Is Institutional Inclusion Inclusive in Name Only? Giving a Voice to a Minority Within a Minority

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: Inclusivities and Diverse Identities in Educational Settings

Abstract

At any given institution of higher education initiatives are underway to foster diversity and inclusion; however, these efforts often overlook American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AK) students who identity as LBGTQ+. As a result, college administrators often fail to understand the unique problems that exist for AI/AK students who identify as LBGTQ+. Additionally, since LGBTQ+ AI/AK students are essentially a minority within a minority there is a paucity of research on this subset of students. This study examines the responses of 184 AI/AK LBGTQ+ students and seeks to understand if or how the support factors of family, tribe, friends, faculty, staff and the institution itself attribute to the academic success, retention, persistence, cultural resiliency, and isolation for these students.

Author

• Craig Marroquin, The University of Texas - Arlington