Black Students On White Campuses Summary

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Entry into college is one factor of access to higher education for racial minorities, but the opportunity to graduate is another important aspect of the issue. According to Hurtado, when major institutions focus on increasing diversity, the focus mainly on increasing the number of students enrolled, and while this is important, it neglects so much more to the problem (2). The resources offered to black students to help them adjust to historically white colleges and succeed academically are something that is still in need of improvement. In Sedlacek’s article Black Students on White Campuses: 20 Years of Research, he highlights three major aspects of campus life that has a negative effect on black students on historically-white campuses. The …show more content…

The study asked black and Hispanic students what academic and non-academic factors contributed to their success at their universities. Hall writes that a common theme among participants was microaggressions and how they had often experienced them while in college, especially when dealing with faculty and staff (56-57). The relationship between a professor and their students can be critical to college success, and feeling as if a person’s professor doubts them as a student can hinder their ability to succeed academically and feel welcomed on campus. Another factor contributing to a feeling of not being welcome is being disconnected from campus organizations. It is well advertised that being involved in a campus organization helps with a person’s college success. The students in Hall’s study, as he accounts, claim that they do not feel welcomed in the campus environment as the organizations seem to only be welcoming for white students (60-61). The students did share the benefits of being involved in organizations that are target solely for Hispanic students or black students, but said that beyond that there were not many options (60). These factors all play into the unfairness in a student’s ability to acquire a degree from a university. The road to graduation is difficult for all students, but these added roadblocks make that journey even more

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