submitted by lloydr@augsburg.edu
Moving from Inclusion to Equity: Counterstories of Collegiate Music Students and their Institution’s Stories in Dialogue
Research Presentation and Group Discussion
Date: Monday, February 10th, 12–12:50pm Location: Lindell 301
Presenter: Mallory Alekna, Assistant Professor of Music, Human Development, and Learning
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Universities and colleges often tell stories about the ways in which they have transformed in order to include and support diverse students. These stories are told through promotional and recruitment materials, values and mission statements, and university branding. It is well documented, however, that institutions maintain themselves, leaving the underlying structures of oppression and exclusion untouched (Ahmed, 2012).
Through this study, I examine the storied conflict between institutions and students, placing the lives of students in direct dialogue with the story of an institution. This study presents stories from multiple students, including those who are working to enact change at their institution. These stories are all being lived and told by students attending an institution that is striving to tell a story of growth and change. Examining these stories side by side, interweaving the stories of students with those of the institution, contributes to our understanding of the complex ways in which students experience equity and inequity, the complex ways in which institutions impact their experiences, and the complicated, untidy, messy work of striving toward equity when systems and structures tend to function “as usual” (Ahmed, 2017b).