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Trent Pinto, Ph.D. is a 2019 graduate of the PHD Program in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.

Dr. Pinto at his Dissertation Defense.

L-R: Dr. Carol Baron, Committee Member, Dr. Philomena Essed, Committee Chair, Dr. Littisha Bates, Committee Member, Dr. Leslie Picca, Committee Member (not shown).

Dissertation Committee

  • Philomena Essed, Ph.D., Committee Chair
  • Carol Baron, Ph.D., Committee Member
  • Littisha Bates, Ph.D., Committee Member
  • Leslie Picca, Ph.D., Committee Member

Keywords

Campus Racism, Student Affairs Professionals, Mixed Methods, University Administration

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2019

Abstract

The phenomenon of racism in our world is deeply tragic, with historical roots that pervade college campuses and the work of student affairs professionals no less than elsewhere in society. In fact, a premise of this research is that the American university as an institution was founded on White dominance and privilege. Today the effects of racism still trickle into the personal and professional lives of those working in student affairs. This study was aimed at understanding the problem through the eyes and experiences of student affairs professionals. The overarching research question was how do incidents of racism on campus impact student affairs professionals? A mixed methods approach was used comprising four phases: individual interviews, focus group interviews, a survey, and a final focus group to encapsulate and validate the issues of racism and its impact on student affairs professionals. Pivotal questions that motivated this research included how are we taking care of ourselves and one another when faced with racism on-campus? What type of individual work around identity development and understanding are we engaged in? How can we simultaneously impact the lives of our students in a positive direction while limiting the impact racism is having on our profession? What do we need to do as a community of student affairs professionals to better ourselves, better our profession, and make a positive impact on our campus community? The results confirmed the persistence and pervasiveness of racism on campus, impacting and necessitating the work of today’s student affairs professionals. Detailed results and implications for practice and further research are discussed in reference to three levels: the individual student affairs professional; the group, or collectivity of the various student affairs roles across campus, and community, or university-wide. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/.

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Trent Pinto, Ph.D.

ORCID Scholar ID #: #0000-0002-0721-3717

Trent Pinto currently serves as the Director of Resident Education & Development at the University of Cincinnati, a position he has held since 2014. Prior to his appointment at UC, Trent worked in residence life departments at the University of Dayton, Coker College (SC), and Emmanuel College (MA). Trent began his career in student affairs in 2003 and has presented at regional and national conferences throughout his tenure in the field.

Trent's work in student affairs has been grounded in residence life, but has expanded to other facets of the field including assessment, strategic planning, recruitment and training, as well as student crisis response and support. Trent's main passion areas are social justice education, specifically equity and inclusion and using personal narratives and the dialogic model to bridge differences and understanding systems of oppression in the college setting. His research spawned from the understanding that the "system" of higher education is flawed and, specifically, can create environments where not everyone is equal nor, at times, welcomed. This research is meant to start and continue a conversation within the field of student affairs around how we are treating one another, and how we are working with and for one another to create racial equity on our campuses.

Trent holds a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts in Leadership and Change from Antioch University, a Master of Science in College Student Personnel from the University of Dayton, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Dayton

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