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The Cost of Leadership: Giving Voice to the Experiences of Student Leaders of Color at Predominantly White Institutions
Get PDFThe Cost of Leadership: Giving Voice to the Experience of Student Leaders of Color at Predominantly White Institutions
August 2025
Gustavo F. Burkett, B.S., The University of Maine
M.Ed., The University of Maine
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Boston
Directed by Professor Tara Parker
The way many predominantly white institutions (PWIs) have positioned cultural student organizations as representations of campus diversity, often disguises the complex, racialized burdens carried by the organization’s student leaders. Leadership roles held by students of color are embedded in administrative structures not built with their identities in mind. This study explored the intersection of race, institutional culture, and student leadership to better understand the experiences of student leaders of color leading cultural organizations at PWIs. Guided by Critical Race Theory and Leadership Development theory, and grounded in a phenomenological framework, this qualitative study explores how race affects leadership expectations, identity development, emotional wellbeing, and perceptions of institutional climate.
Through in-depth interviews with student leaders from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, this study highlighted the burden placed on them by their institutions and administrators who often relied on these students to educate others, advocate for change, and represent their broader communities, often at a significant personal cost. Students were frequently expected to be cultural representatives, institutional resources, and support systems for their communities, all while navigating racially isolating climates and inequitable institutional structures. Four core themes emerged: pressure to represent and speak on behalf of their entire communities (“Like I’m MLK”); addressing the challenged and barriers student leaders of color encounter at PWIs (“Hey, We Are a Diverse School”); the critical role of cultural groups as spaces of support, cultural identity exploration, and community building (“I Don’t Think Anyone Else Would Understand”); and the academic and emotional toll of leadership (“This Feels Like an Unpaid Job”).
Findings revealed a deep disconnect between institutional descriptions of inclusion and the lived experiences of student leaders of color. The study contributes to existing literature by offering a more nuanced representation of students of color leadership, accounting for both the resilience and exhaustion embedded in these roles. The study also brought attention to two important sources of student leaders of color burnout: institutional neglect and the internalized sense of responsibility they felt toward their cultural communities. Implications for institutional policy, administrative support, and future research underscored the urgent need to move beyond symbolic inclusion and toward structural adjustments and accountability in supporting student leaders of color
Weathering Inequality: The Belief-Action Gap and Barriers to Everyday Climate Adaptation
No full textAs climate threats become more frequent and intense, the need for preparedness and adaptation has become an urgent, rather than distant, priority. Longstanding structural inequities, including redlining, economic exclusion, and racialized labor segmentation, have disproportionately exposed low-income and racialized communities to environmental hazards. Among these groups, Latinos, one of the fastest-growing populations in the United States, face heightened vulnerability to climate risks. This dissertation examines the climate belief-action gap and structural barriers to individual and household climate adaptation across racial and ethnic groups, focusing on Latino communities in the United States. It is structured into three empirical chapters, moving from macro-level theoretical and statistical validation using survey data to comparative demographic analysis to qualitative focus group narratives. Chapter 2 uses Confirmatory Factor Analysis to introduce climate preparedness into the structure of climate culture and test its model fit against traditional measures of climate attitudes that overemphasize agency or individual values and responsibility. Preparedness emerged as a distinct behavioral construct, weakly associated with attitudinal measures, supporting the belief-action gap in climate change, and setting the methodological and conceptual ground of the project.
Chapter 3 builds on this by disaggregating the structure of climate culture by race and ethnicity, uncovering significant variations in the belief-action gap. The findings show that, first, Black and Latino respondents are generally less prepared than white respondents despite showing higher levels of concern and policy support, and second, concern is more strongly associated with preparedness for Black and Latino respondents. These patterns suggest a narrower belief-action gap among structurally marginalized groups and challenge the assumption that climate preparedness uniformly follows concern across all populations. This finding supports the expectation that preparedness, shaped by the interplay of agency and structure, reflects situated forms of knowledge, social capital, perception of risk, and the lived experience of disproportionate exposure to environmental risks.
To better understand the meanings, motivations, and barriers behind these patterns, particularly for Latino residents in two climate-vulnerable communities, Chapter 4 draws on qualitative focus group data from residents of East Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts. The findings illustrate how the complex interplay of structural constraints, transnational perspectives, and community-based support systems shape preparedness. This dissertation contributes to broader discussions on environmental justice and climate adaptation, underscoring the need for policies that promote localized, culturally responsive strategies that leverage community knowledge and collective action to enhance climate resilience. By centering on the perspectives of structurally marginalized groups, this study redefines climate adaptation as both an individual and collective process embedded within broader systems of constraint and inequality
From Surviving to Thriving: Black Women College Athletes Excelling Beyond Academic Benchmarks at Historically White Institutions
Get PDFBlack Women college athletes (BWCAs) at historically White institutions (HWIs) navigate a complex intersection of racialized and gendered experiences that shape their academic, athletic, and social lives. This qualitative study explored how BWCAs defined success, navigated systemic challenges, and leveraged holistic support to thrive. Using critical race feminism (CRF) as the guiding theoretical framework, this study centered the voices of five high-achieving BWCAs through semi-structured interviews and reflective thematic analysis.
Participants described the complex realities of balancing academic rigor, athletic participation, and social expectations while facing intersectional invisibility and contending with their status as “outsider within” in both academic and athletic arenas. Rather than emphasizing victimization, this research highlights how BWCAs demonstrated academic resilience and redefined success beyond institutional metrics such as GPA or athletic accolades. Their success was defined by the ability to foster holistic well-being, to prioritize mental health (including sleep and rest), and to find or create culturally affirming spaces.
The findings suggest that institutional support systems often fail to align with the lived realities of BWCAs. Many of these systems operate from generalized models, leaving gaps in mental health support, academic support, and inclusive campus spaces. The study also identified protective factors—including culturally responsive peer networks and mentors—that contribute to a sense of belonging and emotional safety.
This study offers four targeted recommendations for university stakeholder. First, campus leadership must move beyond symbolic equity efforts to implement anti-deficit policies. Second, athletic directors should redesign mentoring and study hall programs with culturally responsive frameworks and include the hiring of Black women. Third, campus health services must integrate holistic, identity-conscious wellness care. Finally, universities must create and sustain visible affinity spaces for BWCAs. Through the lens of CRF praxis, this study’s findings help reframe institutional transformation as a moral and strategic imperative, whereby institutions can disrupt the structural inequities that constrain Black women college athletes and foster environments in which they can thrive both on and off the field
Exploring Potential Impacts of Polyethylene Mesh and Polypropylene Rope Leachate on Bay Scallop (Argopecten irradians) Survival and Growth
Get PDFThe bay scallop (Argopecten irradians), a commercially and ecologically significant bivalve along the Eastern coast of the United States, has faced severe population declines due to various anthropogenic impacts. At the same time, the proliferation of plastics, particularly in maritime industries, has introduced new threats to marine environments through both physical pollution and chemical leaching. This study aimed to assess the acute toxicological effects of leachates from two commonly used plastic products, polyethylene Netron and polypropylene rope, on A. irradians larvae. Experiments were conducted in June–July 2023 at the Nantucket Shellfish Hatchery. Leachates were prepared by incubating 0.5, 1.0, and 5.0 g of each material in seawater at ambient temperatures for 10 days. D-stage larvae (2–4 days old) were exposed to three leachate treatments (0.5 g/L, 1.0 g/L, 5.0 g/L), along with a control (0.0 g/L). Results revealed significant reductions in larval survival and size at higher leachate concentrations, with polypropylene rope exhibiting greater toxicity than polyethylene Netron. Survival in the 5.0 g/L polypropylene rope group declined sharply by the final time point, while size variability increased across treatments, suggesting potential physiological stress. These findings underscore the need for further research into the ecological effects of plastic leachates on marine organisms, particularly in aquaculture and fisheries-critical regions like New England
Early Childhood Educators\u27 Experiences With Autistic Students: A Qualitative Study of Challenges and Strategies
No full textEarly childhood education is a vital early learning context for children ages 2-5 years old, encompassing some of their most formative years of life. Autistic children, however, are expelled from early childhood education programs at disproportionately high rates—a troubling trend that points to a broader picture of how early education environments lack the support and structure that young autistic children need to succeed. Early childhood educators (ECEs) are fundamental in shaping these early education environments and autistic children’s experiences within them. However, while most ECEs want to include autistic children in their classrooms, past research indicates they feel like they lack the training and strategies to do so. Little is known about the specific areas where ECEs want and require the most support and training. In the present study, I sought to address these gaps using qualitative methods by exploring the day-to-day challenges and strategies of 20 ECEs working with autistic preschoolers, as described by the ECEs in semi-structured interviews. I used reflexive thematic analysis to identify (1) the day-to-day situations that are the most challenging for ECEs in working with autistic children, (2) ECEs’ internal experiences of these situations, and (3) the strategies they were bringing to these situations. My goal was to use these findings to inform the development of evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming training materials that are tailored to address the identified challenges faced by ECEs and build upon the strategies they already have. Learning how to best support ECEs in this way will promote more inclusive early education environments for autistic and potentially autistic preschoolers, as well as improve the well-being of the ECEs who work with them
Latinos in Massachusetts Selected Areas: Chelsea
No full textEstablished in 1989, the Massachusetts Legislature created the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy in response to a need for an improved understanding of the Latino experience in the commonwealth. Now in its 34th year, the Gastón Institute continues its mission of informing the public and policymakers about issues vital to the state’s growing Latino community and providing information and analysis necessary for effective Latino participation in public policy development. To learn more about the Gastón Institute, visit: www.umb.edu/gastoninstitut
Dynamics of Thermalization in classical three-dimensional many-body systems: non-Maxwellian distributions and the role of anisotropic trapping
No full textThe physics of interacting baths is of interest in a variety of contexts, ranging from ultracold atoms to ionized gases. While many features can already be captured in a one-dimensional model, others are speci c to the situation of two or three-dimensional systems. In this paper, we focus on three-dimensional features of a model for thermalization between two baths that we have explored in earlier publications. In contrast to the one-dimensional situation we show that, enroute to thermalization, deviations from the Maxwell-Boltzmann energy distributions more akin to -distributions are observed. In three dimensions, these can be seen in changes at the peak of the distribution, which is precluded by the expected monotonic behavior of the energy distributions in one dimension. Furthermore, we consider thermalization for anisotropic trapping and explore its role in the onset of anomalous scaling with respect to the particle number. These results may be pertinent to the understanding of the interplay between turbulent behavior and nonlinearities for a variety of many-body classical systems.
Data is from the figures in this study generated by numerical integration of classical equations of motion using a variable step predictor-corrector method. The single zip file contains data and other zipped data files associated with the figures in the paper
Tools for Graduate Researchers: A ScholarWorks and Collaborate How-To
No full textJoin Collections and Scholarly Communications Librarians from Healey Library, graduate student Michael Allara, and Digital Commons expert Chrissy McGrath for a walk-through of UMass Boston\u27s ScholarWorks and Collaborate platforms. This crash course outlines how to search and filter in each platform, how to add research, and how to navigate the many helpful research tools in each
Farming the 2030s: A Policy Playbook for Climate‑Resilient, Tech‑Enabled Agriculture in Arid and Semi‑Arid Regions
No full textThe 2030s will be decisive for adapting agriculture to hotter, drier, and more volatile climates, especially across arid and semi-arid regions from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to parts of the United States. We advance a pragmatic blueprint: pair water-smart infrastructure and nature-based systems with digital, genetic, and robotic innovations, and align them through policy that de-risks investment while protecting people and ecosystems. We position Australia as a global test bed, where enforceable basin rules, digital agronomy, targeted inputs/robotics, safe wastewater reuse, managed aquifer recharge (MAR), and emerging agrivoltaics (AV) have been validated as bundles rather than isolated projects. We then translate and scale those lessons through two caselets—New England (a region where multi-hazard portfolios link water, energy, and data) and MENA with an Iraq lens (where we propose a portfolio logic to address salinity and chronic scarcity). We crosswalk the portfolio to Iraq’s COP30 negotiating priorities by mapping measures to the global goal on adaptation (GGA) with nationally tailored, low-burden indicators and by clarifying the means of implementation (finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building). We also identify grant-forward entry points under the new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG) and loss-and-damage financing channels, including—but not limited to—the Loss and Damage Fund. We provide negotiation-ready indicators—e.g., 20–30 percent gains in water productivity in irrigated districts, \u3e60 percent advisory coverage, and \u3e25 percent index insurance penetration—and decision triggers to activate them across heat, multi-year drought, salinity escalation, flash floods, wind/dust, and shifting pests. By 2030, countries that treat water as a scarce asset, build digital public infrastructure for farm services, and mainstream dual-use land/energy models can plausibly raise water productivity 20–30 percent, cut chemical inputs per ton by 30–50 percent in target crops, expand anticipatory risk finance, and translate domestic progress into concrete COP text asks and delivery pathways
Improving the Early Detection of Alzheimer\u27s Disease in Maine Women: A Systematic Review
No full textAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a growing public health crisis that disproportionately affects Maine women (Alzheimer’s Association, 2024). In addition to being both more likely to develop AD and more likely be diagnosed with AD later than men, Maine women face barriers in access to care and specialists (Alzheimer’s Association, 2024; Lu et al., 2023; Rao et al., 2017). The objective of this review was to explore the available literature on sex-specific adjustments to cognitive assessment tools that can improve the detection of AD in women and examine whether these findings can be applied to Maine women in primary care. A search was conducted for recent studies with inclusion criteria of incidence of AD or cognitive impairment as an outcome and sex-specific adjustments or comparisons within their study design. Studies were excluded if they included biomarker testing. Results revealed three studies for review, all of which used sex-specific adjustments for different combinations of existing cognitive assessment tools and all of which found statistically significant differences in the incidence of cognitive impairment between men and women when using sex-specific adjustments compared to traditional scoring (Engedal et al., 2021; Luo et al., 2022; Sundermann et al., 2021). Though more research is needed, it seems feasible that these sex-specific adjustments to cognitive assessment tools could be applied to Maine women in primary care settings to improve the detection of AD based on Maine’s high population of older adults and multiple potentially interested stakeholders (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020a). Therefore, in addition to conducting more sex-specific AD detection research, efforts should be made to promote the use of the sex-specific AD detection tools in Maine primary care and increase funding for said research