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Abstract

Today polarized attitudes and aptitudes have created a subtle but steady paradigm shift in the way equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) issues are seen by stakeholders. As a result, focusing on critical aspects of equity relationships and the fallout from discriminatory attitudes towards marginalized groups has become ever more needed. While diversity issues exist in all societal, professional, and personal realms, its impact within educational institutions is perhaps the most deeply profound. This Hermeneutic Phenomenology study examines the experiences of six higher education faculty who teach predominantly white student classrooms to identify issues and recommendations with respect to their relationship with students when such teachers belong to a group that is not the majority group representative of the students. This is an important topic to investigate given the dynamic role faculty and student relationships play in the context of EDI issues. Data suggests that while gender disparities drive students’ behavior towards faculty, the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of faculty are an even greater driving force for discrimination. Recommendations to deal with the fallout of student oppressions of faculty based on equity, diversity, and inclusivity lenses and future implications are also discussed.

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