Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
The Struggle of Democratic Engagement: An Autoethnographic Analysis of Student Expression and Voice in Appalachia
Session Abstract or Summary
On the weekend of Sept. 29th, 2018, a Neo Nazi flag was found spray-painted in Appalachian University’s “Expression Tunnel”, an underpass at the heart of campus. While student, faculty, the university, and the community were quick in their condemnation of the abhorrent imagery, it served as a jarring reminder that, like all campuses, ASU faces deep and nuanced challenges when it comes creating spaces where students can safely and confidently move and express themselves. ASU faces these challenges in the context of rural Appalachia’s political and social complexity. The university houses over 400 student clubs, many of which are community facing. Designed to generate spaces for democratic engagement on campus, AppSpeaks is one such club that hosts public forums and various speech events to promote student voice. Recently its members have begun thinking about the challenges they face as they do their work, how their own identities shape the way they relate to the cultural, social, and political institutions they regularly engage. In turn students are beginning to explore autoethnography as a way to navigate their unique experiences with individual expression in democratic spaces. Students on this panel are engaging autoethnography as a critical, qualitative, and transformative method, allowing students to share their experiences as they engage in the complex mission of creating and engaging spaces for dialogue and expression in the face of historical and contemporary challenges. Each student will briefly share important elements of their own working autoethnographic analysis and the social, cultural, and transformative insights they yield.
Presentation #1 Title
Finding Comfort in Discomfort: On Being a First Generation College
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
I am the first member of my family to attend a university. Though I feel incredibly privileged to be able to expand my knowledge through higher education, I can’t say that my journey has always been easy. Most of my family began their adult lives by enlisting in the military. My dad, who I have always thought of as my biggest role model, will be nearing the end of his career, after 23 years of service, as I am just begin mine. In my second to last semester of my undergraduate career, I am flooded with emotions as I reflect on my unique college experience. In just four short years, I have completely transformed. I have (maybe not always so confidently) walked toward the edges and out of my comfort zone and have transforming what I imagine a successful person to look like (as the daughter of a lifelong service member). Seeking out a university, a major, and organizations that push me to actively discuss the status quo, rather than just accept it, has created a lasting impact on how I view the world and my position in it. By sharing my experience at the intersection of being a firs generation college student and from a military family through this project, I hope to speak about the power of democratic spaces on my university campus and how they have made by journey down an unbeaten path one of the most enlightening and important experiences of my life.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Jordan DuBois is a senior transfer student studying Communication Studies and Psychology at Appalachian State University. She is the social media chair of AppSpeaks.
Presentation #2 Title
Sexuality and Its Presence in Appalachia
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
The summer of 2016 I was accepted into Appalachian State University’s freshman class. This was a new opportunity in a fresh place to explore my identity and establish how I would interact with those around me in the face of controversy. Growing up, my experience with sexuality was informed by a small southern town mentality and my southern Baptist family, solidifying the idea that being anything outside of the “norm” was implicitly bad and unacceptable. As a female questioning my sexuality from a young age, this provided challenges that were often internalized. This experience has been amplified in a unique way by where I have chosen to go to university. Though Appalachia is diverse, it is not a region typically known for progressive thinking when it comes to race, sexuality, gender and other important social markers. Even in spaces that are generally accepting and where I feel I can express myself, the threat of alienation and discomfort is never far away. This project will focus on my personal experiences coming to terms with my own identity and finding acceptance in a place where stereotypes tell someone like me to expect the opposite, as well as the past experiences of others in the history of sexuality in Appalachia.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Haylee Emma Tompkins is a current junior at Appalachian State University, working to obtain a double major in Advertising and Public Relations, with a minor in Marketing. She is the former President and current Secretary of AppSpeaks.
Presentation #3 Title
The Effect of Leadership on Transforming Identity
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Leadership in Appalachia is a unique concept compared to other regions around the United States. Living in an area that is often considered “secluded” – at least when compared to universities located within a city – creates a need to reach further and at times, work harder, to create an identity and spread our message. There is often a misconception of the “closed- minded, mountain conservatives”, which is not representative of most of our campus, but is an idea that many campus groups must work even harder to overcome. As a student leader, it is our job to challenge these views by representing the well-rounded and diverse life in our campus community, create a sense of unity among our members, and find a way for everyone to share their voice in a welcoming environment. Through my research, I have examined how cultural stereotypes have played into successful leadership within collegiate student groups at Appalachian State. I have also looked into what we can do as leaders to not only challenge, but also transform, how our campus community is often viewed by outsiders.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
McGee is a senior at Appalachian State University, majoring in Psychology and Child Development. She is planning on pursuing her Master’s in School Counseling upon graduation from Appalachian State.
Presentation #4 Title
Debating My Appalachian Identity
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
I was not born and raised in the mountains of North Carolina. In fact, I grew up in Fayetteville, a city with a formidable 200,000 citizens. However, I spent a significant part of my childhood visiting my Aunt and Uncle who lived in Appalachia. This sparked my love for the mountains that coalesced into attending Appalachian State University and continuing to live in Boone after graduation. In a sense, I left a crowd and moved into a community. Like never before, I felt a social responsibility to my community and ended up becoming a member of Appalachian State University Debate Team. Quickly we realized that when competing in the Midwest we weren’t receiving the same credit from judges as other teams with similar/same debate strategies. It came down to the same Appalachian stereotypes that have been plaguing mountain communities for decades. However, being a member of both the Appalachian and debate community were put at odds when a distaste for southern style debate became prominent. We thought of southern debaters what others thought of us. This raised questions for me about senses of place, identity, and legitimacy as well as how those things are woven into our student experiences. Since graduating I have worked with App Speaks to fosters safe spaces for democratic engagement where we can put these two identities side by side and challenge the stereotypes that still have salience in our world. This project explores this process as someone who struggles with the tensions of identity and place.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Mackenzie Bruckner is a Communications Studies student at Appalachian State University with concentrations in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies and English.
Presentation #5 Abstract or Summary
Having been involved in App Speaks for only a short few weeks now, I can see the opportunities ahead are great. With my major correlating so closely with this club, I feel that I am able to take what I can be a part of with this group and take it into my career, whatever that may end up being. What is most exciting about working with a club like this is the opportunity to take a leadership role. As a female, it is extremely important to me to pursue those leadership roles as they become available as my gender is personally the largest part of my identity and my voice. Given the political landscape at the time of this right, with Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation looming days away, the issues of gender, respsonbility, and leadership are front-and-center in our public discourses, both nationally and locally. I believe my ideas deserve to be shared, as do so many other female voices. It is important for me to be a voice for other women who may not have found their strong sense of self yet. I am confident that I can be that individual for them. Appalachian State and the App Speaks club is the perfect environment to practice and develop those skills. It is a welcoming and inclusive space that invites new ideas from different backgrounds and cultures. This project explores the process of becoming a leader and speaking as a leader with a focus its relationship to gender.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #5
Landree Person is a student at Appalachian State University who is active in many different clubs and organizations. She recently joined AppSpeaks.
Finding Comfort in Discomfort: On Being a First Generation College
I am the first member of my family to attend a university. Though I feel incredibly privileged to be able to expand my knowledge through higher education, I can’t say that my journey has always been easy. Most of my family began their adult lives by enlisting in the military. My dad, who I have always thought of as my biggest role model, will be nearing the end of his career, after 23 years of service, as I am just begin mine. In my second to last semester of my undergraduate career, I am flooded with emotions as I reflect on my unique college experience. In just four short years, I have completely transformed. I have (maybe not always so confidently) walked toward the edges and out of my comfort zone and have transforming what I imagine a successful person to look like (as the daughter of a lifelong service member). Seeking out a university, a major, and organizations that push me to actively discuss the status quo, rather than just accept it, has created a lasting impact on how I view the world and my position in it. By sharing my experience at the intersection of being a firs generation college student and from a military family through this project, I hope to speak about the power of democratic spaces on my university campus and how they have made by journey down an unbeaten path one of the most enlightening and important experiences of my life.
