Values, Philosophy and History

In this competency area, I am at the intermediate level. This professional competency area opened my eyes to a lot of the misconceptions that intensified the racist notions behind slave trade, segregation and colonialism. It gave me an insider’s viewpoint into the racist ideals colonial institutions were founded upon which in my opinion may still be responsible for their admission selectivity today.  I have also learned about the extent to which racism, classism and sexism were perpetrated even among people who identified as Christian.  My oral history project revealed how little has changed in this regard which is worrisome to me, students and even faculty and staff today still experience racial discrimination as they did centuries ago.  This shows that today’s problems are not new and that "the establishment of U.S higher education is deeply rooted in racism and white supremacy, the vestiges of which remain palatable” Patton (2016, p.317). I knew that African Americans had a hard time in the United States historically, but I did not know the struggle Native Americans, Latinx and Asians had because prior to my enrollment at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, anyone who wasn't black was white, but I now see how there are different racial classifications among non-blacks and the different experiences they have because of those classifications.

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     The story of Lucy Diggs Slowe; Dean of women at Howard university and most influential person in African American women's higher education really inspired me.  At a time when African Americans and women were silenced, she refused to see her double discrimination as a barrier but went on to expose black female students at Howard to leadership while founding national organizations to provide mentorship to other women deans despite the persecution she was facing from President Johnson (Howard University president). I may never face the extent of discrimination she did so I know that I can do my bit as a student affairs practitioner regardless of opposition realizing that student affairs work is like seed planting; it may not bear fruit in my lifetime, but it will grow through nurturing from others after me till the goal of equity is achieved someday.

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     Particularly shocking to me was the fact that in the face of something as catastrophic as the 1918 flu, racism was still being perpetrated in treatment and patient care. The extent of knowledge construction in education is another shocking realization. The Loewen (2008) made me question everything I know and helped me to see how the education provided by that socially constructed knowledge helps maintain white supremacy. It also points out the need for diversity in scholarship and higher education administration and faculty because unlike Nigeria where the curriculum is never revisited, faculty in U.S institutions review their course content often giving them the opportunity to make adjustments and provide unbiased learning to students.

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     The highlight for me in the readings for this class was the national and international impact students had through their activism; they were able to shape political climates (President Lyndon Johnson decided not to contest elections in 1968 because students were opposed to his policies on Vietnam) and they were able to influence their institutions and even the federal government to divest from companies doing business in South Africa to show their opposition to apartheid.  I learned the unforgettable role students played in the University of Missouri and the University of California, Berkeley in the movement against apartheid. This is a positive for me because looking at the way things are run here in Nigeria and even other African nations, students and citizens in general don't have such rights.

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     I'm also pleased with the knowledge provided through this class to set the ball rolling with my student affairs practice; the student personnel viewpoints emphasizing the focus of this practice as the development of the student as a whole, the ACPA/NASPA competencies providing a framework for professional assessment and development and the texts by Komives (2015),  Hiraldo (2010) and ACPA (2013 and 2018) highlighting our focus and providing guidelines for our activities as practitioners. The practical approach and best practices outlined in these resources are an essential tool and can guarantee success to any determined practitioner in spite of the dynamic nature of this profession. There is a lot to learn and do in this practice and there also is a lot of multi-level resistance to the work that we do but the practical steps outlined in these resources: prioritizing student development, collaboration and partnership, taking responsibility and providing support to others doing the same, as well as doing everything we do from a place of compassion, make it a do-able, daily practice.

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     I'm glad to learn about the support available through professional associations, I have already joined the Black Student Affairs Professionals Facebook and LinkedIn groups which is exposing me to the current experiences of this group, and I'm looking forward to being a part of other associations that will help build my skills in this practice, develop a support network and create pathways towards societal change. As a student affairs practitioner I am committed to contributing to the move towards equity in my work environment, other communities and with the students I work with in the relationships I build with them. I feel responsible for pointing out injustices and facilitating discussions on social justice, equity and inclusion and for leading by example with my own practice and daily conduct. I am more willing to advocate through collaboration, self-education, technology, engagements and programming all within my sphere of influence while preparing to stretch beyond my comfort and familiar zones to begin critiquing and challenging systemic injustice.

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     I strongly believe that academic institutions and especially higher education institutions have the power to create social change as I have seen in the different readings through objective education that infuses diversity, social justice, inclusion and equity in the curriculum and also through protests and activism against these societal ills in support of more just and equitable national and institutional practices. I also believe like my student interviewee stated during the interview for my oral history project that institutions have a lot to learn from students and they should create environments that will foster that learning instead of silencing them.

Professional Development