Today I found myself advocating on behalf of undergrad students because we don’t give undergrad student representatives the resources necessary to make their voices heard.

Am I going to Barcelona in May???

I’m logging off after working on a book chapter for most of the day. Gonna have a glass of wine and watch Dexter.

Student accounts sent me to the grad school business office; the grad school business office sent me to Human Resources.

And this is a sign that no one actually knows who does what at this complexly organized enterprise we call a university.

Role strain theory might in fact explain why the “over involved” students are almost always students with minoritized identities.

Over break I rested, but I also reviewed 103 articles for a lit review in a paper with people I adore.

I had a good time doing it, and am now much more knowledgeable on the impact of student loans, college promise programs.

It amazes me that I get so much done when I’m not in class. It’s almost as if going to class is not always an effective approach for learning but instead is a practice and structure embedded in neoliberal ideas of human capital development, social reproduction, and academic control and domination.

Seems we are almost tired & done with starter packs but if you want to join our community of Indiana University scholars & friends please respond to this post! #GoHoosiers

@nikimessmore.bsky.social @cameroncarl.bsky.social
@willwalkerjr.bsky.social
@vanessamiller.bsky.social
go.bsky.app/7bjuuLP

90+ hours of sociology course work combined with 45+ hours of course work on org theory nets this fun little aberration of theory.

I can’t register for classes because I didn’t pay a balance of $1.14 that I literally found out about today.

These are the kind of unnecessary barriers that make student success challenging. Because why was a hold out on my account for a balance of $1.14?

Critical sociological research suggest that elections have never been “free” and “fair.”

Efforts taken to restrict access to voting, the influence of super PACs and the general apathy—alongside explicit calls to derail elections should make us all more concerned.

Highlight of the day was my AM org theory rant. lol. Folks trying to work couldn’t cause I was DEEP in the complexities of how higher Ed institutions are functionally and organizationally structured. #ASHE2024

It is Year 2 of PhD, year 4 of grad school, year 8 of higher education, and I am incredibly tired, a little bored and very apathetic towards higher Ed, research, school, and everything in between.

No one—and I mean no one—will be more excited to be done with course than me. 1 semester left.

For this presentation, I analyzed governing documents using critical discourse analysis to learn more about students’ participation in academic governance. Findings highlight the outcomes of dynamic, latent structures of power inherent in institutional discourses related to governance.

Some of my early research, experiences, and expertise are referenced in this article. Give it a read if you have the time!