Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Date of Award

5-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

First Advisor

Todd Ream

Second Advisor

Drew Moser

Third Advisor

Skip Trudeau

Abstract

The Integration of Ole Miss in 1962 was an incredibly impactful event in the Civil Rights Movement. A contributing member to the impact of integration was James Meredith, a student determined to go to Ole Miss. The institution was forever changed by this event, as were the students who experienced the integration first hand. The students at the campus newspaper, known at the time as The Mississippian, had a unique experience of the integration due to their reporting of the events. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Integration of Ole Miss on the White Racial Identity Development of the students on the campus newspaper. Four alumni who shared this experience were interviewed in a phenomenological case study. Five themes emerged from the interviews: friendly campus, exposure to a new ideology, progress and change, awareness of environmental and societal factors, and coming together as humans. This study also examined how these themes factor into the participants’ White Racial Identity Development; discussed as well are the implications for practice and future research and the limitations in the research process.

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