Motivations to Attend College Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Queer Students
The literature on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) college students focuses primarily on their experiences after they get acquainted at their college or university. The purpose of this study was to assess motivations to attend college among LGBTQ college students, and to find any connections between their identity development and those motivations. Qualitative data from 9 participants was collected and coded. Results show that LGBTQ students who come from unaccepting environments or families are more likely to express motivations such as leaving their home, self-exploration, or branching out. This provides information for higher education professionals who seek to create more inclusive, welcoming environments in college.
Previously we have shown that the dorsal lateral geniculate body (LGB), which is strictly visual in sighted mammals, receives a strong auditory input in the naturally blind mole rat (Spalax ehrenbergi). Here we show with the 2-deoxyglucose technique and with single-unit recordings that in this species the initially non-degenerated visual cortex, as defined by its connection with LGB, is also activated by the auditory modality. These findings suggest that cross-modal compensation may occur as a natural consequence of the degeneration of a sense organ.