Running Head: IS RESEARCH PAPER

Independent Study: Research Paper First-Generation Spiritual Formation Eden Tullis SDAD564-Seattle University March 25, 2014

IS RESEARCH PAPER First-Generation Spiritual Formation Problem and Purpose

This independent study reviews the correlation between identifying with a specific faith, religion, or spirituality and being a first-generation college student. For this particular research, the first-generation college student was defined as someone whose family members did not attend a four-year institution. It also encompassed anyone whose family members went to college as a non-traditional student when they were a child in the K-12 system. The biggest issue that evolved in exploring this correlation is that there is little to no national research directed towards examining these two identities. At the university that was observed, there seems to be a lack of direct and explicit affirmation around support for belonging to these two groups. As a private, Jesuit institution in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle University (SU) mandates that students take a curricular class in spirituality or religion. There is also a ministerial office which supports co-curricular activities of spiritual formation. Picking the SU office of Campus Ministry as a central focus for this study was conducive to recognizing that faith community contributes to self-authorship, and high-risk, first-generation students are in a position to utilize their assets of cultural capital to create self-authorship because they have no set formula for success in college (Fowler, 1981, as sited in Evans et al., 2010; Pizzolato, 2003). It is important to note that the university does not qualify for the grant that supports TRIO Programs, a student support service for low-income and first-generation students, because it prides itself on being academically selective and competitive (J. Pretty, personal communication, August 22, 2013). Instead, many different offices and departments serve and help this population, and the schools first-generation population statistically does better than the national average (J. Pretty, personal communication, August 22, 2013).

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While many colleges and universities are directing their attention towards securing safe places for worship among Muslim students and other oppressed religious groups (NASPA Spirituality and Religion Knowledge Community, personal communication, November 21, 2013), they do not seem to be assessing how many students in their groups are first-generation. This study encourages that such inclusive efforts begin to encompass worship and support for students who self-identify as first-generation because they are exploring their truths and beliefs with and through others as they learn to succeed on their own (Daloz Parks, 2000). It also encourages that SU work to better respond to their first-generation population, not just through pastoral efforts in Campus Ministry, but as a campus-wide initiative. Frameworks and Benchmarks Frameworks This study dictates how faith or religious tradition and being a first-generation college student are important and related. Three academic pieces contribute to exploring this intersection. Identity Development. In a non-empirical article that covers a wide range of identity theories, Torres (2009) recognizes the significance in drawing attention to intersections of identities. The article is also a commentary on how social status is relative to several factors not just related to the individual but the persons membership within the larger society (Torres, 2009). If the society here is SU, then retention specialist, Josh Krawczyk, issues that there is a great deal of other-ing that happens in relation to financial means on the campus (J. Krawczyk, personal communication, December 2, 2013). For this reason, it is important to remember that colleges and universities have an equitable duty to care for students who cannot afford the means for their education. This a campus climate issue that affects all students, but it is magnified for

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marginalized communities such as low-income students, students of color, and first-generation college students. Faith and Spirituality. Daloz Parks (2000) and Fowler (1981) are two pinnacle theorists who categorize the interesting dynamic of spiritual formation. Their contribution signifies that we are strengthened in our beliefs through personal discoveries and with others we worship or bond with in community (Daloz Parks, 2000; Fowler, 1981, as sited in Evans et al., 2010). Innerdependence, for example, is when one decides they have authority over their own life (DalozParks, 2000), while the struggle in that is maintaining an equal balance between what the self needs and what the world wants from each of us. However, these two dictate that we all crave belonging; to discover our authority and potential is to find people who are like-minded and different than us, that challenge and support us in our growth process (Daloz Parks, 2000; Fowler, 1981, as sited in Evans et al., 2010). This is tremendously key to the development of first-generation college students who are coming to college to be challenged. They are highly motivated to create independence, but their high-risk status often requires support in persisting. Benchmarks There are two documents that are common for the field of higher education and for functional areas that contribute to spiritual formation. When no promising practices were evident in assessing these two intersecting identities, the CAS Standards for Campus Religious and/or Spiritual Programs (2008) and the National Institute on Spirituality (2006) were used to scale how the Campus Ministry was serving first-generation college students at SU. CAS Standards. Campus Religious and/or Spiritual Programs (2008) is one section of the 43 guidelines for providing efficient and effective programs on a college campus. The mission of an office or program that provides opportunities for spiritual formation should

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enable interested students to pursue full spiritual growth and development and to foster a campus atmosphere in which interested members of the college community may freely express their religion, spirituality, and faith (Campus Religious and/or Spiritual Programs, Part 1, Mission). Program and diversity are the two CAS standards which are significant to this study. When programming in a pastoral environment, efforts should align with the developmental and demographic profile of the population served while best responding to the needs of those diverse individuals (Campus Religious and/or Spiritual Programs, Part 2, Program). In recognizing the diversity of students who are both welcomed to the office and come for guidance, it is important to create and nurture space for groups to come together in an environment that supports commonalities and differences (Campus Religious and/or Spiritual Programs, Part 8, Diversity). National Institute on Spirituality in Higher Education. This forum was held back in 2006 at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the group discussed trends that contribute to why spiritual formation is found and developed for many students on a college campus (Schwartz, 2006). Schwartz (2006) summarizes that curricular and co-curricular programs of spirituality are emphasized to promote a holistic culture that creates opportunities for students to make their own meaning; in the same instance, religious pluralism was also promoted because it honors the freedom to inquire and self-select ones own spiritual belief. Self-selection contributes to self-authorship and inner-dependence. Methodology Site SU is a predominately white, non-secular institution with approximately 7,500 students. 24.8% of the student body identifies as either Catholic or Roman Catholic, 21% identifies as

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Christian or non-Catholic, and 6% identifies as non-Christian which is broadly categorized as one of the following: Agnostic, Atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, and Pagan (SU Fact File, Enrolled Students by Denomination, 2012-2013). It is important to note that an even larger percentage of students (35%) chooses to not identify a religion or spiritual belief (SU Fact File, Enrolled Students by Denomination, 2012-2013). This study specifically examines Campus Ministry, a department that is located in the Student Center. While the offices practices are deeply defined by the Catholic, Jesuit tradition, the staff works to invite and serve many faith backgrounds. Participants For this specific study, participants were targeted to self-identify as a first-generation college student. Concurrently, the Campus Ministry office was working to create stronger learning objectives and assessment goals. One staff member crafted a survey that asked participants at two events to anonymously self-identify as first-generation. Selection and Outreach The targeted and anonymous surveys were distributed at 2013 fall events and retreats. An announcement was made for the targeted surveys and the self-identified students were to come talk to a representative and fill out a questionnaire that was seven questions long. They were to name what their class standing was, when they came to identify as first-generation, how significant that identity as first-generation was to them, if they found Campus Ministry to be a resource, and if they felt that there was a correlation between these two identities. They were also asked to name two systems of support at SU and two ways in which they felt supported by Campus Ministry, if they felt support by the office at all.

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To extract extra quantitative data, the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) was asked to distribute the survey. From that questionnaire, three students were randomly selected to be interviewed. Interview participants filled out a consent form and chose a pseudonym that has been used for the remainder of the research. The interviews ranged from 30-50 minutes. Data Collection 60 students were anonymously surveyed and 15% of them identified as first-generation. 10 students were targeted to self-identify. Out of those 10 that were assessed 60% found that their first-generation identity was strongly significant and 50% of them found that there was a correlation between their first-generation identity and their faith, but only 40% named Campus Ministry as a resource. General responses for SU support included: OMA, Financial Aid, Orientation, and being connected [to any department, organization, or office]. General responses for Campus Ministry support included: New Student Retreat, the Jesuits and their presence on campus, Sunday Mass, Search Retreat, and immersion trips. For the three who were interviewed, two of them were males and one was female. Each one had a different major ranging from psychology, mechanical engineering and civil engineering. There was also a broad scale of ethnicity that included: Hispanic Caucasian, Asian Vietnamese, and Greek Caucasian. Two were Catholic and one was Episcopalian. Data Analysis Quantitative data was collected and saved in an Excel sheet. Qualitative data was recorded and transcribed. After listening and reviewing the interviews, three themes were aggregated. Key Findings Exploration

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William is very dedicated to Catholicism, but after coming to college, he became critical of the doctrine. He found his own truths within the Catholic religion but was also uplifted by the inspiring truths of other religions. The disruption here is how William is an inquisitive person in nature, and college let him excel in this way, but he did not feel comfortable sharing this with his parents for fear of them being displeased for seeking out answers to questions that should be just accepted as true. By choosing a path of examination, he is finding out more about others, himself, and his family. His faith creates a complexity with identifying as first-generation. Responsibility Just as William shared about the pressures of being the first to get his Bachelors degree, Jack shared in how that pressure affected him. Conflicting needs to manage his time were required and he had to balance academics with his wants for a social life. This was a real struggle for Jack when he began his college career. Managing money with the responsibility of living in an apartment his second year was also something Jack had to learn about. Fortunately, his transition to college as a first-generation college student was more manageable because of the relationship he had with a counselor at his Jesuit high school. Jacks spiritual formation brought him support before and during his time at SU. Jesuit Context A strong sense of compassion and social justice were strong characteristics named by Hazel. She had the easiest time transitioning because she was ready to explore the responsibilities of college. Hazel learned the most from curricular service-learning opportunities and co-curricular immersion trips. She came to college with no defined religion, but because she was able to talk with others about their beliefs, Hazel felt more assured in forming her own spiritual path.

IS RESEARCH PAPER Implications

Given the findings of this study, it can be determined that being a first-generation college student is related and complicated by the formation of spirituality. The SU, Jesuit context is helpful in creating a warranted environment that welcomes exploration (Schwartz, 2006). Firstgeneration college students may not know what they come looking for when they enter into college, but if they are religious or spiritual, they are bound to ask questions about the meaning of life and, in turn, develop from those questions (Daloz Parks, 2000; Fowler, 1981, as sited in Evans et al., 2010). Just the same, they have to learn to ask questions about how to navigate college so they develop in that way, too (Pizzolato, 2003). Recommendations for Future Research and Assessment Efforts Campus Ministry at SU should be responding to this diverse population by providing more opportunities for direct interfaith dialogue and community building around this identity with integrated assessment efforts. The office is already providing many opportunities for interfaith and communal discourse, but they need to look to the CAS Standards (2008) to redefine what diversity means in relation to these two intersecting identities. Likewise, SU professionals need to create more opportunities for cross-campus collaboration between offices like First Year Programs, Student Activities, Campus Ministry, and OMA (Schwartz, 2006). We may know that first-generation college students do better at the university, but there are definite departments with more resources for this population. By bringing solid efforts together to streamline the process, these exertions become more efficient for the staff, faculty, and students involved. Student Affairs professionals as a whole should be examining what these two identities mean to one another. First-generation college students are usually self-authored individuals

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because they had to find answers to questions independently (Pizzolato, 2003). However, once they are established at college, they should be supported and guided through the process of articulating their assets so they themselves can define their inner-dependence and how that relates to their spiritual formation (Daloz Parks, 2000; Fowler, 1981, as sited in Evans et al., 2010). Cultivating this dialogue strengthens the meaning-making experience. Students find purpose in being challenged academically and personally. They begin to explore what it means to be a person of faith who dialogues with people of separate faiths which will then affirm or disrupt their personal values and choices. Conclusion This study looked to create an understanding of first-generation college students who choose a spiritual or religious path that is greatly significant to them. The quantitative and qualitative data provide a firm construction of how these identities influence one another, and the frameworks and benchmarks support why it is crucial to start creating more opportunities for explicit awareness and support for students who may find this to be a correlation. Students interviewed were molded by exploration, responsibility, and the Jesuit context SU has to offer. These themes influenced the suggestions for how to begin to respond to the lack of research and assessment efforts around this intersection with a clear alignment as to why the two identities are related to one another.

IS RESEARCH PAPER References Bryant, A., Schwartz, L. (2006). Integrating Spirituality into the Campus Curriculum and CoCurriculum. National Institute on Spirituality in Higher Education. Los Angeles, CA: University of California. Campus Religious and/or Spiritual Programs. (2008). CAS Professional Standards for Higher Education.

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Daloz Parks, S. (2000). Big questions, worthy dreams: Mentoring young adults in their search for meaning, purpose, and faith. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Evans, N., Forney, D., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K. (2010). Chapter eleven: Development of faith and spirituality. In Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed., pp. 212-226). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Krawczyk, J. (2013, December 2). Director of University Retention Initiatives at Seattle University. Personal interview. NASPA Spirituality and Religion in Higher Education. (2013, November 21). Knowledge Community- Lets Talk Spirituality. Conference call. Pizzolato, J. (2003). Developing self-authorship: exploring the experiences of high-risk college students. Journal of College Student Development, 44 (6), 797-812. DOI: 10.1353/csd.2003.0074. Pretty, Joelle. (2013, August 22). Director of Pre-major Studies and Academic Persistence System at Seattle University. Personal interview. SU Fact File, Enrolled Students by Denomination. (2012-2013). Retrieved from: http://www.seattleu.edu/planning/Default.aspx?id=50224 Torres, V., Jones, S., & Renn, K. (2009). Identity development theories in student affairs:

IS RESEARCH PAPER Origins, current status, and new approaches. Journal of College Student Development, 50 (6), 577-596. DOI: 10.1353/csd.0.0102

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