“A Fly in the Buttermilk”: Descriptions of University Life by Successful Black Undergraduate Students at a Predominately White Southeastern University

Discourse from #TheRealUW: What Tweets Say about Racial Concerns at a Predominately White Institution

“…This sheds light on a commonality that Davis et al (2004) found in interviews with black undergraduates: "Students were aware of how important it was to them to be the same as others in learning and social settings", again describing the "isolation, alienation, and stereotyping" induced not necessarily by overt acts of racism, but by being in the presence of a large cohort of students simply unaware of their own biases, subtle or unsubtle. Indeed, we would expect, almost by definition, that someone espousing a "color-blind" ideology, as many on college campuses do, would perceive themselves to be less biased than average.…”

“…The personal descriptions gleaned from Davis et al (2004) take this a step further, falling into categories showcasing which themes are most prevalent at PWIs: (1) Unfair or condescending treatment from the college (e.g., classroom offenses or administrative unresponsiveness to complaints); (2) The feeling by black students that they always "have to initiate the conversation" in order to make any connections with hesitant white students and faculty; (3) The resulting appearance of one's differences; when black students were not feeling unnoticed or "invisible", this was replaced by (or was felt simultaneously with) "super visibility": the feeling that they "have to represent every black student in here"; and consequently (4) The tired refrain: "I have to prove I am worthy to be here". Contrada et al (2000) identify "stereotype confirmation-concern"-that is, "the chronic apprehension about appearing to confirm an ethnic stereotype"-as one of the top sources of ethnicity-related stress.…”

Towards a matrix for the advancement of black working class students in South Africa's historically privileged universities

“…Similarly, Toni and Olivier (2004, 195) refer to the academic identity of BWC students that constitutes their perceptions in an academic environment. In this regard Davis et al (2004) report that failure to align with an institution's culture and the feeling of being excluded, are predominant experiences of BWC students who are part of traditional white universities. This perceived lack of belonging paves the way for academic failure.…”

Shifting perceptions of black students in a South African university residence

“…There were instances in which explicit racism could be detected amongst student interactions in some university residences. For example: racial insults written in elevators (Harwood, Huntt and Mendenhall 2009), white students treated badly by other white students for interacting with black students (Lorenz 2009), graffiti that expressed racism and flags hanging from a residence window written 'Niggers go home' (Davis, Dias-Bowie and Geenberg 2004). Black students reported experiences of interpersonal insensitive comments, staring or rude behaviour (Swim et al 2003).…”