An Afterthought: Staff of Color and Campus Wellness Within Higher Education Responses to COVID-19

Abstract

While higher education has continued to adjust to COVID-19, which has included moving to virtual platforms and supporting students’ mental health, what is absent from these conversations is the campus staff enacting the rapidly changing university context. These professionals in academic and student affairs, residential life staff, and advising staff have had to readjust roles, responsibilities, and programs, all while facing ambiguous threats of budget cuts and struggling with their own wellness. Through a qualitative study at a midwestern university using Critical Race Theory, this study focuses on both the pandemic as well as the endemic concerns of racism Staff of Color experience at their higher education institutions. Findings reveal disconnects between university values and communication with the (lack of) financial prioritization and care. While many seek a return to the pre-COVID-19 campus, the strategies, execution, and prioritization of staff hold much longer ramifications regarding campus retention, inclusion, and equity.