Out of Labor, Not Out of Love
Date of Award
5-2022
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
First Advisor
Dr. Grace Livingston
Abstract
Passages programming at Puget Sound is constantly being tweaked and readjusted, but the focus is less emphasized on creating range and accessibility, but rather visibility to what students don’t “typically” see from Puget Sound before their arrival. There are efforts made towards this of course, through granting students more exposure to the Tacoma area, assuring that it is not just composed of trees and greenery. However, these efforts do not mark a same acknowledgment to the experience and leveling with the students who do come from the area. What my research seeks to do, is to illuminate any potential barriers in access to this programming, whether this be from financial to resource-based and takes the backgrounds of students into account. My experience at Puget Sound contrasts in its own unique way to that of my peers, but the shared knowledge and resource in relation to what the “outdoors” really means is what I seek to provide insight of. Alongside overarching themes found from direct surveying with peers, I plan to help create a source of knowledge for future coordinators and programming leaders to understand and have in making decisions with a lens that supports and historicizes the stories from students of color.