happened without several support systems that I leaned upon over the last decade. Primarily I would like to thank my advisor Néstor Rodríguez who was patient and provided exactly the right guidance while also giving moral support in subtle but reassuring ways. As I have worked full- time for over 75% of my graduate experience, I would often enter our meetings with the burdens of daily work on my mind. I would leave our meetings refocused, feeling that completing this dissertation was manageable. I am fortunate to have had Néstor as a supervisor and fully acknowledge that this dissertation would not have come to realization without his supervision. I would also like to thank the numerous professors affiliated with the Race and Ethnicity section of the Sociology Department at the University of Texas at Austin. The Race and Ethnicity courses were engaging, critical, and provided the content I needed to be passionate about Sociology both in academic and applied settings. As I started this graduate program directly after undergrad, I thank them for their patience and willingness during those early years as they guided a once overly enthusiastic, verbose, and inquisitive student. My parents have served as a great sounding board in life and helped me to contextualize those challenges that redirected my initial path. I thank my father for his v warmth, kindness and eccentricity that has reminded me life cannot always be taken too seriously and that those “gray” areas often teach us the most. I thank my mother for modeling the dedication and passion required to persevere in a competitive work environment, while maintaining balance and responsibility in leading a household through challenging times. And I thank my stepfather for his consistency in parenting, his relatable humor and the unrelenting support that I carry with me everyday. My siblings are the only other human beings in this world who can relate to exactly such an upbringing and I thank them for providing great examples of those alternative paths taken. My work in higher education has become an emerging passion and a primary reason for completing this project. Despite the workload, the consistent schedule, compensation, and work environment provided the stability needed to finish my studies. Furthermore, my work in institutional research, planning, and assessment allowed me to apply methodological and theoretical perspectives from sociology in a problem solving practice. Along the way I have had several colleagues and supervisors serve as mentors personally, academically and professionally. I would like to thank Dr. Larry L. Earvin, Dr. Terry S. Smith, Ms. Sara S. Summers, and Dr. Choquette Hamilton for guiding me through institutional protocol and providing context to the policy and operational impact of this work. I am thankful to my colleagues Sara Martin, Brandelyn Franks Flunder, and Dennis J. Gonzalez for sharing their insights in each of those workspaces and also making work more “fun.” I am also very fortunate that my colleagues, Ms. Elvarina Hatcher, Ms. Serena Yan, and Ms. Tami Jackson added much enjoyment to the work atmosphere and refreshing lunches. Lauren Ortega and Amanda Masino, you have truly been a sounding board in so many avenues of my current life. Mario Leal, Alex Simpson, and the infamous Professor Dumpster, thanks for those frequent pep talks. And big thank vi you to Erik Malmberg and Rennsion Lalgee. Although I do not see you two often, large segments of my graduate career were spent discussing the ins-and-outs of theory, graduate school and life thereafter. As a New York transplant to Austin, Texas, I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to my extended family of friends here. You have provided the emotional support and connectedness needed to keep me going. Thank you to the University of Michigan Alumni crew of friends who have been with me since the start of this endeavor. Although life leads us in various directions, you hold a special place in my heart. Thanks to Elissa, Lisa B., Jaden, Becky, Roberto, Genessee, Dora, our notorious crew of women, and the larger extended group as well. Making a livelihood in Austin has been worthwhile because of you. Throughout this decade of studies there have been unexpected challenges that came my way. Cliché as is it may be, such tribulations prompted change and growth while offering the opportunity to view life with new perspectives. I am thankful for those lessons learned and grateful for moments with those who awakened such transformations. Such experiences strengthened the fortitude needed to complete this project. Finally, thank you to each cohort of students that I worked with in various capacities. Your energy, passion and optimism have kept me in the field of higher education and will continue to shape my path. vii Negotiating Multiculturalism: Identities, Organizations, and Bureaucracy in Higher Education Jaya Kristin Soni, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2015 Supervisor: Néstor Rodríguez Abstract: Through a case study conducted at a large public University this dissertation explores how educational institutions and bureaucracy shape student organizing around issues of race, gender and sexuality. This project utilizes in-depth interviews with 30 University students and staff members affiliated to a Queer Student of Color (QSOC) agency to understand how organizations emerge to join formal bureaucracies and what the consequences are for organizational operations, relationship building and internal membership. This dissertation demonstrates that entry into a formal bureaucracy required strategic communication and disrupted existing structures, causing resistance from progressively centered organizations. Once formally associated to a University Multicultural Activity Center (MAC), Queer Students Of Color and Allies (QSOCA) faced pressure to adhere to institutional guidelines that shifted organizational focus and programming. While such membership provided institutional space, material resources and coalition building opportunities, the bureaucratic structure was unable to manage conflict and challenges in shared decision making processes. Furthermore, viii bureaucratically employed resources resulted in pressure for QSOCA to distinguish members, leaders, and advisors causing the organization to reconsider meanings and responsibilities of Allies. ix Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................1 Campus Disruptions ........................................................................................1 Theoretical Frameworks .................................................................................5 Bureaucracy and Higher Education .......................................................6 Background: The LGBTQ Movement in the US ...................................6 LGBTQ Communities of Color Today ..................................................8 Universities as Sites for Organizing ....................................................10 Diversity Initiatives in Student Affairs and Higher Education ............11 A Multicultural Activity Center at State University of the South (SUS): ....13 Methodology .................................................................................................16 Epistemological Assumptions:.............................................................16 Case Study: ..........................................................................................17 Methodological and Data Triangulation: .............................................19 Participant Observation ...............................................................19 Interviews ....................................................................................20 Ethical and Political Considerations ...........................................21 Organization of Manuscript ..........................................................................22 Chapter 2: Acclimating Organizational Operations ...............................................24 Bureaucracy Theory: Support and Contention .............................................25 Recent History: Students Counter University Appointments and Bureaucracy ................................................................................29