Reflections on Post-Disaster University Research in the Aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria

Reflections on Post-Disaster University Research in the Aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria

Kula A. Francis, Kenny A. Hendrickson
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-5826-3.ch010
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Abstract

This chapter offered a reflection on a research study conducted at the University of the Virgin Islands, a historically black college and university (HBCU), in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The research study examined student perceptions of authentic university academic care (AUAC) in a post-disaster setting. AUAC can be viewed as genuine humanistic concern and disciplined nurturing in higher education. AUAC is also an important element of examining the quality of academic services. Thus, this chapter shares the experiences of the researchers, their investigative processes, the challenges faced, solutions used, and recommendations.
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Research Summary And Context Of The Study

We originally began our research as an investigation of authentic university academic care (AUAC) at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). UVI is the only historically black college and university (HBCU) outside of the mainland United States. An HBCU is a college or university founded to educate students of African American descent. As an HBCU, UVI has historically excelled in providing quality academic services to the Virgin Islands, Caribbean, and United States. In our original research, we sought to examine university caring as a measure of academic delivery. The primary question of this research was: Is UVI’s academic care genuine or authentic? Thus, authentic university academic care (AUAC) became viewed as genuine and humanistic concerns, caring motives, disciplined nurturing and a provision of educational caring necessaries in university’s academic services (Hendrickson & Francis, 2020; Addison, 2012). Regarding quality of service, AUAC can be described as a product of students’ institutional relationships and organizational systems (e.g., personnel, learning processes, technology). An inherent part of the HBCU experience centers on the term othermothering. Comparable to AUAC, Othermothering is defined as a student-centered relational caring that requires nurturing support, motivation and encouragement within academic settings. Othermothering delineates the provision of ethical caring (e.g. empathy, compassion, respect, and communication), “attentive and emotional responses”, as well as an institutional culture of academic concern and guardianship (Hendrickson & Francis, 2020, p. 62). Since UVI is an HBCU, we strongly believed that authenticity of this university’s academic caring was primarily the result of the othermothering provided by university personnel (i.e., faculty, administration, and service staff).

Our initial research attempted to recognize the components of academic caring, based on students’ perceptions. As learners and customers, students’ perceptions are useful in providing valuable information on the quality of academic services. Therefore, student’s perceptions can be used to measure AUAC. A student-focused survey instrument was created to assess AUAC. Caring about Academic Care Inventory (CAACI), the instrument, was disseminated in spring 2017. The distribution of surveys was placed on pause at the end of the spring semester. We planned to continue distributing the survey in fall 2017, once the semester was on its way. Our plans did not go as scheduled, and the events that followed changed the trajectory of our study.

Key Terms in this Chapter

University Academic Caring Carescapes Framework: A conceptual framework that showcases the human relational networks structured to provide academic caregiving to students based on HBCU othermothering ideologies.

Academic Caregiving: The act of aiding and supporting students/learners in an academic environment.

Hurricane: A natural disaster that forms when a tropical storm reaches or exceeds wind speeds of 74 mph.

Authentic University Academic Care (AUAC): Genuine and humanistic concerns, caring motives, disciplined nurturing, and a provision of educational caring necessaries in university’s academic services.

Post-Disaster Research: Research, investigative inquiry and examination conducted by practitioners in the aftermath of a disaster.

Historically Black College and University (HBCU): A college or university founded to educate students of African American descent.

Othermothering: A student-centered relational caring that entails nurturing support, motivation, and encouragement within academic settings, usually associated with HBCUs.

Natural Disaster: Major destructive event resulting from the Earth’s natural processes.

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