Taylor University Pillars at Taylor University Master of Arts in Higher Education Theses Graduate Theses 5-2018 We Are All Humans: The mpI act of the Integration of Old Miss in 1962 on the White Racial Identity Development of the Campus Newspaper Staff Kelsey Ann Snyder Taylor University Follow this and additional works at: https://pillars.taylor.edu/mahe Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Snyder, Kelsey Ann, "We Are All Humans: The mpI act of the Integration of Old Miss in 1962 on the White Racial Identity Development of the Campus Newspaper Staff" (2018). Master of Arts in Higher Education Theses. 116. https://pillars.taylor.edu/mahe/116 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses at Pillars at Taylor University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master of Arts in Higher Education Theses by an authorized administrator of Pillars at Taylor University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WE ARE ALL HUMANS: THE IMPACT OF THE INTEGRATION OF OLE MISS IN 1962 ON THE WHITE RACIAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER STAFF _______________________ A thesis Presented to The School of Social Sciences, Education & Business Department of Higher Education and Student Development Taylor University Upland, Indiana ______________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Development _______________________ by Kelsey Snyder May 2018 Kelsey Snyder 2018 Higher Education and Student Development Taylor University Upland, Indiana CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL _________________________ MASTER’S THESIS _________________________ This is to certify that the Thesis of Kelsey Ann Snyder entitled We Are All Humans: The Impact of the Integration of Ole Miss in 1962 on the White Racial Identity Development of the Campus Newspaper Staff has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Master of Arts degree in Higher Education and Student Development May 2018 __________________________ _____________________________ Todd C. Ream, Ph.D Date Drew Moser, Ph.D Date Thesis Supervisor Member, Thesis Hearing Committee _____________________________ Skip Trudeau, EdD. Date Member, Thesis Hearing Committee ______________________________ Tim Herrmann, Ph.D. Date Director, M.A. in Higher Education and Student Development iii Abstract The Integration of Ole Miss in 1962 was an incredibly impactful event in the Civil Rights Movement. A contributing member to the impact of integration was James Meredith, a student determined to go to Ole Miss. The institution was forever changed by this event, as were the students who experienced the integration first hand. The students at the campus newspaper, known at the time as The Mississippian, had a unique experience of the integration due to their reporting of the events. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Integration of Ole Miss on the White Racial Identity Development of the students on the campus newspaper. Four alumni who shared this experience were interviewed in a phenomenological case study. Five themes emerged from the interviews: friendly campus, exposure to a new ideology, progress and change, awareness of environmental and societal factors, and coming together as humans. This study also examined how these themes factor into the participants’ White Racial Identity Development; discussed as well are the implications for practice and future research and the limitations in the research process. iv Acknowledgements First, it is because of god the father almighty that I am here and have this opportunity. By his strength and peace, I have made it through this journey and I am forever thankful. To my thesis supervisor, Todd Ream, thank you for your care and intentionality in my research. Your joy and wisdom are inspiring, and I am thankful for the time I have shared with you. Thank you to my other professors, for your time and commitment to teaching and investing in the next generation of educators. I am thankful for the ways you have challenged and encouraged me. I will be forever grateful for what I have learned from you all. Cohort X, we have come so far, and I cannot imagine doing these two years with anyone else. I have grown so much through this process, and you all have added to that growth. Thank you for the ways you have challenged and encouraged me. We have shared many laughs and tears and for all the moments in between; I am forever thankful. These two years, I have learned so much but most importantly how to love people well and it is because of you, cohort X. To my family, thank you for your continual support throughout my many years of schooling. Your support means the world to me because I knew you were always there for me and would do anything to help me along the way. Mom and dad, you have sacrificed so much so for me to go to school, I am forever thankful. Love you all very v much. “Thank you” will never be enough. At the beginning of this process, Scott Gaier gave us a verse to put to memory. This verse is at the front of my thesis journal and was a constant reminder of what it means to do good work with god. Psalm 127:1 “Unless the lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” vi Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ iv Chapter 1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 Integration at Ole Miss ......................................................................................... 1 Students at The Mississippian .............................................................................. 2 White Racial Identity Development Model ........................................................... 3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 2 Literature Review ........................................................................................... 4 Ole Miss History .................................................................................................. 4 James Meredith’s Background ............................................................................. 6 Integration at Ole Miss ......................................................................................... 6 Campus Newspapers ............................................................................................ 8 The Mississippian in 1962 .................................................................................... 9 White Racial Identity Development Model ........................................................... 9 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 3 Methodology ................................................................................................. 12 Purpose and Design ............................................................................................ 12 Context .............................................................................................................. 12 Participants ........................................................................................................ 13 vii Procedures ......................................................................................................... 14 Data Analysis and Validity ................................................................................. 14 Benefits.............................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 4 Results ........................................................................................................... 16 Participants ........................................................................................................ 16 Category 1: Time on Campus ............................................................................. 17 Category 2: Identity and Communal Implications ............................................... 23 Summary ........................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 5 Discussion ..................................................................................................... 29 Phase 1: Abandonment of Racism ...................................................................... 29 Phase 2 Defining a Nonracist White Identity ..................................................... 31 Implications for Practice .................................................................................... 37 Implications for Future Research ........................................................................ 39 Limitations ......................................................................................................... 40 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 41 References ..................................................................................................................... 42 Appendix A: Informed Consent ....................................................................................