YOU. US. INDY. MARCH 30-APRIL 2 CELEBRATING 90 YEARS!

#ACPA14 That’s Dirty Talk! Reinventing Our Perceptions of Campus Blue-Collar Employees ACPA Conference April 1, 2014 Jeremy Reed Phd Student, University of Iowa

#ACPA14 Session Overview Learning Objectives Overview- 1 minute One Minute Free Write and Discussion- 5 minutes Presenter Introduction/Background/Positionality- 5 minutes Discussion of Presenter’s Custodial Dissertation Study- 20 minutes Large Group Discussion “How are blue-collar workers treated on your campus?” -10 minutes Wrap-up/Questions -5 minutes

#ACPA14 Session Learning Outcomes Session Participants will: Explore their personal perceptions of campus blue-collar workers. Gain a basic understanding of blue-collar identity theory. Discuss strategies for privileging the voice of campus blue-collar employees on their own campus.

#ACPA14 One Minute Free Write What words come to mind when you think of the blue-collar workers on your campus?

#ACPA14 Discuss in small groups. Anyone care to share with the entire group? Free Write Share

#ACPA14 Presenter Background & Positionality 16 years of student affairs work across admissions, career services, orientation, advising, and residence life functional areas First-Gen, blue-collar/working-class background Work with maintenance/custodial staff on a student paint crew as an undergrad 11 months of dissertation research on campus custodians Philosophical Frame: Critical Theory: Master Narratives & Counter Narratives

#ACPA14 Why study campus blue- collar workers? Inclusivity Student Success Employee Motivation/Organizational Efficiency

#ACPA14 Critical Questions: What do custodians think of college students? What impact might interactions with students have on custodians’ work lives and occupational esteem? Do interactions between students and custodians have implications for college student success?

#ACPA14 Absence of academic studies of campus custodians Why? (Critical Theoretical Explanation??) Okay, so what about related fields/literature???? Communication Studies Blue-Collar Identity Theory College Student Development/Success Faculty/Staff-Student Interactions & Mentoring Literature

#ACPA14 Blue-Collar Identity Theory (Hughes, 1962; Ashforth & Kreiner, 1999) Dirty Work: “Tasks and occupations that are likely to be perceived as disgusting or degrading” (Hughes, 1962).

#ACPA14 Blue-Collar Identity Theory (Hughes, 1962; Ashforth & Kreiner, 1999) Types of stigma or taint: -Physical Taint: Jobs dealing with garbage, human waste, death. Janitors -Social Taint: Interactions with socially stigmatized people. Prison guards -Moral Taint: Perceived as “sinful.” Pawn brokers, exotic dancers

#ACPA14 Blue-Collar Identity Theory (Hughes, 1962; Ashforth & Kreiner, 1999) Dirty workers have surprisingly high occupational esteem. Relationships with others provide an esteem-enhancing function.

#ACPA14 Relationships Stigma “Dirty Work” Blue-Collar Identity Characteristics Relationships as a Counterbalance to Custodial Staff “Dirty Work” Stigma Occupational Esteem

#ACPA14 Student-Faculty Interaction/Mentoring Studies Interactions between students, faculty, and staff positively impact student success in college. (Kuh & Huh, 2001; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Crisp & Cruz, 2009; Nora & Crisp, 2007; Campbell, Smith, Dugan & Komives, 2012)

#ACPA14 Student-Faculty Interaction/Mentoring Studies There are important academic (Kuh & Ku, 2001) and emotional dimensions of student-faculty interactions (Schreinter, et al., 2011; Museus & Neville, 2012) and mentoring relationships. Mentoring can be formal/informal, structured/unstructured, short-term/long-term, sanctioned/unsanctioned (Nora & Crisp, 2007).

#ACPA14 A Custodial Staff Dissertation Study Primary Research Questions: In what ways do three campus custodians interact with students during their work day at a large public university? In what ways do those custodians talk about their interactions with students?

#ACPA14 Case Study Research Design Three Participants Particularity v. Generalizability!!!!! Depth v. Breadth

#ACPA14 Participant Characteristics Participant Inclusion Criteria English-speaking custodians, employed full-time in University Housing for at least 1 year Willing to talk! Recruitment Strategy Referrals from Director of Housing

#ACPA14 Data Collection Participant Observation –3-5 non-sequential work days per informant –Field journal as primary data collection tool “Guiding Questions” Semi-Structured Interview –Conduct minute interview mid-way through participant observation Artifact Analysis –Describe the nature of college student-related artifacts informants possess

#ACPA14 Data Analysis &Verification Reflexive Writing –Duel note-taking, memo writing, taking notes on my own notes –What surprises, intrigues, and disturbs me about what I observe? Data Sorting & Coding –Themes from literature review –Blue-Collar Theory, Typology of Faculty-Student Interactions Member Checking –Clarifying questions occur throughout participant observation Disconfirming Examples Data Saturation

#ACPA14 Data Collection -Participant Observation -Interviews -Artifact Analysis Data Analysis -Data Sorting -Data Coding -Reflexive Writing -Member Checking Data Verification -Reflexive Writing -Member Checking -Data Saturation -Disconfirming Examples Research Methods

#ACPA14 Institutional Mission Employee Assumed Duties -Student Mentoring and Support Interactions Campus Custodian Institution Assigned Duties -Cleaning and Maintenance Indirect Support of Direct Support of Informally Performed Formally Performed Assigned and Assumed Duties of Custodians as Institutional Agents

#ACPA14 Institutional Mission Employee Assumed Duties -Student Mentoring and Support and Interactions Campus Custodian Institution Assigned Duties -Cleaning and Maintenance Indirect Support of Direct Support of Student Interactions Social Stigma Informally Performed Formally Performed Potential Influence of Assigned and Assumed Duties of Custodians as Institutional Agents Positive Esteem Negative Esteem

#ACPA14 Recap We should care about custodians as a matter of inclusivity and potential students success and employee motivation outcomes. Interactions with students might positively influence custodial staff occupational esteem and by extension, organizational efficiency. Interactions with custodians might positively influence student success, as suggested by the emotional components of student- staff interactions/mentoring.

#ACPA14 Large Group Discussion Do you have anything to share about blue-collar workers on your campus?

#ACPA14 Questions? Suggestions?

#ACPA14 Please Rate This Session in Guidebook 1.Find this session in Guidebook 2.Scroll to bottom and click on “Rate this session” 3.Complete Session Feedback Form