Table of Contents
Racism In College
Racism in college is a very real problem, and even though it’s not discussed often, people of color deal with it all the time in various forms.
You may be thinking, How can this still be an issue? Shouldn’t we have gotten past racism by now? The reality is that racism never went away and it isn’t going anywhere any time soon. In fact, some colleges are just starting to address these issues.
Why Racism In College Is Still An Issue
The college experience should be one of the most formative periods of life, but it can also be one that’s fraught with racism, harassment and microaggressions.
And while many colleges are trying to respond to their black students’ unique needs—whether through cultural sensitivity training or new resources for black students—there’s still much work to be done.
The following is a look at just some of these schools: Why are so many black students struggling?
Black students are three times more likely than white ones to live below the poverty line. Black college graduates have nearly twice as much student loan debt as white graduates with similar levels of debt.
Racism In College Curriculum
To combat racism on campus, institutions are now offering courses such as Yale’s Race, Ethnicity and Indigeneity: Comparative Histories, Contemporary Realities and Wesleyan University’s Racial Capitalism: A White-Supremacist Legacy.
For too long, students of color have been isolated to take care of their own mental health needs when it comes to racism; these new courses are helping students see how racial issues intersect with oppression based on gender identity, sexual orientation and class.
The courses focus not only on addressing personal reactions but also on creating policy changes and other solutions through activism.
Racism In College Funding
Racism in college affects Black students, who are at higher risk of being suspended or arrested. Black students are less likely to enroll, graduate and attain leadership positions.
Colleges that receive federal funding for financial aid have been required to collect racial data from applicants since 2015 but only about 80 percent of colleges submitted complete reports for 2016-17, according to Inside Higher Ed.
My number one priority has been and continues to be addressing issues that disproportionately affect our Black students, said Fanta Aw, Emory’s vice president for student affairs.
To improve upon those outcomes, we must first understand how they manifest. Student groups and many administrators met recently on campus to discuss ways Emory can better support its student body when it comes to racism and mental health concerns.
Racism In College Sports
There are 6.4 million college students of color. Many of these students come from low-income households and schools that don’t adequately prepare them for college, so they’re unlikely to have access to AP courses or other resources that would help them succeed in university.
This means many black students don’t compete at an equal level with their white peers from wealthier backgrounds, leading to stress over performance disparities and racial discrimination on campus.
According to one study, black college athletes experience racial discrimination regardless of sport or position. White teammates may exclude black players from team activities and belittle their abilities during practices, which can lead to poor performance on the field.
The recent events surrounding college football and racism are sad, but also speak to an important larger issue. More than half of NCAA Division I schools have students who identify as black, yet less than 20 percent of coaches at these schools are black. This disparity is far too common across college sports.
For example, only 7 percent of male head coaches in Division I basketball are black and only 3 percent of head coaches for women’s teams are African-American. When it comes to athletics directors at NCAA universities, 4 percent are African-American men compared with 27 percent who are white women.
Racism In College Teachers
Racism on college campuses appears to be at an all-time high. According to The Huffington Post, 15% of students of color say they’ve been threatened or intimidated by another student because of their race or ethnicity.
Sadly, reports like these are becoming commonplace at many schools across America. Racism exists even among educators who should know better and do better.
A University of Kansas study published earlier this year found that white teachers were less likely to expect academic success from black students than their white peers.
It was also found that white college professors are much more likely to rate black male students as disruptive and discipline them with low grades, relative to other races.
Racism In College In USA
For many years, racism and racial segregation have been regarded as one of America’s biggest problems. In college environments, specifically, many black students have faced numerous instances of microaggressions and discrimination which are often left ignored.
Microaggressions (defined by Derald Wing Sue as subtle snubs or insults that communicate an unintentional negative message to people from marginalized groups) can include everything from being denied entrance into certain parties to being called an offensive name.
They usually aren’t intended to hurt, but that doesn’t mean they don’t affect those who experience them every day.
Chinese people are being discriminated against by American peers and authorities. For example, they are kicked out of classes, denied entry to events on college campuses and driven off-campus just because of their race.
At UCLA, white students called police on Chinese international students who were hanging up posters for an upcoming party. However, in recent months, many Chinese international students have complained about racism on U.S. campuses through social media with the hashtag #RacistAmerica.
Racism In College In India
Black students, who are 2.6% of India’s population, get 3.9% of college degrees. According to a 2014 report by India’s Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), black and Muslim Indians were proportionally underrepresented at every level of higher education despite being over represented at primary school and secondary school levels.
Where do we go from here? : Racism at elite, private colleges—the institutions that educate just about everyone who goes on to run India’s government and economy—has received far less attention than it warrants.
Hopefully, recent incidents will bring much-needed attention to what many still view as a taboo topic: racism in India’s most prestigious universities.
Racism In College In China
Racism in college has become more and more serious over time. In some universities, such as Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Tsinghua University, racial discrimination was really severe, where foreigners were even called dogs by some Chinese students.
Racism can reduce international students’ willingness to stay longer or study harder. A survey conducted by China Newsweek shows that most foreign students will choose to leave China because of its poor job market, low quality of life and racism.
According to statistics from Xu Kejing (2015), approximately 44% of foreign students experienced one kind of racism or another while studying in China for a period between three months to three years.
Racism In College In Canada
Racism among youth in Canada seems to be particularly resilient. In fact, as more and more people of colour speak out about their experiences with racism, it becomes harder for non-racialized Canadians to ignore how widespread racism is among our country’s population.
According to Statistics Canada, 21 per cent of racialized Canadians aged 15 and over reported experiencing discrimination based on race or ethnicity. Racial slurs are rarely used these days but other forms of racism are just as prevalent.
From casual use of racist jokes to wearing blackface for Halloween costumes, signs of racism against people of color aren’t difficult to spot when we look around us.
Racism In College In Uk
Racism in college can cause mental health problems and increase stress among black students, according to new research from University of Warwick.
The university’s Institute for Research in Social Sciences (IRSS) found that students who had experienced racism at university were more likely to be depressed and suffer from anxiety.
Racism at university has also been linked to increased drug use. A year ago, Student Rights conducted a report on high rates of anti-Semitism and racism against Jews and blacks across UK campuses.
A recent survey by The National Union of Students found that 90 percent of black students in Britain had experienced racism on campus. The effects are not just emotional, but also financial and academic: those with lower mental health have been shown to have reduced academic performance.
UK students are experiencing, fighting against and bearing emotional scars from racism. Racism can lead to increased anxiety and poor mental health outcomes. Racism is still a real problem in UK universities, here’s why it exists and what needs to be done about it.
