A Delicate Balance: Developing Straight White College Men as Social Justice Allies

Coalition on Men and Masculinities
I have recently begun a qualitative study on exploring how to best develop positive social justice ally attitudes and behaviors in heterosexual White college men (hereinafter abbreviated as STR8WCM). This blog post is about my thoughts and reflexive comments as I begin analyzing the first of many focus groups with an estimated 300 participants at 15 institutions around the country. I am a...

The Melting Pot of Masculinity

Coalition on Men and Masculinities
What does it mean to be a man? This is a constant question, not just for college men still forming who they are at their core, but also for researchers, parents, and college administrators. Is there one answer, one definition of masculinity, or is a person’s gender identity and expression one that is fluid, defined by that person, a post-modern “what you believe is right” answer? It would appear...

It Takes A Village to Develop Men

Coalition on Men and Masculinities
They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, the same can be said about developing men on our campuses. I recently had the privilege of hearing a young man at my institution share his story of manhood. Sitting across from me in the steamy non-air-conditioned office, he maintained a calm and cool confidence that only a fourth year senior can personify. He had been through a lot in his life...

The Fabric of Masculinity: Professionalism, Fraternity Letters, and Family Roles

Coalition on Men and Masculinities
I thoroughly enjoy competition, watching others compete in particular. Project Runway, a reality-television competition to find the next top American fashion designer, has taken up the free time I have between visiting my family in Texas and traveling the U.S. I was excited to see the creativity that all the contestants brought to the show, more for the designers that played with gender roles and...

Knuckleheads in Nepantla: College Male Masculinity at the Crossroads

Coalition on Men and Masculinities
In terms of the number of conduct code violations committed in a given year at my institution, males typically outnumber females two to one. In conversations with fellow conduct administrators across the country, this is also anecdotally true at the vast majority of campuses. Without excusing the conduct, a former supervisor categorized male behavior in terms of the “truly dangerous” and that...