The Experiences Of Gay and Lesbian Faculty and Staff Members at A Small College Campus
Open Access
Author:
Zakkout, Khaled
Area of Honors:
Corporate Communication (Abington)
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Elizabeth Montemurro, Thesis Supervisor David E Ruth, Thesis Honors Advisor Surabhi Sahay, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
LGBTQIA LGBT queer faculty staff qualitative data higher education college interviews
Abstract:
This thesis explores the subculture of gay and lesbian faculty and staff at a small college campus. In-depth interviews were conducted with six participants who identify as gay or lesbian. Four, were faculty and two, were staff. All participants were white and between the ages of 33 and 49. Five men, and one woman, constituted the interviewees. They were recruited by personal and professional relationships already established by myself and my advisor. Interviews revealed deeper connections between employees and their place of work. These relationships were observed through the prominent themes found in most or all of the data provided. These themes are: Community/Peer Support, Geographical Location, Visibility, Job Satisfaction, and Continuous outing. By gathering qualitative data from the participants, it could be observed that many factors were considered to gage how gay and lesbian employees felt about the campus, the culture of the campus and the level of satisfaction with their roles.
