Campus Racial Climates Research Articles

Race, Role, and Religion: Exploring Campus Racial Climate Perceptions

Over the past two decades, researchers have shown an increased interest in analyzing the campus racial climates (CRC) of colleges and universities. Despite this growing literature, far too little attention has been paid to the CRCs of a specific institutional sector: Christian higher education. Drawing from survey data of 15 Christian higher education institutions across the United States, this quantitative study analyzed CRC perceptions and experiences across varied educational stakeholders (i.e., students, faculty, and administrators) within Christian higher education contexts. Our findings reveal that people of color (PoC) and Whites perceive their campus racial climates differently; that PoC report being treated unfairly and feeling at a disadvantage due to their race in Christian higher education; and that students, faculty, and staff of color experience a less hospitable campus culture, irrespective of their organizational status. By bringing together the CRC perceptions of these campus groups, we expand upon the shared racialized experiences and challenges of faculty, staff, and students of color. We conclude by offering implications for practice to foster diverse and equitable CRCs in Christian colleges and universities for all campus constituents.

Theorizing virtual counterspaces: how Latina graduate students build community online

ABSTRACT In this article we extend the concept of counterspaces by theorizing an emerging form of counterspace – virtual counterspace. We employ Latine Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and racial microaggressions to understand how Latina graduate students utilize Instagram to cultivate community online. Latina graduate students encounter unique barriers to degree attainment including lack of cultural affirmation, isolation, microaggressions, and hostile campus racial climates. Drawing on the experience of developing virtual counterspaces, we argue that virtual counterspaces are sites of cultural affirmation, community building, knowledge sharing, and empowerment that enable the academic success of Latina graduate students. Given the power of social media, we urge colleges and universities to leverage these platforms to engage and support Latinas and other Students of Color.

Beyond the Numbers: How Focusing on Compositional Diversity Downplays Anti-Asian Racism

In Short Asian American students reported increasingly hostile racial climates, with misinformation and anti-Asian sentiments being spread on social media, other students physically shunning Asian students, and Asian internationals experiencing restrictions and fears of surveillance. Asian and Asian Americans remain on the fringe when it comes to higher education diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) discussions and efforts, under the stereotypical assumption that they are “model minorities.” Among the reasons there may be less attention on campus racial climates for Asian Americans is based a narrow and insufficient focus on compositional diversity—numerical representation of groups in higher education. A dynamic, multicontexual approach that incorporates faculty, staff, and students in better supporting Asian and Asian Americans in higher education is needed.

Institutional Racial Representation and Equity Gaps in College Graduation

ABSTRACT College graduation rates for racially minoritized students are adversely affected by structural barriers and hostile campus racial climates, which lead to notable equity gaps within and across institutions. Theory and prior literature suggest that the representation of racially minoritized students and instructors may play a role in shaping these disparities, but the evidence to date is limited and has yielded divergent findings. Therefore, the present study directly explored the link between the representation of several minoritized racial groups and equity gaps in six-year graduation rates. The results indicate that same-race representation and the representation of students and instructors from other racially minoritized groups were associated with greater racial equity in graduation outcomes; in fact, no Black-White and Latinx-White gaps were present when Black or Latinx students, respectively, comprised at least half of undergraduates at that institution. Moreover, these patterns occurred predominantly at institutions with virtually no fully online students, which suggests the importance of face-to-face interactions that facilitate situational racial cues and interpersonal experiences that may foster success for racially minoritized students.

Institutional Racism and Campus Racial Climate: Struggles for Sense of Belonging and Academic Success Among Black Students in the K-12 Public Schools

This paper explored racial discrimination as the primary underlying factor which creates an unwelcoming campus racial climate for Black students in K-12 public schools. It also highlights how the validation of the White race over the Black race perpetuates racial discrimination in the form of institutional racism. It shows how institutional racism creates negative relationships between most Black students and their White teachers, resulting in hostile campus racial climates. This paper, through the lenses of racial battle fatigue and critical race theory, argues that hostile campus racial climate results in a lack of sense of belonging among Black students in K-12 public schools. In addition, this paper demonstrates that the negative relationship that often exists between Black students and White teachers is due to negative perceptions (deficit thinking) and behaviors of White teachers. Various ways White teachers can help eliminate hostile campus racial climate against Black students are discussed. Data for this study were collected through the review of scholarly literature that discussed the experiences and negative effects of campus racial climate on the relationship between most White teachers and Black students in K-12 public schools.

‘Finding home’: campus racial microclimates and academic homeplaces at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

ABSTRACTStudents do not uniformly feel welcome in university environments, and their experiences vary across race. Drawing on 19 interviews with Black and Latino men at a Hispanic-Serving Institution, this study demonstrates that participants perceive the campus racial climate at the organizational level differently. However, perceptions and experiences in microclimates converge and are informed by the lack of Black and Latinx faculty, the underrepresentation of Black students, and experiences with racial microaggressions. This study bridges prior research on microclimates and campus racial climates to advance the concept of campus racial microclimates. I also introduce the concept of academic homeplaces, which are campus racial microclimates that foster a sense of community and affirmation.

Transforming campus racial climates: Examining discourses around student experiences of racial violence and institutional (in)action.

Transforming campus racial climates: Examining discourses around student experiences of racial violence and institutional (in)action.

What's Money Got to Do with It? An Examination of the Relationships between Sources of Financial Support and the Post-Graduation Career Plans of Latina and Latino Doctoral Students in the Social Sciences

More Latina and Latino faculty members are needed to mentor Latina and Latino students, as well as diversify academic research, and improve campus racial climates and retention of minority faculty members. This paper focuses on the sources of financial support that can facilitate access to faculty careers. I use multinomial logistic estimation and predicted probabilities to examine relationships between various sources of financial support (e.g., assistantships) and Latina and Latino social scientists' post-graduation plans. Plots of predicted probabilities show that the relationships between sources of support and Latina and Latinos' post-graduation plans are similar among other racial and ethnic groups.

Voices from the red states: challenging racial positioning in some of the most conservative communities in America

Using positioning theory (PT) and critical race theory (CRT), we examine disparate power relations between White governance and faculty of color (FOC) in one rural American teacher education context. PT and CRT allow researchers to analyze how the positionings of White-Other have been historically rooted and impacting the meso-institutional policies/practices and the micro-individual relationships. Findings show that racial relations in academia does not exist in a social vacuum: the cyclical patterns of discrimination and rural racism have endured in university practices under study and shaped the current unequal power relations between White governance and FOC. We suggest changing the current policies and practices to include deliberate initiatives in hiring, retaining, and promoting FOC to leadership positions in teacher/higher education. We conclude that Whites and people of color must redouble efforts to form coalitions with one another that will advance progressive institutional practices and improve campus racial climates.

Mapping the Postcolonial Across Urban and Suburban College Access Geographies

ABSTRACTIn US cities, a domino effect of concentrating poverty and suburbanizing wealth shapes discourses of local higher education access for residents of color. How the racialization of space mirrors colonial binaries of Good/Evil, Black/White and Civilized/Uncivilized is part and parcel to understanding city and county geographies surrounding college campuses. Although the college access and choice literature addresses racial and ethnic issues related to the likelihood of students of color attending college, the literature excludes how external campus racial climates are part of postcolonial geographies that contribute to racial and ethnic diversity on local college campuses. Situated in the City of Rochester, New York, I employ Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to collect and analyze data from the US Census and Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS). This article finds that there are postcolonial relationships in the racial composition of urban and suburban areas, local colleges, urban economic underdevelopment, and transportation.

Racial Battle Fatigue for Latina/o Students

Previous literature demonstrates that as a result of racial microaggressions and hostile campus racial climates, Latina/o students often state they experience psychological, physiological, and behavioral stress responses during and after racialized incidents on campuses. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively test the racial battle fatigue framework for Latina/o students using structural equation modeling. Findings suggest that psychological stress responses for Latinas/os are most impacted by racial microaggressions in the racial battle fatigue framework.

Considering the Role of Affect in Learning: Monitoring Students' Self-Efficacy, Sense of Belonging, and Science Identity

While emphasis is often placed on assessing students' conceptual knowledge, less has been placed on investigating affective aspects of student biology learning. In this paper, we explore self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and science identity, as well as emerging assessment tools to monitor these dimensions of students' learning.

A harassing climate? Sexual harassment and campus racial climate research.

In this conceptual paper, the authors discuss how research about sexual harassment and campus racial climates for undergraduate students is relegated to separate silos. Drawing on intersectionality and critical race feminist frameworks, the authors juxtapose these strands of research with attention to ethnicity/race and gender, highlighting how sexual harassment and racial climate research both aim to promote positive college environments, but with notably different approaches. The authors call for an intersectional approach that appreciates both sexual harassment as well as the racial climate, concluding with recommendations for incorporating both strands of literature into research on educational environments.

Cultivating Diversity and Spirituality: A Compelling Interest for Institutional Priority

Historically, Christian colleges and universities have struggled to incorporate racial and ethnic diversity into White and homogenous campuses. Research indicates that a positive racial climate is essential to promote spiritual growth for students from diverse backgrounds. As a result, diversity is a compelling interest for Christian institutions. Drawing from the challenges and the latest research on student development and campus racial climates, this article offers four pathways to cultivate diversity in Christian higher education.

Race without Racism: How Higher Education Researchers Minimize Racist Institutional Norms

This article analyzes 255 articles published in seven peer-reviewed journals over a 10-year period and presents examples of how higher education researchers undertake the study of campus racial climates; racial differences in access, outcomes, and attainment; and the experiences of students, faculty, and administrators of color on predominantly White campuses without explicitly considering racism or attributing quantified racial inequities to racist institutional practices. The analysis found three consistent trends: (a) racial disparities are overwhelmingly attributed to factors other than racism, (b) scholars use semantic substitutes for "racism" and "racist," and (c) critical race theory is rarely used for conceptual sense-making.

Critical Race Theory, Racial Microaggressions, and Campus Racial Climate for Latina/o Undergraduates

In this article, Tara Yosso, William Smith, Miguel Ceja, and Daniel Solórzano expand on their previous work by employing critical race theory to explore and understand incidents of racial microaggressions as experienced by Latina/o students at three selective universities. The authors explore three types of racial microaggressions—interpersonal microaggressions, racial jokes, and institutional microaggressions—and consider the effects of these racist affronts on Latina/o students. Challenging the applicability of Vincent Tinto's three stages of passage for college students, the authors explore the processes by which Latinas/os respond to racial microaggressions and confront hostile campus racial climates. The authors find that, through building community and developing critical navigation skills, Latina/o students claim empowerment from the margins.

Racial Differences in the Effects of Campus Racial Climate on Degree Completion: A Structural Equation Model

Racial minority student persistence is of paramount importance to higher education policymakers and practitioners. This study was aimed at understanding racial differences in the direct and indirect effects of campus racial climate on degree completion using structural equation modeling techniques and a nationally representative sample. The findings of this analysis highlight the importance of examining conditional effects and indicate that students from disparate racial backgrounds may experience and react to their campus racial climates in different ways. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Nine themes in campus racial climates and implications for institutional transformation

AbstractThis chapter synthesizes fifteen years of published research on campus racial climates. It also presents nine themes that emerged from a qualitative study of campus racial climates at five predominantly White universities.

Pluralism: Student-Student and Student-Faculty Interactions and Institutional Attractiveness

In this study on pluralism, student-student and student - faculty interactions were examined in the context of institutional attractiveness and equity within teacher training programs. The study was conducted across 11 universities' teacher training programs (N = 1,326). Results indicated that though teacher-training programs are perceived as being pluralistic and equitable, gender, race and campus racial climates are strong predictors of interactions among the students and between students and faculty within these programs, and how the institutions treat their trainees.