Junior Ashley Edwards presented the research with university Registrar Rodney Parks during an October conference.
Despite a growing awareness of transgender issues at the national level, higher education is just beginning to recognize the challenges faced by transgender college students. With that in mind, Elon University junior Ashley Edwards and Registrar Rodney Parks presented a phenomenological case study to the National Conference on Students in Transition in October.
As students transition, they face a number of challenges within campus environments, including barriers to changing their academic records, difficulties with campus facilities and identity issues in the classroom. Using a dual instrumental case study, the authors explored the experiences of one male-to-female and one female-to-male transgender student to shed light on the challenges and needs of this vulnerable student population. Their presentation was titled “Transgenderism and the College Experience: Transitioning Challenges During Higher Education.”
Edwards and Parks also provided recommendations for campus administrators to help address the needs of this growing student demographic.