| dc.description.abstract | In response to the growing demographics in the United States, diversity, equity, and Inclusion (D.E.I.) offices and efforts have become a conventional part of higher education institutions in the United States. Despite these efforts, there remains a disconnect in D.E.I. perceptions and the effectiveness of D.E.I. efforts between students from historically marginalized and minoritized communities and the administrations of Predominantly White Institutions (PWI). Using a cross-sectional mixed-methods design, the purpose of the thesis was to explore existing literature and conduct a study to ascertain the prevalence of differing perceptions of the relationship between diversity efforts and campus climate for underrepresented and historically excluded students. There were four key findings. First, students from marginalized and minoritized communities are more likely to feel unsatisfied with D.E.I. efforts. Second, there is a prevalence of bias and discrimination witnessed or experienced by students from sources that included faculty, staff, and administration despite D.E.I. efforts. Third, the experiences prompted negative implications physically and mentally for students. Fourth, university administrators and D.E.I. offices were perceived to intentionally embody mainstream and superficial definitions and practices of D.E.I. This thesis concludes with a discussion of the implications of research findings and future directions.
Keywords: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, Colonialism, Higher Education, Pseudo Wokeism | en_US |
