Staff Development Experiences on Social Class

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Staff Development Experiences on Social Class

• Minnette Huck
• Meagan Cahill
• Will Barrat
• Stacy Ploskanka
• Drew Lurker
• Angie Carlen

ISAA Conference October 9, 2007
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Presentation Overview

• Definition of Social Class
• Current Campus Climate
• Importance of Social Class
• Staff Development Activities
• Understand Your Campus

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Social Class Defined

• Social class is a collection of sub-cultures
  arranged in a hierarchy or prestige.
• Class is culture and a social construct.
• Hidden in plain sight.
• Socio-Economic Status plays a role in social
  class through income, occupation and educational
  attainment but much more lies beneath this
  invisible diversity.

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Beyond Your Bank Account

• Economic Capital
• Affluence
• Rich v. poor
• Cultural Capital
• Refinement and style
• Sophisticated v. Rednecks
• Social Capital
• Connections
• Connected v. Isolated
• Educational Capital
• Degree attainment
• 4.0s v. 2.0s

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Current US Educational AttainmentChronicle
Almanac 2003-2004 Census data for adults over 25
in 2000
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Current US Family IncomeUS Census data 2000

• 5 of US Families make more than 164,104
• 20 of US Families make more than 94,150
• 40 of US Families make more than 62,500
• 60 of US Families make more than 41,127
• 80 of US Families make more than 24,000

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Current Campus Climate

• Current campus attitudes are driven by middle and
  upper-middle class attitudes, values, and
  behaviors.
• College is a middle classing experience.
  Students feel pressure to assimilate to
  upper-middle social class values.
• Young adults from high-income families are three
  times as likely to attend college as those from
  low-income families.
• Measuring Up 2004 The State Report Card on Higher
  Education, The National Center for Public Policy
  and Higher Education.

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Social class of origin andcollege graduation

• Family Income 1991 Graduation Rate
• Over 75,000 81.9
• 50,000-74,999 73.0
• 25,000-49,999 62.1
• Under 25,000 52.3
• 8 year graduation rates among 1992 12th graders
  with bachelors degree goals who attended a 4
  year institution.
• NCES (2005) First Generation Students in Post
  Secondary Education.

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Why is Social Class Important?

• Too much of an invisible battle with not enough
  visible support.
• Everyone has one and everyone is affected by one.
• Low SES students are not graduating at as high of
  a rate as those with a high SES. More services
  and awareness is still needed.

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Staff Development Activities

• The Line
• Product Identification
• Minnettes Thingy

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Step Into Social Class

• An activity designed to help the participants
  gain awareness of the vast range of social class
  that exists within themselves and others.
• Facilitate Activity

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Social Class Knowledge Quiz

• An activity designed to help participants
  understand what labels, brands and activities are
  associated with each social class group.
• Facilitate Activity

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Campus Connections

• An interactive activity designed to help
  participants experience different social class
  standings and how it effects college life.
• Explain activity
• Results from past activity experiences
• How to implement on your campus

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Understanding Your Campus

• The first step is to understand your personal
  social class standing and how it affects others
• Need to understand campus is not a level playing
  field. Some students have a steeper climb and
  will need more assistance.
• Students who feel pressure to assimilate to
  upper-middle social class may experience
  internalized conflict when moving between classes.

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Conclusion

• Social class is an invisible dimension of
  diversity.
• Social class affects every person on every
  college campus.
• Students with lower social class face additional
  pressures and need additional resources.

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Questions?
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Thank You!

• If you would like additional information on items
  we have discussed, please contact
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