Report of Understanding Muslim Community Campus Experience Through Photovoice Project (Greensboro, NC)

This report summarizes the data collected from the implementation of a survey among Muslim students, faculty and staff at colleges in Greensboro, NC. The sample was any person from Muslim communities at the colleges/universities in Greensboro, NC. The main method to collect data was Photovoice and this was done through Qualtrics. It also includes a summary of some of the discussion at the Photovoice exhibit and dinner that followed up collection of the data. The dinner and exhibition were held to give voice and meaning to the data collected as it is an important part of Photovoice methodology. It might be important to know how this study started. Francisco and Tanhan (2015) conducted a concern report to identify concerns and strengths of Muslim community at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), NC. The study was mainly quantitative and with two questions being qualitative, open-ended questions. The authors stated that the community face many psychosocial and political issues that decrease the quality of life for all UNCG and especially for the Muslim community at UNCG. Following the analysis of the study, the authors held a community discussion and dinner at UNCG, and more came out of that dinner and discussion. The study became an important subject of many administrative meetings and the local media including the Greensboro city council, UNCG administrators, Time Warner Cable News, and The Carolinian, to mention a few. The results of the study and all the following events and attention showed that this study should be followed with some more qualitative studies to help larger non-Muslim administrators and communities to understand the concerns of the Muslim community. In the community discussion and dinner, there were representatives from many different colleges both from Greensboro and some others in North Carolina, and the authors got a few intense demand that the other Muslim communities at other colleges wanted the same or similar studies for their communities to give a voice to their needs and address them. Therefore, the authors of this current Photovoice study decided to include all Muslim communities at colleges in Greensboro. When reading this report, it is important to note that we did not change any data, except for removing few pictures since they were including personal faces and it had been reported in the survey not to include personal faces and private properties, submitted by people completing the survey. Both the photos and captions for photos submitted reflect the community members completing the survey. Neither the authors of this report, the UNCG Muslim Student Association, or others on campus, agree with all of the comments as stated. It is important to include comments from those surveyed, even though they might be disagreeable. It is important to include all comments so that we can create space for all to express their pleasant and unpleasant feelings and thoughts to acknowledge and address them in possible meaningful ways to create more meaningful and just environments, conditions, and life for all including Muslim community as well. Next steps in the process. It is important that the initial survey summary of the Photovoice data and exhibit are not the final activities. The data summarized here call for need for more dialogue, understanding, advocacy, collaboration, and increased emphasis to address the strengths and concerns in order to increase wellbeing of the overall communities, and especially Muslim communities on colleges in Greensboro.