Through scholarly evidence and a narrative example, the authors of this chapter offer concrete tools for college and university leaders to transform institutions of higher education by engaging college men through a lens of productive masculinity. Specifically, this chapter provides theoretical and practical considerations for including men in efforts to combat destructive and violent behavior on college campuses. Rather than approaching these students solely from a perspective of hegemonic masculinity and patriarchal gender norms, college and university leaders can invite men to be positive change agents on campus by leveraging a theoretical framework that positions college men as active contributors to a safe and affirming campus community. The chapter concludes with practical recommendations for college and university leaders who want to implement productive masculinity on their campuses.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” - Fred Rogers
TopIntroduction
Problematic behavior among college men has increased in recent years, including disengagement, sexual assault, bigotry, and acts of violence (Ashlee, Sasso, & Witkowicki, 2020). While troubling and high-risk behavior among college men is not a new phenomenon (Kimmel, 2008), a recent uptick in these destructive behaviors, including overt racism and sexual assault, has left campuses embroiled in detrimental divisions between students and educators. Traditionally, college and university leaders have interpreted college men’s problematic behavior as isolated incidents of hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1987) and patriarchal gender norms (hooks, 2004). While these perspectives have been informative for understanding college men’s problematic behavior, they have also led to college and university leaders using behavior-only approaches (Kilmartin & Berkowitz, 2005) and punitive accountability strategies (Laker, 2005) when engaging college men. As a result, many college men feel resentful toward college and university leaders (Witkowicki, 2019) and seek solidarity with others who support their destructive behavior (Ashlee, Sasso, & Witkowicki, 2020).
Critical scholarship has revealed how systems of oppression inform and influence problematic behaviors of individual college men within the context of U.S. higher education (Edwards & Jones, 2009; Harper, Harris, & Mmeje, 2005; Harris & Struve, 2009; Kimmel, 2008). Despite having greater insight into the contextual and systemic influences that contribute to men’s harmful behavior, many college and university leaders remain uncertain about how to effectively address these concerns on their campuses. The prevailing approach to addressing these behaviors in higher education has been to regard college men as problems to be fixed through interventions like mandatory bystander intervention training, or integrated co-curricular opportunities focused on acknowledging and accepting privilege (Ashlee, 2019). Unfortunately, these strategies have not been successful in resolving the problematic behavior of college men, and perhaps they have even compelled some of these students to be bolder in enacting their destructive attitudes.
Through scholarly evidence and a narrative example, the authors of this chapter offer concrete tools for college and university leaders to transform institutions of higher education by engaging college men through a lens of productive masculinity (Harris & Harper, 2014). Specifically, this chapter provides theoretical and practical considerations for including men in efforts to combat destructive and violent behavior on college campuses. Rather than approaching these students solely from a perspective of hegemonic masculinity (Connell, 1987) and patriarchal gender norms (hooks, 2004), college and university leaders can invite men to be positive change agents on campus by leveraging a theoretical framework that positions college men as active contributors to a safe and affirming campus community.