Table Of ContentUniversity of St. Tomas, Minnesota
UST Research Online
Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership School of Education
5-2012
Constructing Class: Exploring the Lived
Experience of White Female Student Afairs
Professionals from Working Class Families
Victoria Svoboda
University of St. Tomas, Minnesota
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Recommended Citation
Svoboda, Victoria, "Constructing Class: Exploring the Lived Experience of White Female Student Afairs Professionals from Working
Class Families" (2012). Education Doctoral Dissertations in Leadership. 29.
htps://ir.sthomas.edu/caps_ed_lead_docdiss/29
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Running head: CONSTRUCTING CLASS
Constructing Class: Exploring the Lived Experience of
White Female Student Affairs Professionals from Working Class Families
A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the
School of Education at the University of St. Thomas
St. Paul, Minnesota
By
Victoria Svoboda
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of
Doctor of Education
May 2012
CONSTRUCTING CLASS ii
UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS, MINNESOTA
Constructing Class: Exploring the Lived Experience of
White Female Student Affairs Professionals from Working Class Families
We certify that we have read this dissertation and approved it as adequate in scope and
quality. We have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any
and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made.
Donald R. LaMagdeleine, Ph.D., Dissertation Chair
Kathleen M. Boyle, Ph.D., Committee Member
John D. Holst, Ph.D., Committee Member
Final Approval Date
CONSTRUCTING CLASS iii
Acknowledgements
Completing this dissertation was not a solo endeavor. I am grateful to so many
individuals who helped me along this journey. First, thanks to my family and friends,
who suffered through my constant anxiety, self-doubt, and procrastination. I am thankful
for the support and encouragement you provided along the way. To my partner Kenny
Hills, my sister Erica Svoboda, and my parents, Mary Anne and Tim Svoboda: your
belief in me has always been stronger than my belief in myself. Your encouragement and
love mean the world to me. I am lucky to have the added support of biological, step-, and
extended family members.
To my friends Becky Ryan, Susan Anderson, Jess Lauritsen, and Ashley Olson:
thanks for letting me know I am neither crazy nor alone. I stay in higher education
because I have been lucky to find friends and colleagues like you who understand what it
is like to navigate institutions not built for us. I hope you know how much your
camaraderie has meant to me. Your lives are the inspiration for this work. To my best
friend Laura: you never have to call me doctor. Although our worlds are miles apart,
you remain my closest confidante and treasured friend.
I deepened my passion for working on issues of equity and inclusion while living
in Madison, WI, for twelve years. I offer thanks to the faculty in Women’s Studies and
Counseling Psychology, to the women who created and sustained the Leadership
Institute, and to the staff of the Women’s Center and Dean of Students offices. I am
indebted to and inspired by the incredible faculty, staff, and students of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
CONSTRUCTING CLASS iv
I am also grateful to the Social Justice Training Institute faculty (becky martinez,
Kathy Obear, Vernon Wall, Jamie Washington) for helping me find my voice and
encouraging me not to beat others or myself up with it. Your ongoing friendship, becky,
fills my spirit. When I grow up, I hope to possess just an ounce of the wisdom and grace
you each so generously offer to social justice educators.
Since joining the University of St. Thomas community, I have been grateful to
have spectacular colleagues and friends. To the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the
Leadership, Policy, and Administration department and the Leadership in Student Affairs
program in particular: thank you for pushing me to keep learning. Jackie Grossklaus –
you are a gem. Your insider information and care for students helped me stay in the
program. Karla Peterson – you are amazing. Your tough exterior hides a most generous
heart, and you paved the way, showing me finishing was possible. Virgil Jones – you
inspire me. Thank you for teaching me how to stand up for what I believe in, without
standing on others to do so. Pam Boersig – I treasure your ability to lovingly challenge
me. I am most grateful to Karen Lange for being an incredible mentor and supportive
supervisor. She is one of many women at St. Thomas who encourage their ‘sisters’ to
excel (Jane Canney, Mary Ann Ryan, Linda Halverson, Liz Houle, and Rachel
Wobschall). Special thanks to amazing women faculty, like Buffy Smith, Wendy Wyatt,
Corri Carvalho and all members of the Luann Dummer Center for Women advisory
board. Your encouragement opened me up to the possibility of a different path.
I may have never finished this program without the support of the Archibald Bush
Foundation. Writing while working full-time is not easy for anyone, and in my
desperation, a random Google search brought me to the Bush Foundation. Martha Lee
CONSTRUCTING CLASS v
and Sharon Radd helped me become a fellow. They also, along with Val Ulstad and Ann
Raney, taught me how to be a fellow. Your leadership coaching and mentoring will stay
with me throughout my life. Thanks to you, I am still learning how to get out of my own
way, become a better storyteller, and serve my community with confidence and humility.
I am grateful for the opportunity to grow in the company of a wonderful cohort of Bush
Leadership Fellows, and am particularly thankful to Joy Persall and Judi Petkau for their
ongoing friendship.
My deepest appreciation goes to my study participants for their generosity in
sharing part of their life with me. I hope you see yourselves in this work and are proud of
your contributions. I thank Mary Dunn and Karen Klein for their transcribing and editing
skills and more importantly, for their eternal patience. You each provided feedback and
insights that have been immensely useful to me in this process. And, of course, I am
forever grateful to my dissertation chair and committee members: Dr. Don
LaMagdeleine, Dr. Kate Boyle, and Dr. John Holst. You have been exceptional teachers,
mentors, and role models.
Writing this was more than an exercise in academic rigor and persistence. During
those moments when my physical and/or mental health failed me, I leaned on loving and
patient family, friends, faculty, and co-workers. Whatever I have achieved, it is because
of people in my life who serve as teachers, in the most and least formal ways. I am
blessed beyond words and privileged in so many ways. Whenever I felt burdened by the
work, I remembered what an amazing gift I have been given with access to this formal
education. Throughout my journey, good people and recovery literature have kept me
CONSTRUCTING CLASS vi
grounded, encouraging me to strive for progress over perfection. It is my hope this work
honors all those who are a part of it.
CONSTRUCTING CLASS vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... 3
Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 11
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 12
Reflexive Statement ........................................................................................... 12
Overview of the Research .................................................................................. 16
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE .......................................................... 18
Topical Literature............................................................................................... 18
Narratives by or about Working Class Students and Faculty ................... 18
The Student Affairs Profession ............................................................... 30
Analytic Literature ............................................................................................. 37
Expanded Definition of Class from Critical Theory Literature ................ 37
Feminization of the Field and Intersections of Class and Gender ............ 46
CHAPTER THREE: METHODS ................................................................................. 50
Selection of Participants ..................................................................................... 55
Data Collection .................................................................................................. 60
Validity/Generalizability .................................................................................... 64
Ethics/Confidentiality ........................................................................................ 64
CHAPTER FOUR: LOCATING MYSELF IN THE RESEARCH ................................ 66
Sharing with Reluctance ..................................................................................... 66
CONSTRUCTING CLASS viii
My People .......................................................................................................... 70
A Budding Feminist ........................................................................................... 71
Building My Identity .......................................................................................... 74
Foundations – Academic Decisions ........................................................ 74
Foundations – Student Affairs Decisions ................................................ 78
Student Affairs Work and Acknowledging My Difference ................................. 80
My Professional Identity .................................................................................... 84
Connecting Self to Study .................................................................................... 87
CHAPTER FIVE: GENERAL PATTERNS.................................................................. 89
Overview of Participants .................................................................................... 89
Macro-Level Demographics ............................................................................... 91
Enrollment Trends .................................................................................. 91
Educational Attainment .......................................................................... 93
Grounding Structural Patterns ................................................................. 94
Lifting Structural Patterns ....................................................................... 96
General Observations ............................................................................. 98
Social Group Memberships................................................................... 111
Micro-Level Themes ........................................................................................ 119
Family Relationships ............................................................................ 119
Perceptions of Labor ............................................................................. 135
CONSTRUCTING CLASS ix
Habits of Class ..................................................................................... 138
CHAPTER SIX: STRUCTURED PATTERNS OF BECOMING A STUDENT
AFFAIRS PROFESSIONAL ....................................................................................... 140
Families and Early Schooling Experiences ....................................................... 141
Typical Student Affairs Path ............................................................................ 145
Graduate Preparation Programs ........................................................................ 152
Professional Associations ................................................................................. 155
Mobility in the Field ........................................................................................ 161
CHAPTER SEVEN: INTERPERSONAL DAILY LIVED EXPERIENCES ............... 165
Identity Development ....................................................................................... 165
Code-Switching ............................................................................................... 169
Deconstructing “Professionalism” .................................................................... 173
Passing ............................................................................................................. 178
Accepting Responsibility ................................................................................. 184
CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................... 191
Core Findings .................................................................................................. 191
Limitations ....................................................................................................... 197
Implications ..................................................................................................... 199
Future Research .................................................................................... 199
Preparing Student Affairs Practitioners ................................................. 200
