Project MUSE®: College Student Affairs Journal - Latest Articles
https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689
Project MUSE®: Latest articles in College Student Affairs Journal.daily12026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00text/htmlen-USVol. 33 (2015) through current issueLatest Articles: College Student Affairs JournalTWOProject MUSE®College Student Affairs Journal2381-23380888-210XLatest articles in College Student Affairs Journal. Feed provided by Project MUSE®Reflecting on the First 75 Years of Sacsa to Plan for the Next 75 Years
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973663
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Since our founding in 1949, the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA) has had a celebratory and storied history. From our inception, SACSA was founded to address the needs of student affairs and higher education professionals in the South, serving professionals in 15 states and the District of Columbia. While the name of the organization has evolved, the mission and core values have remained the same: serve as an independent, regional, and generalist association designed for the professional development of practitioners, educators, and students engaged in the student affairs profession through the embodiment of our core values (inclusiveness, professionalism, and collegiality) in all aspects of
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallReflecting on the First 75 Years of Sacsa to Plan for the Next 75 Years2025-10-31text/htmlen-USReflecting on the First 75 Years of Sacsa to Plan for the Next 75 Years2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®688272026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31Conflicts Between Theory and Practice, and Collective Grief Amid LGBTQ+ Center Closures in Texas and Nationwide
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973664
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On January 1, 2024, Texas Senate Bill 17 (SB17) went into effect. Among other directives, the Gender and Sexuality Center was closed at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). The staff worked tirelessly with university administrators and legal officers to provide tactical support on changing the name, mission, and ethos from the Gender and Sexuality Center to the Women’s Community Center. This was done to ensure students still had a space that was in compliance with SB17. Yet, efforts were altogether eliminated and accompanied by the firing of associated staff members (Xia & Dey, 2024). Despite confirmation that the change was well within the means of the bill, overcompliance ultimately won. It is estimated
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallConflicts Between Theory and Practice, and Collective Grief Amid LGBTQ+ Center Closures in Texas and Nationwide2025-10-31text/htmlen-USConflicts Between Theory and Practice, and Collective Grief Amid LGBTQ+ Center Closures in Texas and Nationwide2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®478762026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31The Shifting Landscape of Dei in Higher Education: Considerations and Implications for Student Affairs Faculty in the Southern United States
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973665
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In the last three years there has been a significant shift in the landscape of higher education in the United States, particularly through the introduction of anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legislation. Since 2023, and at the time of the writing of this essay, there have been over 136 anti-DEI legislation bills introduced in 29 states, many of which are in the southern United States (DEI Legislation Tracker, n.d.). In Texas, where we are faculty members at a public institution, we have experienced significant shifts in university programs, services, and structures due to Senate Bill 17 (SB17), which prohibits specified DEI activities in public higher education institutions. Much of the anti-DEI
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallThe Shifting Landscape of Dei in Higher Education: Considerations and Implications for Student Affairs Faculty in the Southern United States2025-10-31text/htmlen-USThe Shifting Landscape of Dei in Higher Education: Considerations and Implications for Student Affairs Faculty in the Southern United States2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®283372026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31Every Person by Name: An Inclusive History Conversation Between Past And Present
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973666
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The Southern city of Decatur, Georgia is one brimming with history, both told and untold. In its lively center rests a statue of former Georgia congressman John Lewis, recently erected to replace a Confederate obelisk (Hernandez, 2024). Just behind this statue is the site of the former DeKalb Building, where civil rights luminary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was prosecuted for leading a peaceful sitin (“The Rev,” n.d.). Nestled on a one-hundred-acre plot a stone’s throw from the downtown bustle is another historical treasure trove: Agnes Scott College (ASC), a historically women’s liberal arts institution. Since its founding in 1889, ASC has employed hundreds of workers of color, ranging from construction and
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallEvery Person by Name: An Inclusive History Conversation Between Past And Present2025-10-31text/htmlen-USEvery Person by Name: An Inclusive History Conversation Between Past And Present2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®244162026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31Navigating Change in Uncertain Times: Experiences of Trans and Queer Center(Ed) Diversity Workers
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973667
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Fifteen states comprise the Southern Association of College Student Affairs (SACSA) region (SACSA, n.d.). As of January 2025, all but three of those states have proposed or passed anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legislation (The Chronicle of Higher Education, n.d.). Anti-DEI legislation encompasses efforts to restrict the existence of DEI offices and staff (e.g., multicultural, LGBTQ+ centers), mandatory DEI training, diversity statements, hiring and admission based on identity, and the existence of courses characterized as having DEI-related or critical race theory (CRT)-related content (The Chronicle of Higher Education, n.d.). Relatedly, 2024 saw the largest number of proposed pieces of state
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallNavigating Change in Uncertain Times: Experiences of Trans and Queer Center(Ed) Diversity Workers2025-10-31text/htmlen-USNavigating Change in Uncertain Times: Experiences of Trans and Queer Center(Ed) Diversity Workers2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®833052026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31Navigating Immigrant Illegality: Higher Education and Student Affairs Professionals’ Experiences With Undocumented Students In The Southern United States
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973668
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As a scholar and former practitioner with nearly 30 years of experience in higher education, I have continually reflected on the profound ways immigration policy shapes the student affairs profession and how immigrant and undocumented students, in turn, impact our roles as student affairs professionals. While immigration policy significantly influences the landscape of student affairs, few researchers have explicitly examined how these policies affect the profession, primarily focusing on their impact on students. To fulfill their mission, student affairs staff must remain adaptable, informed, and unwavering in their commitment to success for all students, including undocumented students, and their desire to engage
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallNavigating Immigrant Illegality: Higher Education and Student Affairs Professionals’ Experiences With Undocumented Students In The Southern United States2025-10-31text/htmlen-USNavigating Immigrant Illegality: Higher Education and Student Affairs Professionals’ Experiences With Undocumented Students In The Southern United States2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®433302026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31Reimagining Rural LGBTQ+ Students’ Sense of Belonging In The Bible Belt
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973669
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A growing body of research has examined the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students in higher education, primarily in urban or more progressive areas (e.g., Renn, 2017). However, less of that research examines the experiences of LGBTQ+ students in rural areas, particularly in the rural South, often referred to as the “Bible Belt.” The region’s cultural, religious, and political characteristics lean conservatively and frequently alienate LGBTQ+ individuals from their queer identity. Administrators, faculty, and staff in higher education can actively support these students in building a sense of belonging and fostering inclusive campus environments. To do so, understanding the
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallReimagining Rural LGBTQ+ Students’ Sense of Belonging In The Bible Belt2025-10-31text/htmlen-USReimagining Rural LGBTQ+ Students’ Sense of Belonging In The Bible Belt2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®351042026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31Latina Leadership in Higher Education: Challenges and Strategies for Success
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973670
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“The price of success cannot be loneliness”.In spring of 2025, I heard this quote from a sitting Latina president. I was attending a leadership fellows program preparing Latines for executive level positions in community colleges. In a room where the majority of the aspirant senior leaders were women, I couldn’t help but cringe. We stand (I have done this too) and tell women they can and should aspire to senior leadership in higher education. I still say it because it’s true. However, being a Latina senior leader in higher education can be depleting. Would (will) I do it again? Absolutely. But not to the detriment of my family and myself. In Mamis Rising (2021) I wrote about becoming vice president and life as a
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallLatina Leadership in Higher Education: Challenges and Strategies for Success2025-10-31text/htmlen-USLatina Leadership in Higher Education: Challenges and Strategies for Success2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®608532026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31“Beyond the Transaction”: How Student Knowledge and Experiences Shape Their Payment Methods
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973671
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This article aims to understand how students’ knowledge of financial structures and their holistic experiences influence their behavior within the institutional environment, particularly in terms of payment methods, in a higher education system located in the southern states. The south has reported record growth in population according to the United State Census Bureau (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025). In addition, the report stated that nine out of the ten fastest growing cities were all within the southern region. The investigation focused on a higher education system located in the southern states that reported enrollment growth across all institutions, with a 5.9% increase from 2023 to 2024, totaling 364,725
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmall“Beyond the Transaction”: How Student Knowledge and Experiences Shape Their Payment Methods2025-10-31text/htmlen-US“Beyond the Transaction”: How Student Knowledge and Experiences Shape Their Payment Methods2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®1282042026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31But is it Monogrammed? Culture, Class, and Gender in Southern Student Housing
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973672
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For many students, moving into a college residence hall represents a significant rite of passage, marking the transition to independent living and the broader experience of leaving home. Students treat their dorm space as an extension of self and decorate accordingly. Increasingly, students and their families are hiring interior designers or dorm décor specialists (Braff, 2024; Lyttle, 2024) to create magazine-worthy rooms. Instead of a “bed-ina-bag,” roommates coordinate everything from comforters with monogrammed pillows to themes for their private bathrooms, adding a touch of elegance to their small living spaces. Coordinated color schemes, monograms, and luxury items have replaced utilitarian plastic storage
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallBut is it Monogrammed? Culture, Class, and Gender in Southern Student Housing2025-10-31text/htmlen-USBut is it Monogrammed? Culture, Class, and Gender in Southern Student Housing2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®984892026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31Student Affairs in Litigious Contexts: The Perspectives of General Counsel and Institutional Leaders on Collaborating to Support Students
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973673
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“There was a lot of pressure from powerful groups on campus to categorize [student protests] as disruptive.” – PaulWhen discussing his collaboration with the university’s general counsel, Paul, the Vice President of Student Affairs at Southern National University, shared, “[we had] to articulate to not only the cabinet, but also to the board what students can do as part of their freedom of expression rights.” As student affairs practitioners support students, they do so within an increasingly litigious context. In recent years across the higher education landscape in the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs face scrutiny, students are engaging in activism related to global geopolitical
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallStudent Affairs in Litigious Contexts: The Perspectives of General Counsel and Institutional Leaders on Collaborating to Support Students2025-10-31text/htmlen-USStudent Affairs in Litigious Contexts: The Perspectives of General Counsel and Institutional Leaders on Collaborating to Support Students2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®922162026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31The Evolving Landscape of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Higher Education: A Critical Examination of Challenges and Advocacy in Texas
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973674
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The principles of DEI have been integral to the mission of higher education, and their importance is only growing as colleges and universities seek to foster more environments where all students, regardless of their background, have a sense of belonging and feel supported during their collegiate journey. In recent years, especially in response to high-profile cases of racial injustice, many colleges and universities have reevaluated their policies and practices, resulting in the expansion of DEI initiatives to address systemic inequities (Abrica & Oliver, 2024). DEI is rooted in an ethnic of care that is both cultural and political, grounded in the lived experiences of students and their communities. Yet, the
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallThe Evolving Landscape of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Higher Education: A Critical Examination of Challenges and Advocacy in Texas2025-10-31text/htmlen-USThe Evolving Landscape of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Higher Education: A Critical Examination of Challenges and Advocacy in Texas2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®268962026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31Degrees of Belonging: How CECE Indicators and Identity Shape Sense of Belonging at a Southern PWI
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973675
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Nationally, a growing number of students from a variety of racial, educational, ethnic and other backgrounds attend higher education institutions (National Center for Education Statistics, 2023). Higher education institutions across the United States need to find ways to support these students while following current state and federal policies and regulations. This article examines the experiences and sense of belonging among international students from diverse countries and degree programs at a predominantly white institution (PWI) within the SACSA region. The findings offer insights that can help SACSA and other higher education institutions better support students from diverse backgrounds.International students
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallDegrees of Belonging: How CECE Indicators and Identity Shape Sense of Belonging at a Southern PWI2025-10-31text/htmlen-USDegrees of Belonging: How CECE Indicators and Identity Shape Sense of Belonging at a Southern PWI2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®1311622026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31A Legacy of Influence: Sacsa’s Enduring Relationship With CAS
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973676
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For over 45 years, the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) has reflected the evolution of student affairs by providing comprehensive standards to guide the continuous improvement and assessment of programs and services (Gordon, 2023; Henning & Roberts, 2024; Schuh et al., 2016). As a consortium of 38 member associations, CAS represents an expansive network of higher education and student affairs organizations committed to collaboration, consensus-building, and self-assessment. These values remain central to CAS’s mission as it continues to adapt to the shifting challenges of the profession (Wells & Dean, 2024).This article explores the often overlooked yet significant influence of the
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallA Legacy of Influence: Sacsa’s Enduring Relationship With CAS2025-10-31text/htmlen-USA Legacy of Influence: Sacsa’s Enduring Relationship With CAS2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®283452026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31From Crisis to Care: Responding to the Growing Mental Health Needs of College Students in the Sacsa Region
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/973677
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Colleges and universities across the country are facing a growing mental health crisis, with national data revealing a dramatic rise in anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms among traditional-age students (18–25 years old). These shifts carry significant implications for campus environments, educational outcomes, and the evolving responsibilities of student affairs practitioners. To fully understand the scope and urgency of this issue, it is necessary to examine national mental health trends among college students.National surveys indicate that mental health challenges among college students have steadily increased over the past decade, making anxiety, stress, and depression the most commonly reported
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Project MUSE®https://muse.jhu.edu/2026-05-18T00:00:00-05:00https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/689/image/coversmallFrom Crisis to Care: Responding to the Growing Mental Health Needs of College Students in the Sacsa Region2025-10-31text/htmlen-USFrom Crisis to Care: Responding to the Growing Mental Health Needs of College Students in the Sacsa Region2025-10-312025TWOProject MUSE®1265542026-05-18T00:00:00-05:002025-10-31