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UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Campus Student Unions UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Campus Student Unions as Spaces for Fostering a Critical Pedagogy of Consumption A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Education by Amy Y. Liu 2015 © Copyright by Amy Y. Liu 2015 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Campus Student Unions as Spaces for Fostering a Critical Pedagogy of Consumption by Amy Y. Liu Doctor of Philosophy in Education University of California, Los Angeles, 2015 Professor Robert A. Rhoads, Chair This qualitative, multisite case study examined the current landscape of student unions and discovered how these spaces can be leveraged to foster a critical pedagogy of consumption. Using a constructivist approach, this study relied on data from interviews with 41 members of student union governing boards and management staffs, documents, and observations at three universities: California State University, Fullerton, California State University, Northridge, and University of California, Los Angeles. This study addressed how campus consumption amenities, specifically the student union, can serve an important and critical educational mission. Findings from this study suggested that student unions are highly responsive organizations that manifest community, commercial, and consumer values. Differences in their organizational, governance, and revenue structures revealed variations in the strategic priorities, oversight, and ii independence of these entities. The mixed-use options of student unions, especially when there was a food or consumer products retail component, and the discussions about services, practices, and potential tenants indicated that student unions are spaces in which the domains of campus commercialization, critical pedagogy, and ethical consumption can dovetail to foster a sense of caring and engagement within and amongst the communities they serve. The implications for theory and practice discussed encourages researchers and practitioners to understand that student unions provide tangible contexts in which physical space, social relationships, and economic exchanges coalesce within a higher education environment to enact a critical pedagogy of consumption. iii The dissertation of Amy Y. Liu is approved. Darnell Hunt Douglas Kellner Robert A. Rhoads, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2015 iv For my family, especially D, I, and M v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x VITA xi CHAPTER 1: THE STUDENT UNION AS A SITE OF INQUIRY 1 Purpose of the Study 8 Significance of the Study 9 Organization of the Dissertation 11 CHAPTER 2: COMMERCE AND CONSUMPTION ON CAMPUS 12 A Corporate and Commercial Climate 12 Students as Consumers 17 Captive Markets and Consumption 22 The Evolving Student Union 30 Conceptual Framework 40 Consumer Culture Theory 40 Ethical Consumption 43 Critical Pedagogy of Consumption 44 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODS 48 Research Paradigm 48 Research Strategy: Case Study 49 Role of the Researcher 51 Methods of Data Collection 53 Sites of Study 53 Interviews 56 Documents 58 Observations 59 Data Analysis 60 Trustworthiness and Authenticity 62 vi CHAPTER 4: CASE STUDY OF STUDENT UNIONS AT THREE CAMPUSES 65 What is an Auxiliary Organization? 65 California State University, Northridge 67 USU Organizational Structure 67 USU Governance Structure 70 USU Revenue Structure 74 USU Strategic Priorities 78 California State University, Fullerton 82 TSC Organizational Structure 82 TSC Governance Structure 83 TSC Revenue Structure 86 TSC Strategic Priorities 89 University of California, Los Angeles 93 ASUCLA Organizational Structure 94 ASUCLA Governance Structure 98 ASUCLA Revenue Structure 104 ASUCLA Strategic Priorities 108 Chapter Summary 113 CHAPTER 5: STUDENT UNIONS AND CRITICAL PEDAGOGY OF CONSUMPTION 115 Organizational Engagement 115 Food 116 CSUF TSC and Panda Express 117 ASUCLA and Taco Bell 118 CSUN USU and Chick-fil-A 119 Fair Labor Practices 122 Russell Athletic 123 Alta Gracia 126 Facilities 132 Sustainability Speak 132 Going Green 134 LEED Pride 137 vii Individual Engagement 139 Cost Concerns 140 Cause-Related Preferences 142 Structured Choices 145 Chapter Summary 149 CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS 151 Study Summary and Key Findings 151 Critical Reflections 154 Implications for Theory 157 Implications for Practice 160 Directions for Future Research 164 APPENDICES 167 Appendix A: Recruitment Letter 167 Appendix B: Research Information Sheet 168 Appendix C: Participant Information Sheet 170 Appendix D: Interview Protocol 171 Appendix E: Member Check Email 174 REFERENCES 175 viii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figures Figure 1: UCLA-brand Retail Stores 110 Figure 2: Alta Gracia Display inside UCLA Store at Ackerman Student Union 131 Figure 3: CSUN USU Green Facts 136 Figure 4: ASUCLA Fair Trade Sign 147 Tables Table 1: Participants by Campus 58 Table 2: Student Union Fees for 2013-14 Academic Year 75 Table 3. Organizational and Governance Structure Overview by Campus 101 Table 4: Student Union Financials 2012-13 105 ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Innumerable thanks to my advisor, my committee, my cohort, HEOC friends and faculty, OSS, ASUCLA colleagues, USU and TSC participants, and, of course, my family. UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. - The Lorax - x VITA 1997 Bachelor of Science: Radio/Television/Film Northwestern University 2002 Master of Education: Higher Education Harvard University 2006 Master of Philosophy: Politics, Democracy and Education University of Cambridge 2007 Master of Arts: Higher Education and Organizational Change University of California, Los Angeles 2007 Graduate Student Researcher Council for the Study of Community Colleges University of California, Los Angeles 2007 & 2009 Summer Research Mentorship Grant University of California, Los Angeles 2007-2009 Research Analyst, Higher Education Research Institute University of California, Los Angeles 2009 Faculty Award, Division of Higher Education and Organizational Change University of California, Los Angeles 2009-2010 Graduate Research Mentorship Grant University of California, Los Angeles 2009-2011 Editor InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies 2010-2014 Member, Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors University of California, Los Angeles 2011 Leigh Burstein Prize, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies University of California, Los Angeles 2011-2012 Fellow, Collegium of University Teaching Fellows University of California, Los Angeles 2012 John B. Muir Editor Award National Association for College Admission Counseling 2013-2014 Chair, Associated Students UCLA Board of Directors University of California, Los Angeles xi SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS Park, J. J., & Liu, A. (2014) Interest convergence or divergence? A critical race analysis of Asian Americans, meritocracy, and critical mass in the affirmative action debate. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(1), 36-64. Liu, A. (2012, April). Academic capitalism in the student union. Roundtable paper for the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Vancouver, BC. Liu, A. (2011). Unraveling the myth of meritocracy within the context of US higher education. Higher Education, 62(4), 383-397. Liu, A. (2011). The admission industrial complex: Examining the entrepreneurial impact on college access. Journal of College Admission, Winter(210), 8-19. Weldon, P. A., Rexhepi, J., Chang, C. W., Jones, L., Layton, L. A., Liu, A., et al. (2011). Globalization and higher education in Southern California: Views from the professoriate. Compare, 41(1), 5-24. Liu, A. (2009). Critical race theory, Asian Americans, and higher education: A review of research. InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 5(2), Article 6. Rhoads, R. A., & Liu, A. (2009). Globalization, social movements, and the American university: Implications for research and practice. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. XXIV, pp. 273-315). The Netherlands: Springer. Liu, A. (2009, November). The marketversity: Perceptions of campus commercialization. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Vancouver, BC. Liu, A. (2008, October). Democratic students: An analysis of 1960s student activism and the movement for student governance. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest History of Education Society, Chicago, IL. Liu, A. (2008, March). Universities and the knowledge mission: Comparing the United States and the United Kingdom. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY. Liu, A., Rhoads, R. A., & Wang, Y. (2007). Chinese university students' views on globalization: Exploring conceptions of citizenship. Chung Cheng Educational Studies, 6(1), 95-125. Liu, A. (2007, November). State of the university: Presidential perspectives and twenty-first century institutional mission. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Louisville, KY. xii CHAPTER 1: THE STUDENT UNION AS A SITE OF INQUIRY Whether in a serene rural setting or an urban city center, university campuses exude an ambience and sense of space that one feels when stepping into their boundaries. Harkening back to Thomas Jefferson's notion of an "academical village" (Woods, 1985), a campus serves as the physical manifestation of an institution's functions and purposes. Just as there is
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