Social class on campus: Expanding the diversity discussion Will Barratt, Ph.D. January 4, 2011 Indiana University.

Social class on campus: Expanding the diversity

discussion

Will Barratt, Ph.D.January 4, 2011

Indiana University

Will’s classnography

• Born in Stanford University hospital• Grew up in Hanover, NH, where my father

taught Life Sciences at Dartmouth• Father went to Rutgers, UNH, and Yale, was

department chair and dean• Mother went to UNH

Will’s classnography

• Sister went to Radcliffe, Michigan State, George Washington, UW-Madison, was department chair and is a dean

• I went to Dartmouth (in high school), Beloit College, Miami University, and The University of Iowa

• I am third gen college, second gen Ph.D.

Will’s classnography

• With my family we had driving and camping vacations, mostly to Colorado

• We lived in Palo Alto, CA for a year when I was in 5th grade

• As a teen my allowance included admission for two movies each week

Will’s classnography

• We often had out-of-town guests for dinner who were speaking on campus. Several, I later found out, were Nobel Laureates

• I regularly went to plays, concerts, and art showings on campus, often getting to meet the performers and artists

Will’s classnography

• 99% of my high school class went to college• Several of my high school friends have been in

the national news, for good things• Most of my college friends have graduate or

professional degrees

Will’s classnography

• I rarely had a paying job until college• I never had a car until college• I was not aware of class until I was in my 30s

even though I experienced class contrast

Will’s classnography

• I have been acting chair, associate dean, and chair of university, college, and department committees

• I have lived in California, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Salzburg, Budapest, Beijing, and Porto Alegre, Brazil, and have traveled to 27 countries

Will’s Capital

• I have very good cultural capital• I have good social skills and lots of social

capital on my campus• I have sufficient economic capital

Cultural

Capita

l

Campus S

ocial C

apita

l

Profes

sional

Socia

l Cap

ital

Community So

cial C

apita

l

Economic C

apita

l0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100% 95% 95%

60%

10%

90%

Will’s class identity

• My social class of origin• My current felt social class • My attributed social class– Have not changed much– If anything I have moved up a little in social class

Will’s class role

• I learned class roles at home, at school, at college, and at work

• I am often given privilege, and I NEVER ask for it– That would be rude.

What you know about class

• You have a good start• How can I add more tea to a cup that is

already full?• There is a lot more for all of us to learn– Social class is more than money!

Learning goals

• Vocabulary about class– If you don’t have a language for something you

have no agency with it

Learning goals

• Multiple models about class– Capital– Roles– Identity– Culture – We tell you that class is money to distract you

from the truth and make you buy more stuff

Learning goals

• Tools to talk about class– The classnography

Three stories – Three women

• High ability• High SAT• Attractive• Born into different circumstances– The best predictor of college success is family

income!

The cast

• Louise – from the Lower Class on campus• Misty – from the Majority Class on campus• Ursula – from the Upper Class on campus

US Adults over 25, 2009

None

1st - 4

th grad

e

5th - 6th gr

ade

7th - 8th gr

ade

9th grad

e

10th grad

e

11th grad

e /2

High sc

hool grad

uate

Some c

ollege

no degree

Associa

te's d

egree

, occu

pational

Associa

te's d

egree

, acad

emic

Bachelo

r's deg

ree

Master'

s deg

ree

Profes

sional

degree

Doctoral

degree

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

0% 1% 2% 2% 2% 2%4%

31%

17%

4% 5%

19%

8%

2% 1%

Class on campus

First GenerationLouise

Second or More GenerationMisty and Ursula

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

25%

75%

NCES Data on Percent of College Population

A closer look at campus

WC / PCWhitney Page

Lower Louise

MajorityMisty

UpperUrsula

EliteEleanor

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

5%

20%

55%

20%

0%

Best Guess of Percent of College Population

Louise’s story

• She comes from a small farming town• Father, uncles, and grandfathers, are all

farmers• Mother, and aunts work in offices in town• 4H, basketball, volleyball, and track• Worked at Dairy Queen

Louise’s story

• Guidance counselor assumed she would work or go to a community college

• Felt she needed to ask permission to do things, take classes, take the SAT, go on trips

• Has been to Chicago and St. Louis on school trips

• Louise had always lived in a class bubble until she went to campus

Louise’s story

• Goes to a financial aid presentation by staff from The Flagship State University (TFSU)

• Her parents know that the nursing program and the education programs are good at TFSU

• Is accepted, with a scholarship, to TFSU

Louise’s story

• Louise moves in with her trunk and suitcase• Roommate Nicole, whose parent’s are TFSU

legacies, moves in with everything• Louise is immediately aware of class contrast

Louise’s story

• Going in to the dining hall the first evening Louise is alone, terrified, near tears, and has no idea what to do

• Mary sits with Louise that first evening and they form a friendship and make it through the first week

Louise’s story

• Princess Nicole, the roommate, sends her papers home for editing and gets care packages from home

• During fall fashion adjustments Louise feels embarrassed by her wardrobe

• She is the ‘quiet girl’ so the RA doesn’t reach out to her

Louise’s story

• Louise is quite in class and never approaches her professors because she is aware of the class divide between her and them

• Louise has limited relationship building skills that would help her meet faculty and staff

• Her primary contact with TFSU is with the dining hall staff

Louise’s story

• At home in December her parents only want to talk about farming and other people in town, making Louise feel out of place

• Back on campus Louise goes to classes and not much more

• She is not trouble and not a star so she gets no attention

Louise’s story

• At home in June she gets a summer job and her friends from high school pressure her to spend her money and party with them

• At the end of summer she leaves her new boyfriend and goes back to campus

• She doesn’t feel at home in the small town• She doesn’t feel at home on campus

Louise’s story

• Back at school she declares a psychology and special education major

• Louise works on campus and as she gets money she buys fashionable clothing at discounts

• Summers become more emotionally difficult for her to be at home

Louise’s story

• When she graduated she had never used the writing center, career center, counseling center, student activities, was never invited to any leadership workshop, or to participate in any campus organization

• Louise always felt like an imposter on campus

Louise – Culture of origin

• What were the foods that Louise grew up with?

• What were her ideas about education, career, and work?

• What were her basic values?• What resources did she have?

Louise’s capital

Economic Capital Cultural Capital Social Capital0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

40% 40%

10%

Louise – Economic capital

• Her family of origin was in the bottom 50% for family income

• Her work as a teacher will put her, eventually, into the upper 50% – Indiana starting salaries for teachers is $30,844– Indiana median single earner income is $39,803

Louise – Cultural capital

• Cultural capital is the knowledge and skills associated with the prestige class

• These are not valued in her home town• Louise is unaware of the need to build cultural

capital, go to art shows, music, theater, etc.

Louise - Social capital

• She had very few relationship building skills because she never needed to meet new people in her home town

• She was unaware of the importance of personal connections

• No mentor reached out to her

Louise - Identity

• Her social class of origin is working class• Her current felt social class, on graduation, is

confused• Her attributed social class, on graduation is

middle class– From one perspective she is both working class

and middle/majority class

Louise - Identity

• When she was young she learned who she was and who she wasn’t– Female, not male – European-American, not anything else– Working class, not a college educated professional

• She has become who she was not!

Louise – Class as role

• Louise learned about class roles from television, movies, and magazines

• Her fashionable clothing becomes a costume for her

• Money and fashion are central to her ideas about class

Misty’s story

• Raised in an affluent suburb of a major city• Father has a BA and is a business executive• Mother has an MBA and works in

manufacturing• Grandfathers have college educations in

agriculture

Misty’s story

• With her family she has been to New York City, Paris, London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nice, and Rome – always staying in a Hilton

• Misty is ‘princess’ and is very close to her mother

• Got a new car for her Sweet 16 party• Got a Mac because they are cute

Misty’s story

• Misty deserves things without effort on her part

• Misty was born on 3rd base and thinks she hit a triple

• Misty has always lived in a class bubble

Misty’s story

• Misty chose TFSU because her friends like it and she had gone to a few parties there

• On move in day her family caravans to campus and her father and brother carry in her boxes

• Roommate Michelle arrives and the unpacking competition begins

Misty’s story

• Misty’s four Prada purses (two for day wear and two for evening wear) wins the fashion competition

• Misty and Michelle go to Chicago shopping for fall fashions because “No one seriously shops locally!”

• They find the best local nail salon, tanning salon, etc. and tell everyone about “their” finds

Misty’s story

• Sorority rush occupies much of her fall, and she is constantly on the phone with mother, who was sorority president at TFSU

• Misty is all about Mani-pedis, tanning, and is high maintenance

• Misty is living the life she imagines the wealthy to live

• “She is so middle class!” is her favorite insult

Misty’s story

• Her sorority of choice invites her to join and the standards committee has a talk with her about attitude.

• At the end of the semester she asks each professor if she can take the exams early because her family has made plans that can’t be changed – she doesn’t tell them it is skiing in Vail

Misty’s story

• At the end of her first year her friends are her sorority sisters

• She has not joined any other organizations, has not participated in leadership workshops and has not visited the health center, career center, counseling, or writing center

• “If they were any good they would be in private practice.”

Misty’s story

• Misty selects a business major• She encounters gender• She encounters ethnicity• She does not encounter class because she is in

the majority and everyone wants to be like her• Misty continues to live in a class bubble that is

reinforced by campus norms

Misty’s story

• Misty doesn’t do self reflection• Her professors don’t treat her as special and

this upsets her• She is increasingly depressed and uses retail

therapy as a treatment

Misty’s story

• She graduates without ever encountering class• She is a fish who never noticed the water

supporting her

Misty’s culture of origin

• What were the foods that Misty grew up with?• What were her ideas about education, career,

and work?• What were her basic values?• What resources did she have?

Misty’s class identity

• Social class of origin – upper middle class in the US– majority class, middle class, on campus

• Current felt social class– Misty believes she is in the upper middle class,

and aspires to be like famous people• Attributed social class– ?

Misty’s Capital

Economic Capital Cultural Capital Social Capital0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

90%

60%

20%

Misty – Economic capital

• Misty is not as rich as she would like to be• She had money from parents during college• After college she worked in fashion

merchandising and was not paid what she thought she deserved

Misty – Cultural capital

• Because of her travel, with parents, for shopping, she has been many places that people talk about, but always in a class bubble

• Misty knows what money can buy, what is fashionable this week, and that that expensive equals quality

• She knows little about art, history, food, wine, design, and the ‘finer things’

Misty – Social capital

• Misty believes that people should meet her and that she doesn't need to meet other people

• She has limited contacts outside her sorority to meet anyone other than students

• She has limited social skills, even with men

Misty – Class as role

• Misty learned about class roles at home, and mostly from movies, TV, and magazines

• Misty wants to be perceived as prestige and uses ‘positional goods’ or ‘obviously labeled fashions’ to demonstrate her social class

• Class is about money and costumes for Misty, it is all very serious cosplay

Ursula’s story

• Ursula comes from a family of professors, physicians, engineers, and attorneys going back generations

• Ursula does not live in a class bubble• Before college she lived in Mexico as an

exchange student and in Japan with her family

Ursula’s story

• Ursula receives a Presidential Scholarship to TFSU and decides not to go to an Ivy League school

• The scholarship covers every expense and involves an enriched living environment

• Ursula’s parents expect her to “get an education” and do well academically, they have no expectation for a major

Ursula’s story

• On move in day she showed up with a trunk, a suitcase, and a computer

• Her roommate Nadia is a computer science major and is a serious student, well dressed and not into obviously labeled fashion

• They have a room designed for school, not princesses and parties

Ursula’s story

• Ursula is constantly aware of social class contrast and differences between her background and most other students

• Ursula is aware of her privileges and that she often has more cultural capital than her professors

• Her RA feels uncomfortable and inexperienced around Ursula

Ursula’s story

• In classes Ursula speaks up, and after class she talks with her professors

• She seeks out two organizations to join and attends two different leadership workshops that she found on campus

• She gets a job entering data for a professor because she needs to make her own money for expenses

Ursula’s story

• During the fall she visits the counseling center about anxiety and stress, and it was not her first visit to a therapist

• She visits the career center to begin packaging herself for graduate school and a career

• She visits the math center and the writing center for help, even though she is getting good grades

Ursula’s story

• Summer vacation is spent at home with family and friends

• Ursula has a job in the hospital where her mother works

• The family takes a two week vacation to Thessaloniki Greece visiting a family friend

Ursula’s story

• Ursula declares majors in Anthropology and Political Science and minors in Spanish to keep fluent

• She spends her Junior year in Scotland • After graduation she pursued paid and unpaid

internships before starting law school with the goal of working in social justice

Ursula’s culture of origin

• What were the foods that Ursula grew up with?

• What were her ideas about education, career, and work?

• What were her basic values?• What resources did she have?

Ursula – Class identity

• Her social class of origin• Her current felt social class• Her attributed social class – Never change on campus

Ursula’s Capital

Economic Capital Cultural Capital Social Capital0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%95% 95% 95%

Ursula – Economic capital

• The child of affluence, Ursula is expected to pay her own way for anything beyond college costs and the basics

• Her economic comfort make it possible to take unpaid internships

Ursula – Cultural capital

• Ursula comes to college with more cultural capital than most of her professors

• Ursula goes to art shows, theater, museums, and continues to travel

• Ursula is cautious talking about her cultural capital, and her economic capital

Ursula – Social capital

• Ursula learned at home how to meet and greet – she knows the secret handshake

• She has admirable relationship skills and quickly builds a social network where ever she goes

• She is not socially intimidated by anyone

Ursula – Class as role

• Ursula learned class roles at home and during her time living abroad

• She does not use positional goods, obviously labeled fashions, to demonstrate her prestige

• For Ursula and her family class is about cultural capital and personal growth

Social class and student development

• Most models of student development reflect Ursula’s life, and to a degree Misty’s

• Most campus environments are normed around Misty’s lifestyle, social life, fashion, food, hair, and nails

• Misty is normal and Louise and Ursula are abnormal

Social class and risk

• You can see social class if you look• Louise, and especially Whitney Page from the

working class / poverty class, are unlikely to graduate

• Someone taking an interest in them is the ONE consistent theme in their stories of success

Your job

• Learn your own class history• Learn to see class and it’s injuries• Learn to be class inclusive– Don’t be a Misty

What’s your story

• What are the problems that you have when talking about class?

What’s your story

• What was it like when you grew up?• What was it like for you during your first year

in college?• What is social class for you: Money, cultural

capital, fashion, fame . . . .

The conversation

• How can you help Louise with a dialog about class?

• What are your goals in talking with Louise about class?

• How does your campus de-value Louise’s social class culture and identity of origin?

More

Thanks

Will Barratt, A.B., M.S., [email protected]