Specters and Lingerings: Tracing the Impacts of Student Trauma on Faculty

The impact of students’ trauma on postsecondary faculty experiences is currently a sparsely researched area. Using hermeneutic phenomenology (van Manen, Citation2016) as a methodological framework for this study, we explored the following research question to better understand this gap in the research: What is it like to be a faculty member interacting with postsecondary students’ experiences of trauma (whether directly or indirectly)? Eleven faculty participated in this study and completed a lived experience description and interview. Consistent with our methodology, we used theory retrospectively to think with once we were already into analysis and saw core concepts emerging. One such theory that we thought alongside was that of Gordon’s (2008) concept of hauntings or the absent presences that are imbued with meaning. Findings revealed a core concept that we named lingerings in which student trauma remained with faculty across temporal landscapes of their: 1) feelings, 2) thoughts, and 3) practice. Implications for practice are discussed in terms of changed expectations of faculty work and additional supports needed in this context.