Yashita Kandhari, Savanna Vest
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Natalie Delia Deckard
In this qualitative study at Davidson College, staff members interview to provide their perspectives on campus power hierarchies, their experiences, and the issues they face as workers at the college. Staff members from multiple college departments participated in the interview process. This project takes an action research approach with the intention of providing a recommendation to the college administration and/or community on how the campus may improve work environments and dynamics to resolve staff-identified issues, if interviews point to a need for a recommendation. We, the researchers, used thematic coding of interviews to identify themes related to staff experience and struggle, and from these themes we conclude that a recommendation can be made to improve staff work conditions on the campus. Participants have confidentiality throughout the recruiting, research, and reporting process in order to protect their identities.
Keywords: staff, power, hierarchy, disparities, education, higher education, college, liberal arts, class, occupation, respect, community
