Everything had to be done over Zoom and everyone did what they could to still provide those services. They may have lost access to some resources here, like psychological counseling. Then during the pandemic, they may have been back in their childhood bedroom and could no longer go to the weekly LGBTQIA+ residence hall gathering. And lesbian, gay and bisexual students were more likely to experience adverse conditions than heterosexual students during that time.Ī lot of LGBTQIA+ students come to a campus like Michigan State and can have some independence from their family and find a sense of belonging, find friends and experiment with different ways of expressing their identity. Transgender students were less likely to have a safe place to live and were less likely to have access to healthy food. There is so much evidence in multiple measures that LGBTQIA+ students were more adversely affected by the pandemic in areas like mental health, food and housing security. What insights can you share about how LGBTQIA+ college students fared? The pandemic took a huge toll on students in general. We gathered data three or four times a year for four years and gained lots of insights into LGBTQIA+ student success, health and well-being. We conducted a national survey and qualitative study, then began a four-year longitudinal project. Starting in 2013, my colleagues and I began a study about LGBTQIA+ students and their success and what they thought success meant. Research has shifted to microinteractions and building connections for overall well-being. But they also deal with a whole lot of microaggressions. LGBTQIA+ students have very similar experiences to cis hetero students as far as going to class, talking to parents, breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend. When I became a faculty member, I started delving into what kinds of environments help these students explore and express their identities. The research available focused more on others’ attitudes toward gay and lesbian students. In 2000, there wasn’t a lot of research about LGBTQIA+ student development.
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When I was a dean in the office of student life at Brown University in the early 1990s, I worked professionally on what we then called “gay and lesbian concerns.” I earned my doctorate in higher education 10 years later.
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How has your research changed over the years? You’re among a handful of senior faculty in the country who began studying LGBTQIA+ students in higher education settings. Her research centers on college student learning, development and success in higher education, with current projects focusing on low-income, first-generation students and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender college students. Erickson Distinguished Chair in higher, adult and lifelong education. In 2021, Renn assumed the role of the Mildred B. Kristen Renn is a professor of higher, adult and lifelong education and serves as associate dean of undergraduate studies for student success research at Michigan State University.