Emily Sandoval
by Elizabeth Bluth
Emily Sandoval has seen firsthand what Title IX does for education. Sandoval believes that women would not necessarily have the positions in higher education they have now if not for Title IX—not only at the student level but also with respect to staff and faculty, herself included. And so she takes her role as Associate Vice Provost for Student Development and Engagement for Student Affairs very seriously. It is important to her that anyone coming to USC feels included and empowered.
“Campus housing is often the first point of connection for many students when they arrive as undergraduates at college. It should feel like “their home away from home,” said Sandoval, who earned a Master’s degree at USC in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs and a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership, both from Rossier School of Education. “Students need to be able to find their communities and make connections.” Creating a space for inclusive living spaces and special interests helps students feel safe and connect with their peers, she said.
She stressed that those initial connections help students feel like they belong on campus and ultimately play a huge part in a student’s academic and personal success. When students feel at home in their living community, they have much higher levels of emotional well-being and physical health. And with student mental health issues on the rise in recent years, Sandoval saw a need for inclusive housing that promoted the sense of belonging that students crave, not only in general housing but in special interest communities, such as the Rainbow Community , a residential community specifically for LGBTQ+ students.
Sandoval began her career at University of California, Riverside, where she worked closely with the LGBTQ+ Center to make UC—Riverside the first four -year public university to implement gender-inclusive housing on its campus. She then moved to California Polytechnic University, San Louis Obispo, and did the same on its campus. In 2016, she became Senior Director of Residential Education at USC and supported her team in the development of identity-based Living Learning Communities to include the APIDA Leaders Community, Veteran Housing, the Sustainable Living community, and gender-inclusive housing. These programs were in addition to the already established El Sol y La Luna Floor, the Rainbow Community, Somerville Place, and WiSE: Women in Science & Engineering. Additionally, several offices in her portfolio are collaborating to implement a First-Generation student-focused floor opening in Fall 2023.
Her work advocating for and implementing inclusive and safe housing opportunities for student communities at multiple universities across Southern California was recognized by the Western Association of University Housing Officers (WACUHO) in 2015 with the Outstanding Woman of WACUHO Award for her support of the advancement, development, and mentorship of women. She was recognized again in 2017 with the Jim JB Brock “Spirit of WACUHO Award,” which recognizes members who embody the ideals of partnership, teamwork, and imagination.
“As a first-generation college student and a Chicana from Los Angeles County, I take my responsibility to students seriously. It’s awesome to have the privilege to be a role model for the students I work with, and I hope that through my work and the work of my teams, I’m exposing students to different possibilities to make an impact,” Sandoval said.
Sandoval recently returned to her high school alma mater, Bishop Amat in La Puente, California, to speak at Career Day. “It was surreal going back to hallways that still look basically the same,” she said. “As a high school student, I was much more shy and not outspoken.” Speaking on how she has been able to impact student life at a large university in the same classroom she once took honors history in made her realize just how far she has come in her career.
As a teen, Sandoval’s love of “geeky things” like Star Wars and comic books meant that she was often the only girl in a group of male-identified friends. She said she is happy to see more recent focus on equity, accountability, and inclusivity within that community, which has allowed more people of all genders to comfortably share their love and passion alongside each other. Sandoval has presented at San Diego Comic-Con International several times with colleagues from across the nation on how to build community through geek culture on college campuses and its use as an education tool in trainings and discussions in and outside of the classroom.
“Title IX creates the framework and guidelines that allow more diverse representation in the classroom and in leadership roles on campuses which influence our broader community,” she said. “The change we’ve seen in the last two decades [in SciFi movies and comic books] is huge.”
Being able to feel seen, safe, and represented in her community is special to Sandoval. She continues to promote opportunities for students of all genders to find their niche in their living communities through her work with residential education and Student Affairs. Sandoval’s office is even decorated with several Funko! Pop figurines and Comic-Con paraphernalia and artwork. When students come to Sandoval’s office, there is an instant connection with students to talk about pop culture and feel more comfortable working with a senior administrator.
Sandoval also modeled the increasing use of pronouns early on in her career by making sure that the units she oversaw in Student Affairs used pronouns on their nametags, and she has been an active part of conversations to create more lactation rooms and gender-inclusive bathrooms on campus.
“I am always thinking of how we can do more and ways that we can be better at the work we do supporting students,” she said.
As Title IX has evolved, Sandoval finds partnerships between offices like the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (EEO-TIX) and Student Affairs incredibly important. Maintaining compliance and reporting opportunities in these offices allows her and her teams to remain student-focused and provide the necessary support to students during incidents of assault or harassment.
“In some realms, we have a way to go,” she acknowledged. “We know the gender pay gap and other gender disparities exist in the world.” But Sandoval feels lucky to be following in the footsteps of the women leaders who came before her. “I feel fortunate to be at USC with a President and Vice President for Student Life who identify as women and who invest in their staff and equity work. It is rare to work at a university with this many women leaders.”