Abstract Grounded in Gloria Anzaldúa’s concept of Nepantla—the liminal space between cultures—this chapter reflects on the author’s leadership as director of La Casa Cultural Latina at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Drawing on decades of experience in cultural centers and student activism, the author situates her directorship within a lifetime of navigating “in-betweenness” as a Chicana educator raised in Iowa. The chapter examines tensions of belonging, identity, and power within the context of Latinx student support, highlighting how cultural humility and sentipensante (sensing/thinking) pedagogy informed her leadership approach. Through critical self-reflection, the author illustrates how embracing Nepantlera consciousness enables practitioners to mediate conflict, foster collaboration, and create transformative spaces of belonging for diverse Latinx communities. Ultimately, the chapter positions leadership “from the middle” as both a strategy of resistance and a model for inclusive praxis in cultural center administration.

For this study, the authors engaged in a series of conversations or platicas to critically examine their understanding and use of the term Latinx. Using 'trioethnography' as methodology, the authors' critical dialogic discussions surfaced new and transformative understandings of the term Latinx. Two questions guided this study: (1) How do we choose to take up the term Latinx in our personal and professional lives? (2) What new understandings and implications of the term occur through our platicas? The authors identified three themes regarding their use and understanding of Latinx: (1) the institutionalization of the term Latinx with a focus on inclusivity versus performativity; (2) the development of critical consciousness and liminality around the term; and (3) epistemological, theoretical, and practical shifts in understanding of the term.

This chapter provides a brief overview of critical perspectives on social class and leadership and describes a culturally sustaining and class-conscious leadership approach. Case scenarios illustrate using the approach for reflective practice.

Addressing gender inequities in higher education must begin with the acknowledgement that men play a key role in creating change. The purpose of this qualitative study is to center and raise the experiences of women students, and to communicate to men who are students, faculty, and administrators what women students expect from them in terms of privilege and oppression awareness. Findings indicate that women students felt criticized, judged, and underestimated by men, and expected men to self-educate to become aware of and interrogate their own privileges. The authors provide recommendations for higher education teaching and learning, focusing on attitudes and behaviors of White men in the academy.

Cristobal Salinas Jr., PhD, is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership and Research Methodology Department at Florida Atlantic University. His research promotes access and equality in higher education and explores the social and political context of education opportunities for historically marginalized communities. Dr. Salinas is the founder and editor-inchief for the Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity ( JCSCORE). His research has been featured in CNN, NPR, and Good Morning America. Adele Lozano, PhD, is an associate professor in the Student Affairs Administration Department at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Her research examines the experiences of Latinx/a/o students at historically White institutions, with a focus on identity development, leadership development, and the role of Latino cultural centers in student success. Her book, Latina/o College Student Leadership: Emerging Theory, Promising Practice, was published in 2015. 21 THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF THE TERM LATINX

The term Latinx emerged recently as a gender-neutral label for Latino/a and Latin@. The purpose of this paper is to examine ways in which Latinx is used within the higher education context, and to provide an analysis of how the term can disrupt traditional notions of inclusivity and shape institutional understandings of intersectionality. Findings indicate a significant trend towards usage of Latinx in social media, and emerging use within higher education institutions. This paper is used to further the understandings of the use of the term Latinx, and to advocate for people that are living in the borderlands of gender.

By 2011, the U.S. Latina/o population had achieved a key milestone in higher education, becoming the largest racial/ethnic minority group on U.S. college campuses. In the past 20 years, research studies on student success have increasingly focused on the Latina/o student population, particularly at predominantly White institutions. Among the many factors related to college success, ethnic cultural centers have emerged recently as an underexamined but potentially influential aspect of the college experience for students of color. Using a student success conceptual framework, this case study examined the role of an ethnic cultural center in the experience of Latina/o students at a predominantly White institution located in the Midwest. The research site was the Latino Native American Cultural Center (LNACC) located at the University of Iowa. The study was guided by three psychosocio concepts: sense of belonging, thriving, and validation. Eleven undergraduate Latina/o students and six university staff members participated in a series of interviews during a 6month period. Data collection also included site observations and document analysis. Five key themes emerged from the study: (a) getting connected, (b) the LNACC “vibe,” (c) LNACC as anchor and launching pad, (d) Latina/o presence on campus, and (e) neutral, sacred, and (con)tested space. The first theme, getting connected, provides an understanding of the multiple ways in which the student participants were able to get connected to the LNACC. The second theme, the LNACC “vibe,” illuminates how students made meaning of their experiences at the LNACC, a space that many of the participants referred to as having a unique “vibe” or essence. The LNACC as anchor or launching pad

In this qualitative study, the authors examined master's-level counselor trainees' reactions to difficult dialogues in the classroom regarding racism, heterosexism/ homophobia, and ableism over a 3-year period. Using the Consensual Qualitative Research method as introduced by C.E. Hill, B.J. Thompson, and E.N. Williams ( 1997), the data analysis team analyzed narrative and reaction papers submitted during a didactic course on multiculturalism. Behavioral reactions were identified that form the basis for this study: denial, deflection, rationalization, intellectualization, principium, false envy, minimization, and benevolence.

AbstractThis chapter grapples with the intersections of race, culture, and religion and explores how experiences in a shared religion can be different when viewed through the lens of race and culture. Practical strategies are provided for ways student affairs practitioners can facilitate difficult dialogues around Christian privilege in concert with issues related to racial and cultural marginalization.

A neglected yet increasing student population in higher education at the threshold of the 21st Century, Latina college and university students face distinct challenged and barriers to participation. This manuscript explores various Latina student issues - including "labeling," barriers, and factors contributing to success - and examines effective strategies for student and academic affairs administrators to support Latina success in higher education (ie, financial aid, academic support, social/cultural support, and campus environment).