Protest Rallies and Belonging: The Case of Indiana University Bloomington Bus Stabbing

• In Event: Protest and Social Change

Proposal

Relevance

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes, drawing international concern and condemnation regarding its repercussions. Within higher education, Asian students face disturbing campus incidents, like the New York University (NYU) assaults in February 2022 targeted seven students, with at least three being Asians (Wilson & Tapia, 2022). Additionally, on January 11, 2023, a distressing incident at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) involved the targeted stabbing of an Asian student, emphasizing the urgent need for institutions and society to address deeply ingrained prejudices fueling racially motivated hate crimes (Whitten, 2023). Students shared their accounts of perceived discrimination and microaggression encountered within and beyond the campus, calling for attention and support from respective institutions, government, and society (Ahn, 2023; Asian Culture Center at IUB, n.d.). Moreover, college campuses resonate with powerful chants in their rallies and protests like "Stop Asian Hate, End White Hates" and "Asians Are Not Virus but Racism Is" as students are in solidarity with Asian communities (Lander & Kidwell, 2021; Wilson & Tapia, 2022). Furthermore, research reveals the pandemic disproportionately impacted racial-ethnic minority students, including Asians, leading to decreased belonging and increased discrimination (Barringer et al., 2023). Berardi et al. (2020) indicate that building a stronger community and supportive environment contributes to promoting community well-being, and Ramirez (2022) highlights that creating a supportive community on campus would foster students' sense of belonging. Pierce (2021) found that student activists in protests or rallies scored significantly higher on measures of belonging and connection compared to non-activist peers. Therefore, based on the current literature, rallies, and protests play a crucial role in creating supportive communities that resonate with their experiences and increase belonging.

Context

In higher education, it is crucial to examine challenges faced by Asian international (AsI) and Asian domestic (AsD) students on college campuses. Numerous studies show Asian students experiencing anxiety when wearing masks due to unfair assumptions based on appearance, especially, with Chinese international students particularly facing stigma, discrimination, harassment, and bullying (Gibson et al., 2023; Ma & Zhan, 2022). Anti-Asian hate crimes profoundly affect Asian students' sense of belonging, and studies reveal a negative association between perceived discrimination and their sense of belonging (Huynh et al., 2011). During the pandemic, these hate crimes lead to decreased belonging, with increased discrimination as a significant contributing factor (Barringer et al., 2023). Students from various universities gather through protests, rallies, and meetings, seeking additional resources and solutions from their institutions to address pertinent issues. Purdue University students, for instance, marched and rallied to "Stop Asian Hate" (Frazier, 2021), while students from IUB and NYU organized rallies denouncing hate and promoting unity in support of Asian communities (Askins, 2023; Miller & Raj, 2021). The anti-Asian hate protests on campuses reflect a growing student movement to combat racial injustice and promote belonging for all university members. Studies highlight contrasting experiences between international and domestic students during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring racial discrimination faced by international students (Ahn, 2023). Given the variations in perceived discrimination among AsI students and AsD students, our proposal is dedicated to exploring the nuanced differences in the sense of belonging among Asian students as they engage in protest alliances.

Meanwhile, on February 4, around 250 people rallied at IUB to support Asian communities (Askins, 2023). Bloomington city administrators, university staff, and students spoke, inspiring hope and demanding changes. According to Pierce (2021), student activists in rallies score higher in belonging. However, the impact of protests on AsI and AsD students’ belonging remains a gap. This event offers an ideal opportunity to explore research questions, especially with Asian students at IUB.

Research Questions

This study seeks to explore the impact of the protest rally on Asian students' sense of belonging at IUB, comparing the experiences of AsI students and AsD students. Through a comparative analysis, the following research questions will guide the investigation:

1. How did the January 11 bus stabbing incident impact the sense of belonging among Asian students (including AsI and AsD) at IUB?

2. To what extent did the protest rally contribute to restoring the sense of belonging among Asian (including AsI and AsD) students at IUB?

2a. How did participation in the protest rally affect the belonging of AsI and AsD students?

2b. How did hearing about the protest rally, without participation, affect the belonging of AsI and AsD students?

Methodology

Contributing to the understanding of both the AsI and AsD student populations at large and in the case of IUB after the racially motivated bus stabbing incident on January 11, 2023. This study reviews factors impacting the sense of belonging for both AsI and AsD student populations and explores narratives from IUB students after the racially motivated bus stabbing incident. Interviews are conducted to address the research questions. To frame our understanding relevant to the perceived climate on campus, factors and themes are organized by applying Hodgkinson’s three levels of school culture model (Hodgkinson, 1983, as cited in Stephens, 2007), specifically with findings valued at transrational, rational, and subrational levels.

Results

The literature review revealed both divergence and convergence of factors at the institutional level that could impact the sense of belonging for AsI and AsD students. Specifically, regarding challenges and contributors, AsI and AsD students are most similar at the transrational level and relatively different on the other two levels, and there is a need for more studies on contributors toward the sense of belonging for AsD students in the U.S. As this study proposes to further understand the impact of protest rallies on the sense of belonging for AsI and AsD students at IUB, this model of analysis was not only effective in informing the development of qualitative procedures, it shows applicability as an analysis framework for other racial/ethnic minority groups also. Lastly, meaningful findings from this study both validated the need to approach AsI and AsD students differently in future research and shed light on approaches for student affairs practitioners to advocate for practices of protest rallies as means to rebuild the sense of belonging on campus.

Authors

• Yih Tsao, Indiana University - Bloomington

• xiaoxia zhang, Indiana University - Bloomington